Deanna Raybourn writes a Romantic Mystery

Silent in the Grave  by Deanna Raybourne was a long book, but it was well-written and kept me engaged. Lady Julia Grey is investigating the death of her husband, although the local doctor dismissed it as a natural death due to his poor heart condition. She gets more involved with the seedier side of London in the Victorian age, dressed in her widow weeds and rich enough to dismiss the rumors about her and her acquaintances. She meets Nicholas Brisbane on the night her husband dies, but he remains a mystery to her, private and sometimes volatile. Her attraction is understandable, but what is she to do about it since he remains aloof. This the the first of the Lady Julia Grey mysteries and is a good introduction. Deanna Raybourn is from Texas, graduated with a degree in English literature with a specialty in Shakespeare. "Silent in the Grave" won the 2008 RITA for Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements. I like the cover on the hardback book more than on the paperback book which emphasizes the romance

Alan Furst and Spies of World Ward II

Alan Furst is the official expert of the World War II spy novels that are being written currently. While he spent a long time living in Paris writing for The International Herald Tribune, he honed his expertise by traveling around Europe and getting the terrain accurate. Most of his novels contain the average male worker who becomes involved with espionage only as the force of evil makes it apparent he must. This hero is usually independent and courageous. In Spies of the Balkans, it is Constantine "Costa" Zannis, of the police force in Greece. Greece is facing the inevitable invasion of the German forces and he has clearly decided whose side he is on, and he will do anything to protect the innocent and the ones he loves. He meets a beautiful Jewish woman from Germany who recruits him to help her smuggle German Jews out through the Balkans and on to Turkey. The British spies know everything and soon they want, no demand, his help also. His work takes him to Paris where he once lived with his family. Danger lurks at every turn and he is forced to rely on ancient friends and family. The book is a fast paced thriller with romance and intrigue to spice it up. I am a long time fan of Alan Furst and I never tire of his novels. All are stand alone stories, similar in the style of Eric Ambler who wrote spy novels starting in the years prior to World War II, writing from 1937-1963.

A Beautiful Blue Death: A Mystery by Charles Finch
Set in Victorian London, Charles Lenox, a gentleman, has become involved
with a local murder of a servant girl at the request of his neighbor and
former employer of the girl, Lady Jane Grey. Lady Jane grew up with
Charles Lenox, and she is now widowed. They are close friends often having
their afternoon tea together for a chat. Atmospheric, good descriptions of
a bitterly cold winter in 1865, with small snips of fireside entertainment
and typical meals served. Slowly paced, well-described characters who all
make up for a good old-fashioned mystery that can be read on a chilly day
under a downy quilt.
I noticed some similarities to the famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, but there is enough new characteristics that make the series unique. Yes, Charles' brother does hold an important role in politics, but not the political intrigue found in Doyle's books. The humor comes into the novel when his brother likes dressing the part of an up-to-no-good street man, trying to keep a watch on the traffic of characters going in and out of the large manor house where the murder occurred. His brother helps Charles, and gets his taste whet for sleuthing. I am looking forward to the next in the series, The September Society, with a glimpse of student life at Oxford.