Archive for the tag 'Historical Mysteries'

Lady Julia Grey Mysteries

Pam May 4th, 2009

I’ve enjoyed reading Deanna Raybourn’s Lady Julia Grey mysteries. Not only has Raybourn created two appealing main characters in Lady Julia and Nicholas Brisbane, but she also has provided a seemingly limitless cast of characters within Lady Julia’s family: her father, her sister Portia, and her many other siblings.

The first book in the series, Silent in the Grave, involves the death of Lady Julia’s husband. Turns out-big surprise-he was murdered. Brisbane, whom her husband had consulted prior to his death, reluctantly steps in to help solve the mystery. He and Lady Julia have an adversarial relationship as well as a strong attraction to each other. Turns out Lady Julia’s marriage was not a happy one, so falling for another man so soon after her husband’s death is easily forgiven. The mystery is intriguing, and the murderer turns out to be someone you’d least suspect. Continue Reading »

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Historical Mysteries

Pam April 12th, 2009

I love historical mysteries, especially the English ones. The time peiod doesn’t matter; right now I’m following several series from different centuries.

Some crucial ingredients for historical mysteries, at least in my mind, are characterization, period detail, and mood. And of course, a mystery that keeps you guessing until the end, with plenty of plot twists and reversals. A little romance thrown into the mix isn’t bad, either!

Two series I’ve been into lately are C.S.’s Harris’s Sebastian St. Cyr mysteries, set during the Regency, and Deanna Raybourn’s Lady Julia Gray mysteries, which are Victorian. They make an interesting contrast: the first with a male protagonist, the second, a woman.

Sebastian St. Cyr, the dashing Viscount Devlin, is our hero in Harris’s books. There are now four of them: What Angels Fear, When Gods Die, Where Serpents Sleep, and Why Mermaids Sing. Devlin is handsome, smart, brooding, fearless, and his life itself is a mystery of sorts. He was not in line to inherit his father’s title, but his two older brothers both died young. He feels he’s been a disappointment to his father, especially because of his liaison with Kat Boleyn, an actress. In the third book, he finds out the real reason his father is so opposed to their romance, and it’s devastating. But, of course, all may not be what it seems. Continue Reading »

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