Silent in the Sanctuary

I downloaded this audiobook last week. The site states the narrator is Ellen Archer, who narrated the first book in the series. However, buyer beware, the narrator is Jennifer Van Dyke and it is quite a different listening experience. I have called and emailed Audible regarding the erroneous information but have rec'd no reply and I see the site has not yet been corrected. Love the book, dislike the narrator.

MUST listen to Silent in the Grave first. I've loved both of these and look forward to listening to the next one.

I love regency romances and also like so-called "cozy mysteries." This book fits my needs perfectly. I was a bit tired of regency novels with too much sex and easy resolution to the romance, but this has none of that. In fact, while the murder/mystery gets solved in this book, the conflict between the main characters does not and continues on to the next book. Even though I made a mistake and bought the 2nd book in the series, I had no problem enjoying it independently. Some people might find the character a bit stereotypical and their descriptions repetitive in some places and the story a bit dragging in the middle. However, I enjoyed listening to it very much, so much so that now I am listening to the next novel.

I read the previous Raybourn-Silent novel and enjoyed it, and this one as well. I waited until it came out narrated by Ellen Archer, who does an excellent job narrating (listening to it narrated in an American accent would be irritating, I think). These are light, fun novels that keep your attention while you read them and provide a fun time.

Deanna Raybourn has created a rather unlikely but very successful duo in half-gypsy Nicholas Brisbane, a private inquiry agent [or as Sherlock Holmes preferred to call himself, a consulting detective] and the aristocratic Lady Julia Grey, one of a delightfully eccentric Victorian family. In a situation reminiscent of Agatha Christie's murder mysteries set in an isolated country house, two overlapping plots with a few red herrings occur at the March family seat of Belmont Abbey a few days before Christmas. And of course there is the recurring story of Nicholas and Lady Julia themselves. Raybourn writes with verve and a deft touch.

I simply cannot understand why the three books in the series are read by an American reader. Ellen Archer does all right with some accents, most notably Scottish ones, but since the books are in Lady Julia's voice, and it is obvious that Archer has occasional difficulty with a proper British accent (at times she sounds strangled; at others her vowels are wildly off) anyone who is either British, or who has lived in the UK, will find the reading at times irritating. For that reason, I'll only give it 4 stars, but I do recommend it.

I enjoyed the narrator Ellen Archer's versions more. Ellen Archer narrates the 1st and the 3rd.

Extremely disappointing. If you have any brains at all you will know who the murderer is before the murder is even committed. The characters are painfully stupid and inept. I couldn't finish it.

I have decided that I like the book series, but wish to comment on Ellen Archer's interpretation. I think she is excellent, however a bit precious when doing the voice of the main character. I realize she's meant to be high born -- but must each syllable be so exact? The accent of all the other characters are brilliant! But as Julia does most of the talking, it's a voice one must get past to enjoy the show. Softening this one voice would be a great improvement. She sounds like a prig.

I do not know who read this book but it was NOT Ellen Archer! Ms. Archer's voice is more refined and she does the voices of the English characters with what could be her natural English accent.

Whoever read this book was American and her interpretation of Italian accents was laughable and terribly annoying! Count Fornacci sounds more like Count Dracula than a member of Italian nobility!

The story is fine but the characters are either stuffy or rebellious and the March heirs are all quite spoiled. Julia has flashes of depth and caring but she is still self absorbed. Understanding that these characters are probably a decent representation of gentility of the time, I understand that the time period shapes the personalities but there are moments when it's just too much.

Still the book is worth the listen but this series is not one of my favorites.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.