Silent in the Grave

By: Deanna Raybourn

Narrated by: Ellen Archer

Length: 12 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

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 long-standing 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.

©2007 Deanna Raybourn (P)2007 Audible, Inc.
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A. All characters in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Critic reviews

"Riveting." (Bookreporter.com)
"Fans of British historical thrillers will welcome Raybourn's perfectly executed debut." (Publishers Weekly)

Mystery-heavy, Romance-lite, Narrator ok

If you buy this book looking for a romance you will be disappointed, as the *intimation* of a romance is there, but in the end, the actual romance is holding out for the sequel. (So don't be mislead of the Harlequin title -- this isn't sugary-sweet over-the-top romance book, which in my case was a concern, although ever since Poison Study, I stopped judging a Harlequin book by its publisher :-)

The mystery/plot is fine, although there is a little too much deus ex machina towards the end, but not enough to ruin the book for me. The characters don't always play to societal norms, but it isn't as if this book is trying to pass as accurate historical fiction, so it is forgivable. There are a number of interesting side characters, including pets. Overall fairly well-written gothic/Victorian mystery mix -- good, but not perfect.

As for the narrator, I don't think she is British. It wasn't that the accents were off completely, just occasionally, which to my ear was slightly grating, and at times the "class" of the accent didn't match the "class" of the character. I expect most North American listeners won't be bothered, but British listeners might cringe at times.

From me, the romance gets a 2/5 (although the potential for a really steamy 5/5 exists for the next book). The narrator ranges from 2.5/5 to 5/5. The story gets a 3.5/5.

Wonderful story with awful narration

This is a wonderful story about a murder and a bumbling (in my opinion) investigation. The characters are entertaining and the setting is believable.

However, the narration is terrible. I found the accent inconsistent and the pronunciation, in some cases, so wrong that I had to stop the book to figure out what she had said. The book itself is wonderful, but I found the narrator detracted from my ability to loose myself in the story.

Captivating mystery

This story kept my full attention - I had trouble getting out of my car at times! Intrigue on many levels - I look forward to the next book by this talented author.

Guilty Pleasure

i'm a big fan of a romance novel to cleanse the emotional palate between heavy non-fictions or grisly mystery/thrillers, which i love. the suspense of the mystery here was great, and the romance made the presentation light and engaging... i was, above all, happy that the very obvious "set up" between the male and female leads did not end as predictability would have had it.
enjoyed it so much, i wanted more... and bought the next in the series, Silent in the Sanctuary, LOL!

A Jewel of a Book

Deanna Raybourn has that rare gift of sly irony that provokes laughter at the situations people find themselves in rather than at the people themselves. A quote from another book, Margery Allinghams The Estate of the Beckoning Lady comes to mind. "Dignity skating on very thin ice."
There are few writers who can present a book that handles serious subjects and, at the same time, are able to make the reader laugh out loud over and over again.
I like the narrater as well. Yes, the accent slips a triffle from time to time but only slightly. What is wonderful is that the delicate, almost surgical, precision of her speech invokes a different time and place. She is perfect for the Lady Julia books. I've listened to all of them and am happily awaiting the next one.

soooooo gooood

I have listened to this book at least ten times. I love the way it is read to where you can't til it is read by one person. and I will be looking for more books by Deanna Raybourn being read by Ellan Archer

Slow start

Took a while but the historical detail and the characters did eventually pull me into the story. The narrator has a bit of difficulty with the various Britain dialects but not enough, at least to me, to be particularly annoying.

Such good listening!

Good mystery with a touch of romance narrated perfectly!
I had it figured out at about half-way point, but I never would have guessed the motive! Great story! Definitely downloading the next in the series!

Reminiscent of Jane Austen...

I loved this book, and the whole series for that matter! However, depending on what you're looking for, do be aware that it's more a mystery than a romance. And as for the romance, although it drives much of the story in the background, it's such a slow build that there is very little contact between the protagonists in any of the three books. Although it's billed as "steamy," the steamy moments mostly occur in feelings at a distance - steamy physical contact occurs once or twice, very briefly in the form of quick kisses, in each book. So it's not quite "sweet," but neither is it what I would classify as "steamy." Definitely no one will be offended by language or undue explicitness.

That said, in spite of the fact that I'm not a huge mystery fan or a huge romance fan, I LOVED this series of books! There is real warmth among the heroine's large family, and the story is intelligent (without any foolish misunderstandings that don't actually make any sense except as a way to create artificial conflict to drive the story - something that abounds in romance fiction). It's a real novel, not just an excuse to get two characters in bed together. And what makes it particularly delightful is the dry humor throughout of Lady Julia. I often laughed aloud.

It also has many details that obviously resulted from close research of the period, which lends a sense of particularity to the world the author builds.

If you're looking for a wonderful story with well-rounded, interesting and engaging characters and with a romance at the core of it, you will enjoy this book.

Love these stories

I enjoy all of these books. I have read and listened to them each, at least half a dozen times.
Good characters, interesting mysteries, and dynamic relationships.