Review: The Dead Travel Fast by Deanna Raybourn

The Dead Travel Fast by Deanna Raybourn

A husband, a family, a comfortable life: Theodora Lestrange lives in terror of it all.

With a modest inheritance and the three gowns that comprise her entire wardrobe, Theodora leaves Edinburgh — and a disappointed suitor — far behind. She is bound for Roumania, where tales of vampires are still whispered, to visit an old friend and write the book that will bring her true independence.

She arrives at a magnificent, decaying castle in the Carpathians replete with eccentric inhabitants: the ailing dowager; the troubled steward; her own fearful friend, Cosmina. But all are outstripped in dark glamour by the castle's master, Count Andrei Dragulescu.

Bewildering and bewitching in equal measure, the brooding nobleman ignites Theodora's imagination and awakens passions in her that she can neither deny nor conceal. His allure is superlative, his dominion over the superstitious town, absolute — Theodora may simply be one more person under his sway.

Before her sojourn is ended — or her novel completed — Theodora will have encountered things as strange and terrible as they are seductive. For obsession can prove fatal...and she is in danger of falling prey to more than desire.

*This is a general market historical romance mystery fiction novel.*

In 2007, thanks to Michelle Moran's blog I discovered "Silent in the Grave", the first in the Julia Grey series. Then I impatiently waited and read "Silent in the Sanctuary" within days of the release and considered myself a real fan of Deanna Raybourn. After reading the third book in the Julia Grey series "Silent on the Moor" I could not wait for more. When I found out that author Deanna Raybourn would be writing a different book off of the Julia Grey series, I was intrigued, but uncertain.

Finally, as of two days ago... I had my hands on an ARC of "The Dead Travel Fast". I was still curious but cautious. Whenever you really get into an author for one series, you never know as a reader if it is the author or the characters that you are so enamored with. While reading TDTF I can tell you that I absolutely love the Lady Julia Grey character and miss her and look forward to more from her... but it is definitely the story telling voice of Deanna that captures the audience and makes them reading her stories with rapid page turning succession.

Having such enchanted locations such as Edinburgh and Transylvania, a new Raybourn heroine Theodora draws a reader in with a storytelling voice of strength that intrigues for more. Each chapter provides great depth of description that begs for more. It is truly a mystery and one can hardly know what is indeed fact or farce for the characters. It is truly enjoyable to read a tale where the mystery is not revealed too easily and suppositions go round and round.

Theordora Lestrange is no Lady Julia, and the bewitching Count Andrei Dragulescu is no Brisbane, but they carry their force and are alluring on their own. And on a final thought, there could not have been a better ending, and I indeed did not see it coming.

Lastly, I still hold my opinion that the original cover types for the first two Julia novels, were much better than the new ones... but alas.  (See the covers that I am referencing in my reviews, from the links below).

*Thanks to author Deanna Raybourn and Stephanie of Nancy Berland PR for providing a copy for review.*

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Read my review of Deanna's other novels: 
Silent in the Grave
Silent in the Sanctuary
Silent on the Moor 

Guest Review: Sand Sharks

Sand Sharks by Margaret Maron

When Judge Deborah Knott travels to Wrightsville Beach for a summer conference for North Carolina District Court Judges, she stumbles upon the body of one of her colleagues. Meanwhile, Deborah's husband, Sheriff's Deputy Dwight Bryant, is in Virginia with his son, tying up loose ends left by the death of his first wife. When another judge is found murdered at the conference, it soon becomes evident that Deborah may be the killer's next target. Her relaxing trip to the seaside soon transforms into a harrowing experience, and she must summon all of her strength and investigative expertise to track down the culprit before she becomes the next victim.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Review by my mother:

Sand Sharks is the newest in the Margaret Maron series based on the very likeable, youthful, female judge Deborah Knott. In this novel Deborah is attending a judges’ conference on the shore of North Carolina away from her home near Raleigh, NC. The interaction with her fellow judges and the descriptions of the coastal area of NC were very interesting, but this book was not as good as others in the series. In past books Deborah has been so certain that her marriage to Dwight is absolutely right that her doubts in this book seem out of character for her. There were quite a few characters form past stories, and it seemed that some of this story was just tying in loose threads from the past. The mystery lacked adequate clues for the dedicated reader to figure out who the murderer was and why the crime was committed. Do read it if you like the series. There were quite a few sharks.

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Death's Half Acre by Margaret Maron (a guest review)

Death's Half Acre by Margaret Maron

Unchecked urbanization has begun to eclipse the North Carolina countryside. As farms give way to shoddy mansions, farmers struggle to slow the rampant growth. In the shadows, corrupt county commissioners use their political leverage to make profitable deals with new developers. A murder will pull Judge Deborah Knott and Sheriff's Deputy Dwight Bryant into the middle of this bitter dispute and force them to confront some dark realities.



Review written by my mother:


Once again Margaret Maron has written a Deborah Knott mystery which is well plotted, is full of likeable characters and touches on relevant social issues in a subtle and constructive way. Her rural, but becoming urban, North Carolina setting and her characters who respect the past but move gracefully into the present and future are a pleasure to read and give her series consistency. I have read everything I can find that she has written and would highly recommend her to others. Margaret Maron is good at what she does.


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Purchase from Amazon here.

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (August 20, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 044619610X
• ISBN-13: 978-0446196109
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches