Published 18 January 2008
Summary - London, 1886
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...
For Lady Julia Grey, her husband's sudden death at a dinner party is extremely inconvenient, not to mention an unpardonable social gaffe. However, things take a turn for the worse when inscrutable private investigator Nicholas Brisbane reveals that the death was not due to natural causes. Drawn away from her comfortable, conventional life, Lady Julia is exposed to threatening notes, secret societies and gypsy curses, not to mention Nicholas's charismatic unpredictability......
I first came across this book when I cyber stalked Angie from Angieville because she is one of those people who never fails to recommend me books that I love. So I did what any forward thinking person would do......I stalked her goodreads "read" shelves and purchased almost everything that caught my eye. Silent in the Grave was one of them. And did I love it? OMG YES!
Imagine you're hosting a rather upper middle class dinner party for your husbands birthday. The party is full of guests all with high connections and even more money. Then BAM your husband is on the floor and froth is coming out of his mouth. Then BAM your husband is dead. On his BIRTHDAY. It all happens in front of a rather dashingly handsome gentelemen you have not yet had the pleasure of being introduced to, but you know will play some importance in your future. I mean how could he not? What with those broad shoulders and dark smoulering eyes and hair falling on his face. Yes you realise you shouldn't be noticing how ruggedly handsome this gentelman is what with your husband being dead on the floor, but a girl has needs too. Then think about all this happening in the first frickin chapter and you get a little taste of the excitement Lady Julia Grey has coming her way.
Okay, so i'm not going to go into specific plot points because I think it's nice to let the mystery aspect of the story unwind. This is a story full of mystery, covert glances and the unravelling of secrets. Raybourn paints the life of a lady in the 1800's with ease, because I could easily imagine the horror of ladies being seen out unaccompanied with gentlemen, and how even the smallest show of affection makes people jump to the conclusion of marriage. Y'ALL you wouldn't guess it but I would've loved to live in a time when ladies sat around drinking tea with no job to worry their pretty little heads with and learnt how to do useful things, like play the piano and draw. Seriously, my reputation would've been in tatters but it would've been fun.
The writing is fast paced and laced through with sharp observations and witty one liners.....it also made me want to talk like a lady at all times and to not use contractions for a while. The language is intelligent and the prose is oh so beautiful that it was easy for me to imagine that Raybourn had indeed been born in this era and was tricking us into believing she is from the 21st century. It was THAT GOOD.
Juila. Oh Juila. I LOVED HER! She was smart and even though she was a lady of importance and from a family with extreme wealth and circumstance, she came across as one of the most amiable and approachable of them all. And the fact that her family were completely CRAY CRAY made my heart swell. I seriously think had this been set in the 21st century her family would range from civil right activists to punk rockers to porn stars. Oh and Brisbane. %*;£$^*$£ That is all. Such an absorbing start to the series which I have since devoured. Rayborun has herself a new fan.
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