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)

it was much better than the end that in the beginn

the ending was really good I kind of like the characters but it was extremely slow in the beginning too many details

great story and narration

I really enjoyed this story and have now listened to all that audible has to offer in the series. But more than that, I could listen to this narrator read the manual on my dishwasher.

story ruined by author's soapbox

would have thoroughly enjoyed great murder mystery if authored had stuck to entertainment and kept her not so subtle diatribe re social issues to herself.

great listen

this was a great book to listen too. the narration was very well done. I'm looking forward t9 the next book in the series.

A delightful tale

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and the narrator was wonderful. I must remember to look up Ellen Archer for other books she has narrated and other books by Diana Raybourn.
The plot is delicious. The characters intriguing! I wonder if the story could just go on with the two main people?

Not crazy about the conclusion

Good writing, some well-drawn characters (mostly!), and I thought the narrator was way better than others I’ve heard here on Audible.
The rising tension between the two main characters was interesting but it really slowed things down—apparent the author is trying to extend that suspense & work it into upcoming stories, but this story really dragged through the middle.
**SPOILERS and COMPLAINTS
I found the solution to how Edward was being poisoned pretty gross. Grateful the author did not go into a lot of salacious detail with that whole side of things.
I don’t like inconsistent characterization, though. One main character gives her a bad feeling at the beginning, is “menacing” several times yet turns out to be a love interest. Yet she has no bad feelings about the villain, completely blindsided. In mysteries when a villain is presented one way and then when unmasked is suddenly a completely different person—not good writing. The villain was such a sweetheart and then with almost zero warning has turned into this sinister monster at the end, for no good reason.
Plus, it seems unlikely that TWO raging illicit love affairs have been going on under this woman’s roof for years, couple sleeping in separate bedrooms, and yet NOBODY has a clue? Or suspicion? With all those servants? Seems unlikely.
I don’t like how the author wrapped this up.

Silent in the Grave

Deanna Raybourn is a new author for me and if her other titles are like this I'm on a roll. Silent in the Grave kept me slowing down my tasks so that I could continue with the story. The plot kept me guessing until near the end which happens rarely. Plot, characters, and social history - it's all there. This should have been a 5 star rating but...

It's a real pity that the narrator is so awful. These are the most appalling English accents I've heard for a while. The mispronunciations of common words were a real turn-off also. It's to the credit of the author that I kept listening but not again. I'm restricting my Deanna Raybourns to books in print unless there's a better reader out there.

I was entertained. I think.

I'm really not sure how I feel about this book. I've taken a few days to think about it, but I'm left feeling ambivalent. I've bought the next two, hoping I suppose, that I'll begin to feel something. I found the narration both perfect and annoying (the pronunciation of 'assure' made me laugh out loud the first few times, and then it got on my nerves). The story feels unnecessarily rushed at times, and also dragged out. The end is just dumb -- we're not told who the villain is, we have to guess, which is good, yet it feels too contrived. The hero has potential, but is not fleshed out, and feels flat. there you have it. This book is like eating a whole 'fill in the blank with something bad for you.' You love it at first, then it starts to make you feel a little ashamed for having indulged. I only hope the next two are better. Check my reviews and I'll let you know.

good read, excellent listen

I very much liked this book, and the narration was excellent, with good production as well. It was suspenseful, enjoyable and interesting and the characters seemed in general well rounded. A good, fun read without being too light, quite interesting and really excellent narration.

Exciting & Wonderful

I loved this book, It was filled with suspense and excitment. Although I was able to puzzle out much of the mystery this did not matter because the characters were so captivating that I still enjoyed the story tremendously. The narrator was absolutely fabulous. If you enjoy mysteries and romance you will be captivated.