Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn

Publisher: Mira

Release Date: March 1st, 2007

Source: e-library branch

"Let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave."

These ominous words, slashed from the pages of a book of Psalms, are the last threat that the darling of London society, Sir Edward Grey, receives from his killer. Before he can show them to Nicholas Brisbane, the private inquiry agent he has retained for his protection, Sir Edward collapses and dies at his London home, in the presence of his wife, Julia, and a roomful of dinner guests. Prepared to accept that Edward's death was due to a longstanding physical infirmity, Julia is outraged when Brisbane visits and suggests that Sir Edward has been murdered. It is a reaction she comes to regret when she discovers the damning paper for herself, and realizes the truth. Determined to bring her husband's murderer to justice, Julia engages the enigmatic Brisbane to help her investigate Edward's demise. Dismissing his warnings that the investigation will be difficult, if not impossible, Julia presses forward, following a trail of clues that lead her to even more unpleasant truths, and ever closer to a killer who waits expectantly for her arrival.

Review: It's been more than a month since I read this book but I haven't forgotten anything. I loved this one, you guys.

Once I read the beginning sentences, I knew I was in for a treat: "To say that I met Nicholas Brisbane over my husband's dead body is not entirely accurate. Edward, it should be noted, was still twitching upon the floor."  If that doesn't capture your interest, then I don't know what will. And with that kind of entrance, it's clear that Silent in the Grave is quite the story, and that Julia, its narrator, is quite the main character.

*sigh* Oh, Julia. She has this knack for getting into all sorts of trouble and can be incredibly stubborn but she was such a fun protagonist. She won me over with her peculiar English charm and love of books. Her family was also a riot! Freethinkers and very liberated for their time, the March family never failed to surprise or amuse me. I was only introduced to a few of Julia's family members in this novel, but I can't wait to make my acquaintance with the rest of her family later on in the series. I'm already excited to meet her two brothers living abroad :D

Nicholas Brisbane. Omigosh you guys, swoon. I thought I was done with the mysterious loner type, but Brisbane just makes it look so good. If I had read about him before, he probably would've ruined me because now when I think back to all the "mysterious" types I thought were cool, I shake my head and laugh. Nah, man. Brisbane is one fine specimen ;D Plus he brings so much to the story in terms of driving the plot along and challenging Julia's notions of what she knows and what she believes.

But as much as I enjoyed the simmering attraction happening between Julia and Brisbane, I have to say that I loved the mystery aspect of the story even more. Realizing that her husband's death was actually a murder, Julia decides to help Brisbane in figuring out who's responsible and like any good mystery, the possibilities of who the culprit may be are numerous. Raybourn was really good in leading the reader along with a trail of red herrings, but then the mystery is revealed and it's just so perfect. Even if you figure out who the murderer is early on, their motive is not what you'd expect.

Final Verdict: If you're in a reading slump or just looking for a particularly damn good read, I insist that you give Silent in the Grave a try. It was one of the books that I tried that pulled me out of my slump, so I'm sure it'll help anyone else that needs a cure :) Silent in the Grave is a well-written blend of historical, mystery and romance fiction that satisfies on all levels. (P.S. this is the first in the series, but I can only imagine that with each book Julia's story gets better and better.)

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