SILENT IN THE SANCTUARY

Author: J.D. Warren ISBN: 9780778324928 1/2008 HISTORICAL MYSTERY Publisher: MIRA
Time period: Victorian

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.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Wow!

As intriguing as I found SILENT IN THE GRAVE, the debut of the Lady Julia Grey series, SILENT IN THE SANCTUARY, the second installment, is undeniably more compelling... on every level. Whereas GRAVE was dark, dreary and, at times, exceedingly slow, SANCTUARY is lighter, faster-paced, more humorous and, yes, sexier.

Lady Julia is the major key to the success of SILENT IN THE SANCTUARY. Julia has emerged from a rather tragic, meek, bland character in GRAVE into a more self-assured, vital, exciting woman in SANCTUARY. As Julia goes, so goes SANCTUARY. The insightful, intelligent, astute Lady Julia is the perfect vehicle to narrate SILENT IN THE SANCTUARY.

Lady Julia is also evolving into the perfect foil for the mysterious Nicholas Brisbane. When these two wonderfully drawn characters are together, SILENT IN THE SANCTUARY takes on an added sparkle. And this pair spend a lot of time together in SANCTUARY.

Grey and Brisbane have a great supporting cast as well. SANCTUARY introduces more of Julia's colorful, quirky family. Readers will fall in love with Julia's father, the earl of March, who fancies himself a matchmaker and who is apparently continually plotting to throw Julia and Nicholas together.

SILENT IN THE SANCTUARY is absolutely entertaining. With an unusual murder to solve and gobs of twists, SANCTUARY is funny, sexy and suspenseful.

Debbie Jett