Friday, January 14, 2011

Book Review: Dark Road to Darjeeling by Deanna Raybourn

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Publish Date: October 2010
Format: Paperback 388pp


Synopsis (From the Publisher):
"After eight idyllic months in the Mediterranean, Lady Julia Grey and her detective husband are ready to put their investigative talents to work once more. At the urging of Julia's eccentric family, they hurry to India to aid an old friend, the newly widowed Jane Cavendish. Living on the Cavendish tea plantation with the remnants of her husband's family, Jane is consumed with the impending birth of her child—and with discovering the truth about her husband's death. Was he murdered for his estate? And if he was, could Jane and her unborn child be next?
Amid the lush foothills of the Himalayas, dark deeds are buried and malicious thoughts flourish. The Brisbanes uncover secrets and scandal, illicit affairs and twisted legacies. In this remote and exotic place, exploration is perilous and discovery, deadly. The danger is palpable and, if they are not careful, Julia and Nicholas will not live to celebrate their first anniversary."



My Review:

Towards the end of an extended honeymoon, Lady Julia and her husband Brisbaine have the unexpected displeasure of being tracked down by two of Julia's siblings. Persuaded by her sister Portia, Julia and Brisbaine embark upon a journey to the Himalayas in hopes of supporting the newly widowed and family friend, Jane Cavendish. Although Portia's described motive's might seem earnest, Julia soon derives the true purpose of their journey: to investigate the possible murder of Jane's husband and therefore possibly saving Jane from the same untimely end. 

Julia, always having been one prone to seek out adventure and prove her detective potential to Brisbaine, sets out against Brisbaine's wishes in order to solve this mystery. Confident in her skills, Julia has no hesitation in pursuing the murderer, but just as she begins to piece together the mystery it all begins to unravel at an alarming rate. Julia must decipher the chaos that surrounds her quickly, for in a place where secrets are dark and the villains enchanting, she just might easily be the next victim. 

I have always enjoyed the Julia Grey series, and this one is no exception! The story starts out at a moderate pace and gradually gains momentum as the story unfolds, allowing the reader enough time to process the clues and solve the mystery. Of course, as soon as you begin to unravel the mystery, the plot takes off at an unbelievable rate with the plot twisting and turning, much to the readers delight. I read the last half of this book in one sitting, and was shocked by some of the plot twist revelations. If you are looking for a Victorian Era mystery that will have you engaged and guessing the whole time, I highly recommend this book. I am definitely looking forward to Deanna Raybourn's next installment in this series!



FTC: I received this book from the publisher. As always, these are my own honest opinions. 

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Copyright © 2011 Svea Love. All Rights Reserved.

14 comments:

flanpnhfpnanfnFN said...

Hopping by! I'm your newest follower. ^-^

Please stop by my blog and follow me back if you get a chance: www.blackfingernailedreviews.blogspot.com

Taylor said...

This book sounds a little similar to a book I read by Caro Peacock called A Foreign Affair. It too was a Victorian Era mystery. Thanks for the review. I need to check out this series once my TBR pile has gone down A Lot lol.

Taylor~ http://allthingshistoricalfiction.blogspot.com/

Unknown said...

I still need to read this one! I LOVED ths first three books in the series.

Ordinary Reader said...

Hi. I found you on the blog hop and wanted to stop in and say how pretty your blog is. I'm a big fan of Jane Austen too. I'm taking a couple of your titles to add to my tbr. Thanks!
Dianne

Marg said...

Taylor, in my opinion these books are much better than the Caro Peacock books and have a very different voice.

Svea, I think this has ended up being my favourite book in the series, and it isn't often you say that about a fourth book in a series. Those twists at the end were heartbreaking weren't they.

Holly said...

Loved this one too! The Lady Julia books were one of my best discoveries of 2010 :)

Zakiya LadyWings said...

Following you! :D

Stopping by from the Blog Hop and Follow Friday. Have a great weekend!

My Hop and Follow are here

Happy Reading,
Zakiya!

Mystica said...

I follow you! this book is getting rave reviews. Every book this author has written was available other than this one!

Kristin said...

Absolutely lovely blog! New follower! Stop by and say hi if you get a chance-and check out my giveaway!
Kristin
MyBookishWays

Svea Love said...

Taylor- I actually bought one of her books a couple weeks ago. Definitely looking forward to seeing how I like the authors work!

Holly- Yay! Did you read all of the Julia Grey novels in 2010?

Ruth- This one should meet your expectations! The ending is jaw dropping with all the twists.

Svea Love said...

Khadija & Kristin- Thanks so much for following! I look forward to sharing some great books & discussions with you :)

Mystica- And I am so glad you are following! I hope this novel is available for you soon. Have you read the others that were available?

Svea Love said...

Marg- I know exactly what you mean! I love how every book has kept the momentum and just leaves us wanting more :) Well done, Deanna!

Robin M said...

Looks good. Adding it to my wishlist.

Prathiba said...

Looks like a mystery I will enjoy..

And I am even more interested as I am from India and always love to read foreign authors to look at different perspectives of India.. Most writings on India of the Victorian age are memoirs from the British Raj era, this is definitely new...