Silent in the Sanctuary

By: Deanna Raybourn

Narrated by: Ellen Archer

Length: 12 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

Fresh from a six-month sojourn in Italy, Lady Julia returns home to Sussex to find her father's estate crowded with family and friends: but dark deeds are afoot at the deconsecrated abbey, and a murderer roams the ancient cloisters.

Much to her surprise, the one man she had hoped to forget, the enigmatic and compelling Nicholas Brisbane, is among her father's houseguests...and he is not alone. Not to be outdone, Julia shows him that two can play at flirtation and promptly introduces him to her devoted, younger, titled Italian count.

But the homecoming celebrations quickly take a ghastly turn when one of the guests is found brutally murdered in the chapel, and a member of Lady Julia's own family confesses to the crime. Certain of her cousin's innocence, Lady Julia resumes her unlikely and deliciously intriguing partnership with Nicholas Brisbane, setting out to unravel a tangle of deceit before the killer can strike again. When a sudden snowstorm blankets the abbey like a shroud, it falls to Lady Julia and Nicholas Brisbane to answer the shriek of murder most foul.

Silent in the Sanctuary is the sequel to Silent in the Grave.

©2008 Deanna Raybourn (P)2008 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

"A sassy heroine and a masterful, secretive hero. Fans of romantic mystery could ask no more." ( Kirkus)
"Fans and new readers alike will welcome this sparkling sequel to Raybourn's debut Victorian mystery, Silent in the Grave....The complex mystery, a delightfully odd collection of characters, and deft period details produce a rich and funny read." ( Publishers Weekly)

wonderful story

Narrator brought the characters to life. Thoroughly enjoyed story and will be looking for the next book in series

A Harlequin Romance

I didn’t realize these were Harlequin Romances until the end of this one where Harlequin is acknowledged. So that explains a lot. The story is drawn out and the romance is in teasers.

The author is not bad, but the story is light with. The story goes slowly, very slowly. The narrator is a good performer.

Enjoyable historical mystery; great narration

What made the experience of listening to Silent in the Sanctuary the most enjoyable?

The best part of listening to this audiobook was the narrator Ellen Archer. Beware of the version with narration by Jennifer Van Dyck. This version was accidentally downloaded when I selected the "Enchanced" format but when I selected format 4, I got the Ellen Archer version. Ellen Archer speaks with a definite British accent which I found much better than the American accent in the other version.

What other book might you compare Silent in the Sanctuary to and why?

This book is similar to "If Only to Deceive", the first book in the Lady Emily series by Tasha Alexander. Both are light, historical mysteries set in England. They have a similar feel to their main characters and somewhat quirky secondary characters.

What does Ellen Archer bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Ms. Archer does a great job bringing the characters to life, particularly Lady Julia. The only voice I really did not like was for Julia's sister, Portia. The voice she used reminded me too much of Carol Kane's role in the movie "Scrooged" with the high-pitched, sing-songy cadence. Otherwise, she does a great job, even with the male characters.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

This was not a book I would call a "page turner" and I had no problem putting it down between listens. However, I still looked forward to listening to it whenever I had the opportunity.

Any additional comments?

This book started off very slow and felt more like a Jane Austen book in the beginning than a mystery. There was a lot of talk between all the characters without much actually happening. A little less than halfway through the mystery actually kicked in and the story moved along at a quicker pace.

I wasn't let down

this second installment in the series was just as immersing as the first. the narrator also does the voices wonderfully.

HALF GYPSY LIKE HEATHCLIFF IN WUTHERING HEIGHTS!!

What made the experience of listening to Silent in the Sanctuary the most enjoyable?

I love that the male lead, Nicholas Brisbane is dark and brooding AND half gypsy just like Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights. On top of that, Robert Downey, Jr. (in the Sherlock Holmes movies) is supposed to have been "semi" based on the way Brisbane looked and acted. Not sure about that, but Downey is so handsome! Perfect for Brisbane.I love the chemistry between Lady Julia and Brisbane. Not the usual fall into bed "their passions spent" stuff. If you like a lot of that, and quite early on in a book, then you won't like this book. I love Ellen Archer's voice. She does a terrific job with the narration and that can be the difference between whether I purchase a book or not. Some great books have unbearable narrators and it's such a waste!The mysteries do keep me guessing, but those who are used to this genre may find them not as complex. I have no comparison really.But I love this time period anyway I can get it and I am really enjoying these two and the cast of characters in their lives.

What about Ellen Archer’s performance did you like?

Love her!

Very good

What did you love best about Silent in the Sanctuary?

I am wondering about the confusion of the narrator, other reviews say it isn't Ellen Archer. She is the narrator of the book I purchased, and was very good.

What other book might you compare Silent in the Sanctuary to and why?

Moves a little slow at first.

Which character – as performed by Ellen Archer – was your favorite?

I like all of Ellen Archer's voices.

Fun series, amazing performance.

This series is great and this second installment sees the heroine truly come into herself.
The performance is just great. I bought it on my kindle as well and find I miss the voices so much I want to listen instead. I highly recommend any book read by Ellen Archer.

Excellent performance

Really top quality narration and quite a good story, better than I expected when I was just looking for some light escapism.

Kept me guessing till the end.

This one was even better than the last. What a great bunch of characters, and great detail. It makes you feel like you are really there, you can almost feel the coolness of the Abbey.

Multiple Mysteries

I do like the narrator. This one seemed to meander more than the first, but I enjoyed the multiple mysteries. All the ends tied up nicely with good twists.