Recent Reads {Silent in the Grave}

Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn - This was the second time I'd read this debut novel from Raybourn, and although it's been some time since I first read it, the ending still surprised me.  Well, specifically, the identity of the murderer surprised me - usually when I re-read a mystery, even if I'd forgotten the solution I 'see' all the clues clearly and remember the ending long before I turn the page.  In this case, I really did not remember who the murderer was until I reached that chapter of the book.  In my opinion, that was a mark of a good mystery!  Lady Julia Grey is a quirky and likable heroine, and since she narrates the story, her wry and witty observations of the other characters and her own actions provide plenty of humour throughout.  She is widowed within the first few pages of the book, and partners with another unusual character, Nicholas Brisbane, to discover who killed her husband and why.  Lady Julia comes from a famously unconventional family known for the daring exploits of both ancestors and contemporaries, yet she has aspired to be as quiet and normal as possible.  In unravelling the questions surrounding her husband's death, however, she proves herself to be rather capable of completely unconventional behavior as well.  A very entertaining and different period mystery, and I look forward to reading the sequels soon - two of which are sitting on my to-read pile now.  I'll have to finish a couple of library books first though! 

By the same author:  The Dead Travel Fast