Italy and Blessingstoke, Sussex, England – 1887

After solving her husband's murder and nearly losing her own life, Lady Julia Grey flees to Italy in the company of brothers, Eglamour (also called Plum) and Lysander, where she recuperates and tries to sort out her tangled life. Now, almost five months later, their father, the Earl March, has called them home to Bellmont Abbey. Being back in England in the winter is not Julia's idea of a grand time, but her father has gathered a house party for Christmas, and no one dares disobey the Earl March. Julia knows Father's summons is probably just the means for a face-off with her brother Lysander, who has recently married an Italian woman named Violante, which has probably incurred Father's wrath.

At the end of the long trip, when they finally arrive home, Julia's heart flutters when she is greeted by one of the guests, Nicholas Brisbane. But her excitement plummets to ashes as she is introduced to Brisbane's new fiancée, the widow, Charlotte King. And as Julia is taking Mrs. King's measure, the touch of the pendant she wears beneath her dress singes her skin. The bizarre Medusa amulet was a gift from Brisbane, one Julia has faithfully worn every day thinking it was given out of love. Nicholas Brisbane is the private inquiry agent who investigated the death of Julia's husband less than six months ago. While she assisted him in that investigation, they became friends, and more, or so Julia thought. But without a word from the man in all the time she was out of the country, Julia now wonders if the passion of that brief kiss they shared was just in her imagination? Needless to say, she takes great pleasure in spurning Brisbane's attentions while he is in her home and in the company of Mrs. King, an unlikely fiancée for him, in Julia's opinion.

After a merry outing the house party at the Abbey takes a sinister turn when one of the guests is found inside the chapel brutally murdered, followed by the surprising confession from a March cousin. Julia is not convinced that her cousin is capable of committing such an act, and neither is her father, who immediately locks down the house and orders Brisbane and Julia to investigate. And when a snowstorm forces everyone inside the Abbey's stone walls, a dead body lies in the game larder, and the party is no longer fun. Instead, they are all trapped, and a murderer walks amongst them.

SILENT IN THE SANCTUARY is a fine historical mystery to while away those extra spare moments on the weekend. Lots of twists and turns, quirky characters, ghostly hauntings, secret passages and suspense fill the pages all the way to the end of this delightful tale. Julia and Nicholas have a tenuous relationship, one that speaks of tightly held passion as well as angst. Julia is determined to prove her cousin's innocence. Nicholas is just as determined to find the killer, but neglects to truly take Julia into his confidence. Whenever they are together, sparks fly.

There are a plethora of secondary characters, most of them Julia's eccentric family of Marches and their equally strange friends. There is Uncle Fly, who is not really an uncle at all, but is the local vicar; also in residence are the dear, but weird aunts, Hermia and Dorcas; Julia's sister, the widowed Portia Bettiscombe, who ogles Julia's young male friend from Italy, Alessandro Fornacci, while her live-in lover, Jane, awaits her back at home. Julia's maid, Morag, is a sassy delight, and her butler Aquinas is wise, worldly, and provides a staunch shoulder to lean on. Julia's little dog, an Italian greyhound that was a gift from Allessandro, gives us many humorous moments.

The setting of Bellmont Abbey is a seven-hundred-year-old Cistercian monastery that becomes almost a character itself. SILENT IN THE SANCTUARY follows the first book in the Lady Julia Grey Mystery Series, SILENT IN THE GRAVE (January 2007) , which tells about the murder of Julia's husband and introduces the detective, Nicholas Brisbane. SILENT IN THE SANCTUARY stands alone, but I, for one, will be sure to get the first of this wonderful new series just to round out my collection and possess the whole delightful story! This is not a short novel, but every delicious page is stacked to the brim with wonderful words, delightful descriptions, and dynamic characterization.

SILENT IN THE SANCTUARY closes with a mild cliffhanger that promises a new adventure for Julia and Nicholas in the very near future. This is a terrific book for your keeper shelf – don't miss it!

Diana Risso