Determined to find out once and for all what is between her and Brisbane, Lady Julia heads to the moors of Yorkshire with two of her siblings despite Brisbane’s admonitions to stay away at all costs. She didn’t expect to find the former owners of Grimsgrave still in residence. Lady Allenby and her daughters Ailith and Hilda are the remains of a proud, old family who claim descent from the Anglo-Saxon kings of England; the kind of family which disdains diluting their blood with lesser mortals. Neither does Julia expect the mysteries she starts to uncover when she begins cataloging the Egyptian artifacts of the late Allenby heir, Redwall. All in all, something suspicious is afoot, and Julia once again must get to the bottom of it.
I gushed about the first two novels in this series. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that I’m about to gush about this one too. Regardless, before you read on please note that you should check out Silent in the Grave and Silent in the Sanctuary before going near this review!
This book is most intriguing because unlike the first two, there is no murder, only attempted poisoning. So the victim lives to tell the tale, but I have to say that the mystery here was fascinating. I was compelled to read on, to figure out what was going on. You can just ask Keith, who was with me while I was in the thrall of this book, to tell you how much I wanted to get back to it. It was a constant draw. The Allenby family is like a car wreck you pass on the highway. You don’t want to keep looking but you can’t turn your eyes away. And I don’t like mysteries.
There is just something I love about this series though. It may be Deanna Raybourn’s exquisite, witty writing. It may be the plots that I can actually follow through to conclusion and find myself wrapped up in, not confused by missing hints or sudden conclusions. It may be the characters who keep developing and growing as each book goes by. It might be the romantic tension between Julia and Brisbane, or the quirky March family, or the intense atmosphere and setting captured in each book. Or it could be all of those things. They combine to make compelling, wonderful reading that I just can’t tear myself away from.
I also really appreciated that this one had something of a resolution at the end. Deanna Raybourn has said that she will be writing more Julia Grey books, but I’m sure there will be quite a wait. I’m glad the characters are temporarily static in my mind, and perhaps even more, that I will have the opportunity for a re-read.
Do I recommend these books? Absolutely. I think they’re fantastic. Possibly not for everyone, but if you’re looking for a mixture of mystery and romance with a side of great prose, look no further. I know that I’ll be buying the next Lady Julia Grey book the instant it hits the shelves.
Buy Silent On The Moor on Amazon.
I remember your previous gushings! This series looks great.
Kathy’s last blog post..Review: Laura Rider’s Masterpiece
I’m really hoping to get to Silent in the Grave during April. I’m going to be dog-sitting Easter weekend, so hopefully that will afford me some more reading time than usual.
Ruth @ Bookish Ruth’s last blog post..Quotable – A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
I loved the first book in this series, and liked the second one a lot! Silent on the Moor is on its way to me at the library as we speak and I am very much looking forward to reading it.
Marg’s last blog post..French and Saunders and friends do Mamma Mia!
I only read the first two paragraphs of your review because I’m planning on reading this one at some point! I really loved the first one though, which as you know I read because of your recommendation!
S. Krishna’s last blog post..Sunday Salon
I loved this book too! The development of the mystery kept me on the edge of my seat. I was excited that I guessed part (but not all) of what had really happened. It’s fun to read books that keep you wondering and make you think over all of the details of the plot as you go.
Alyce’s last blog post..Mailbox Monday – March 30
OOh! This sounds like a good series! I am not crazy about mysteries myself, yet I think that I might likr this book because it sounds like it has good historical flavor and interesting characters. Thanks for pointing these out!
Zibilee’s last blog post..The Neurology of Angels by Krista Tibbs – 284 pages
I am so glad you also this excellent series! I must admit I am completely hooked – so much so that I’ve just done a post inspired by Lady Julia Grey, which I thought might be of interest.
http://beyondthepaleblog.wordpress.com/2009/08/05/inspired-by-lady-julia-grey/
Really enjoy reading your reviews,
Best wishes,
Suzy x
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