Silent on the Moor (Mira) [Paperback]

Deanna Raybourn (Author)

Book Description

Series: Mira | Publication Date: June 19, 2009

This is a wickedly witty Lady Julia Grey mystery. 'There are things that walk abroad on the moor that should not. But the dead do not always lie quietly, do they, lady?' It is England, 1888. Grimsgrave Manor is an unhappy house, isolated on the Yorkshire moors, silent and secretive. But secrets cannot be long kept in the face of Lady Julia Grey's incurable curiosity. In the teeth of protests from her conventional, stuffy brother, Lady Julia decides to pay a visit to the enigmatic detective, Nicholas Brisbane to bring a woman's touch to his new estate. Grimsgrave is haunted by the ghosts of its past, and its owner seems to be falling into ruin along with the house. Confronted with gypsy warnings and Brisbane's elusive behaviour, Lady Julia scents a mystery. It's not long before her desire for answers leads her into danger unlike any other that she has experienced - and from which, this time, there may be no escape.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A sassy heroine and a masterful, secretive hero. Fans of romantic mystery could ask no more - except the promised sequel." - Kirkus "This is a Victorian crime caper with cracking one-liners and sharp wit to spare." - Scott Pack "A delightfully odd collection of characters and deft period details produce a rich and funny read." - Publishers Weekly"

About the Author

With degrees in English and History and a particular love of Regency and Victorian times, Deanna Raybourn is a committed anglophile, who, at her husband's insistence, gave up teaching to devote her energies to writing.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 558 pages
• Publisher: Mira/ Mills & Boon (June 19, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0778303047
• ISBN-13: 978-0778303046
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (98 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,554,794 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A sixth-generation native Texan, New York Times bestselling author Deanna Raybourn grew up in San Antonio, where she met her college sweetheart. She married him on her graduation day and went on to teach high school English and history. During summer vacation at the age of twenty-three, she wrote her first novel. After three years as a teacher, Deanna left education to have a baby and pursue writing full-time. Fourteen years and many, many rejections after her first novel, she signed two three-book deals with MIRA Books.

"Sex, lies and awesome clothing descriptions" is how one reader described Deanna's debut novel, Silent in the Grave, published in January 2007. The first in the Silent series, the book follows Lady Julia Grey as she investigates the mysterious death of her husband with the help of the enigmatic private inquiry agent Nicholas Brisbane. From the drawing rooms of the aristocracy to a Gypsy camp on Hampstead Heath, Silent in the Grave deftly captures the lush ambience of Victorian London.

The series continues with the second book, Silent in the Sanctuary (January 2008), a classic English country house murder mystery with a few twists and turns for Brisbane and Lady Julia along the way. Silent on the Moor (March 2009), set in a grim manor house on the Yorkshire moors, is the third adventure for Lady Julia and the mysterious Brisbane.

March 2010 saw a departure from the series with the release of The Dead Travel Fast, a mid-Victorian Gothic thriller that chronicles the adventures of novelist Theodora Lestrange as she leaves the safety and security of her Edinburgh home for the dark woods and haunted castles of Transylvania. Deanna turned once more to Lady Julia and her companions with Dark Road to Darjeeling (October 2010). With an exotic setting in the foothills of the Himalayas and the introduction of an arch-villain, Dark Road to Darjeeling is the most thrilling installment yet. The fifth book in the series, The Dark Enquiry, sees the return of Lady Julia and Brisbane to London for their most puzzling adventure and will be available in stores in June 2011.

Deanna plots her books from her home in Virginia. After one too many hot Texas summers, Deanna and her husband packed up their daughter and moved to the mid-Atlantic state, where they enjoy the fall leaves but deeply miss good Tex-Mex cooking.

Still Virginia has been good to this author. Deanna's novel Silent in the Grave won the 2008 RITA® Award for Novel with Strong Romantic Elements and the Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award for Best First Mystery. The Lady Julia Grey series has been nominated for several other awards, including an Agatha, a Daphne du Maurier, a Last Laugh, two more RITAs, and two Dilys Winns. Her latest novel, Dark Road to Darjeeling, was a finalist for the Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award for Best Historical Mystery and has also been nominated for a RITA.

You can find her blogging five days a week at www.deannaraybourn.com/blog, and be sure to sign up for her newsletter, check out her contests and book trailer videos, and catch her latest appearances at www.deannaraybourn.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another winner for Raybourn!, February 19, 2009

By 

Jenni Grubb "Jenni" (Virginia Beach) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Silent On The Moor (A Lady Julia Grey Novel) (Paperback)

Perusing the shelves at my local bookstore, I had to pinch myself when I stumbled upon Ms. Raybourn's third offering in the Lady Julia Grey series almost a month before the official release! No complaints here! Ms. Raybourn's writing is witty as ever, and the stories just get better and better.

In this tale, Lady Julia Grey travels through the Yorkshire moors to Grimsgrave, an estate newly purchased by private inquiry agent Nicholas Brisbane. After a chilling welcome by the host and residents of the manor, Lady Julia begins to unravel the dark secrets of an ancient family, while Brisbane's gypsy roots appear to be tangled in the mix. But when the Grimswater bell tolls and Brisbane's life is threatened, what other secrets will Lady Julia discover? This third installment in the Lady Julia Grey series packs a powerful punch, with suspense and intrigue, insight into Brisbane's mysterious past, more antics from Grim, the sugared-plum loving raven, and an ending sure to please fans of the series!

Ms. Raybourn's attention to Victorian detail appears flawless and I truly felt whisked away to another world, in another time. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it as I eagerly await the fourth installment that Ms. Raybourn assures is in the works!

A side note: This is not at all a bodice-ripping romance, but truly an excellent Victorian mystery. Personally, I prefer the original book covers for Silent in the Grave and Silent in the Sanctuary because they were more... what's the word? ... mysterious.

46 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LOVED the book HATED the cover, February 24, 2009

By 

Barb Mechalke (in the lovely Finger Lakes Region of Upstate New York) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Silent On The Moor (A Lady Julia Grey Novel) (Paperback)

I don't know what the folks at MIRA were thinking putting together the new cover art for Deanna Raybourn's new book Silent On The Moor?!

I thought the cover was awful and if I hadn't read the first two books in this series I NEVER would have picked them up after seeing the cover of the third book. The pose is all wrong, the clothes are all wrong, and the man's hand is completely wrong. That dress is about a hundred years wrong, this story is set in 1888, that dress looks like it was made in 1988.

I get that the publishers might be trying to attract a larger audience by making this book appear to be a Harlequin Romance type of novel but I think it's an insult to the readers who are already fans of Deanna Raybourn's.

Please, MIRA, go back to the beautiful covers that the first two had. I would never be embarrassed to be seen in public with either of those books in my hand.

As for the story, I loved it, it's the kind of book that I wish I could savor but I never can, it's so enjoyable to read that I don't want to put it down, I didn't and sadly I was done in three days.

I love these characters and their complicated relationship. I love Julia's zest for life, her indomitable spirit and her unconventional values. Lady Julie and Nicholas Brisbane remind me of Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester and their relationship. I enjoyed the tension and frustration between them as well as the tenderness and vulnerability.

I thought the mystery was interesting and disturbing, the characters were as charming as ever and the wit was enjoyable. If Ms Raybourn can make them all this good I will be happy to buy every last book she writes.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Angieville: SILENT ON THE MOOR, February 19, 2009

By 

Angela Thompson "Angiegirl" (Rocky Mountains) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Silent On The Moor (A Lady Julia Grey Novel) (Paperback)

It's difficult for me to describe exactly how excited I was for this book to come out. SILENT ON THE MOOR was easily at the top of my most anxiously awaited books of 2009. I discovered Deanna Raybourn last year and, after blowing through the first two Julia Grey novels, have spent the last six months in that special agony reserved for the lovers of sequels. Fortunately a copy popped up at a local (ish) bookstore and I was saved from suffering through the last two weeks til its March 1st publication date.

The third installment opens with Julia's big brother Bellmont trying to talk her out of haring off to Yorkshire after Brisbane when he has made it clear, in no uncertain terms, that he does not want her anywhere near the place. Julia, of course, doesn't care a fig for Monty's scandalized pride and makes her way with all haste (and several good intentions) to the moors. Unfortunately, Brisbane's new home, Grimsgrave, is even creepier and more decrepit than he led Portia to believe in his letter. The whole place reeks of Miss Havisham's manor and, after meeting the current occupants, Julia soon realizes something is seriously amiss in this house where madness and murder walk hand in hand. Not only does she face the task of convincing Brisbane of a few increasingly important things, but Julia also finds herself uncovering hidden corpses, accepting charms from Gypsy witches, and thwarting a particularly vicious murder attempt.

Reading SILENT ON THE MOOR was an exercise in conflicting emotions. I wanted to blow right through it to the end in one sitting and I simultaneously wanted each page to last longer than it possibly could so that I could savor being back with these two characters I have come to love. I had some pretty high hopes for this one. The third book in a series such as this comes with a rather hefty share of promise resting squarely on its shoulders and can really make or a break the series as a whole, in my opinion. This one truly made it. Every hope I had was fulfilled and I found myself turning back to reread favorite passages before I was even a third of the way through the book. This practice was repeated at regular intervals for the duration--truly the mark of an excellent read around these parts. If you like literary mysteries and haven't come across this series before, for the love of all that is holy, go get them now. I am immoderately fond of them.