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)

Brisbane and Lady Julia Are At It Again

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.

Wrong narrator listed

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.

Narrator

I had trouble getting through the first book, but the reader of the first one was good. This book has a different narrator - very annoying voice.

Learn the words!!!

Would you consider the audio edition of Silent in the Sanctuary to be better than the print version?

No, specifically because while the narrator is good overall, this is yet another book where words are painfully mispronounced. Please, please, please get the directors or producers to ensure that the readers know how to pronounce the words in the books they read. Nothing ruins a story more quickly than mangled language.There's just no excuse. If they review before the performance they can look up unfamiliar words on the Internet and even hear audio to check their pronounciation. It's easy.

I like the story, but...

I may have to read the rest in print. I have a sensitive ear to accents and I just can't enjoy Archer's reading. I know this must be very difficult work - having to speak for many people in different voices - so I try to be patient when I'm uncomfortable with a reader and eventually I will be immersed into the story - but it isn't working in this case. Her British accent just doesn't ring true. Also I don't like the "voice" she chooses for one of the characters. Out of curiosity I listened to samples of her work with other books, and I think she does much better when she doesn't have to assume a British accent.

But, the story is a good one, Lady Gray is still her indomitable self, Brisbane is still an enigma, and their relationship is moved forward a bit more; so if you aren't particularly sensitive to the sound of a British accent, I think you will enjoy this installment in the series.

Well written but chapters missing

I have the book in print, also. Although the narrator says the thirteenth chapter, twentieth chapter, etc. the Audible chapter guide does not match. Also, some chapters are completely missing (chapter 22 for example) and together it seems to be 5 chapters short. Otherwise the book was fun to listen to. I enjoyed it and will buy the next one.

The story is fun, but the narration is too, too.

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.

Wrong Narrator listed

Is there anything you would change about this book?

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

fits perfectly with my taste

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.

Excellent!

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