Throughly enjoyable read. Reminds me a bit of the old Gothic Romances I was so fond of in the 70's and 80's. A romantic mystery that is well worth your time reading

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This is the second book in the Lady Julia Grey series. Lady Julia Grey has been in Italy for several months, recovering from the events that occurred in the first book. When her father summons Julia and her brother's home for Christmas, they return to the family estate; a former monastery for monks. Am0ng the invited house guests is Nicolas Brisbane, the private investigator who helped Julia with the inquiry following her husband's death and with whom Julia has fallen in love. To her surprise Brisbane is accompanied by his fiancée, the lovely Charlotte King. When over the course of a few days a curate is found murdered in the sanctuary, Julia's cousin Lucy is the main suspect and some very valuable pears belonging to Julia disappear, Brisbane and Julia decide to resume their investigative partnership to solve the mystery and robbery. Once again Raybourn delivers a thoroughly delightful story with Brisbane and Julia thrown together once more and a houseful of eccentric characters to sort through on the way to solving the cleverly plotted mystery. A totally enjoyable romantic suspense book set in Victorian times, I am looking forward to book three.

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Silent in the Sanctuary, the second book in Deanna Raybourn's Victorian mystery series, built on the strengths of its predecessor. Raybourn created a vivid, intricate plot populated with well-rounded, believable characters. She allowed her readers to peek at the darkness festering beneath the veneer of Victorian propriety and allowed her appealing heroine, Lady Julia Grey, to develop fully as a headstrong, independent woman.

Raybourn once again managed a complicated plot with nary a misstep, drawing me completely into the story and into the larger tale of Julia becoming her own woman, beholden to no one and demanding Brisbane treat her as an equal. I also enjoyed the opportunity to get to know better some of the members of Julia's large, unconventional family.

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I knew from the get/go that someone dies -- I tried to figure out who had to get killed. It was a suprise. There were times the book read "slow" and the hero did not treat the heorine with the best manners and sometimes intent. It has in its favor 484 pages.

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Another delicious Victorian mystery (2nd in the series) complete with ghosts, gypsies, eccentric family members, false engagements, priceless jewels and murder.

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The March family is gathering at their country estate, Bellmont Abbey, for Christmas. While visiting, the village curate is murdered in the Abbey Chapel and Lucy, a young cousin confesses. I figured out the real culprit early-on, but then there's an attempted double murder and two other mysterious deaths to think about. Oh! There's a jewel thief and a ghost or two in the house, too. It's an entertaining book. I recommend it.

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This was the second book in the Julia Grey series and I liked this one better than the first. Id like there to be a bit more between Julia and Brisbane though. Good story; good twists; good characters; cool plot.

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This book is the second of the series by Deanna Raybourn. I found it as captivating as the first, SILENT IN THE GRAVE. The development of the many characters added depth to the story making it more than a thriller but a romance as well. Very eentertaining read.

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Good but not as good as the first one. I thought it went round in circles before getting to the point. All in all it was enjoyable & will read the rest of the series.

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Lady Julia Grey, once she was widowed, found out that her life had been a mere shadow. She had had an adventure with a mysterious "private enquiry agent", Nicholas Brisbane, in Silent in the Grave, but thought she'd never see him again. This is where Silent in the Sanctuary begins.
Lady Grey has a large, extended family, who are introduced in various degrees - some as sub-plots and others as "red herrings" to pop up again in other books.
The murder(s) themselves are less the story line than the thread to pull one further into the story. This particular rendition was confusing because of the myriad of subplots and odd encounters.
Ms. Raybourn understands English society and spins an interesting, if not convoluted, tale. However, the twists to the story detracts from the romantic interplay between Lady Julia and Brisbane.

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I really liked this sequel to "Silent in the Grave". Lady Julia Gray, after the disastrous events of "Silent in the Grave" (no spoilers), packs herself off to Italy. She is hoping to recover from her losses and to get away from the memory of the enigmatic Nicholas Brisbane. It does not work.

Upon her return to England, she is joined by her family (quite a colorful cast of characters) and Brisbane at the family estate. Murder and intrigue soon follow.

This was a welcome follow-up to Raybourn's first book and a very enjoyable way to pass an evening.

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