Book Review: The Dark Enquiry

Author: Deanna Raybourn
Title: The Dark Enquiry
Publisher: Mira
Publish Date: June 21, 2011
Buy: Amazon
Review Copy Provided By: Net Galley
Book Blurb: Partners now in marriage and in trade, Lady Julia and Nicholas Brisbane have finally returned from abroad to set up housekeeping in London. But merging their respective collections of gadgets, pets and servants leaves little room for the harried newlyweds themselves, let alone Brisbane's private enquiry business.

Among the more unlikely clients: Julia's very proper brother, Lord Bellmont, who swears Brisbane to secrecy about his case. Not about to be left out of anything concerning her beloved—if eccentric—family, spirited Julia soon picks up the trail of the investigation.

It leads to the exclusive Ghost Club, where the alluring Madame Séraphine holds evening séances…and not a few powerful gentlemen in thrall. From this eerie enclave unfolds a lurid tangle of dark deeds, whose tendrils crush reputations and throttle trust.

Shocked to find their investigation spun into salacious newspaper headlines, bristling at the tension it causes between them, the Brisbanes find they must unite or fall. For Bellmont's sak and more “ they'll face myriad dangers born of dark secrets, the kind men kill to keep….

Review: Lady Julia Grey is one of the fictional characters that I absolutely love to hate. I know this doesn't make sense, but I do. I love the books, but Julia is so infuriating that I always find myself wanting to reach through the pages to throttle her.

Julia is a modern woman living in Victorian times. She is really a woman out of her element and she wants to be part of her husband's work. In the previous books from this series, she got involved in her own way...in this book for some reason this time her involvement in Brisbane's case was totally annoying.

As always the mystery is great, mixing spying, affairs and mediums to create something that keeps you turning the pages to the very end. The best part is that after 5 books, Raybourn still leaves you guessing about who the villain is. I had some ideas as I read and I was totally wrong about them.

Raybourn always assembles a stellar supporting cast to spice things up. Along with Julia's family, we get to see Brisbane's gypsy granny, some interesting folks that attended The Spirit Club and Felicity Mortlake.

This is definitely a great mystery as are all the Lady Julia books. There was only one thing that bugged me, Lady Julia loses her baby in this book. I swear I don't recall reading her learning of her pregnancy. Plus she is the least maternal female I've encountered.

All that aside, this is a fantastic read!

Rating: 4 flowers