If you are a fan of historical mysteries and you haven't read the first three books in Deanna Raybourn's amazing Lady Julia Grey series then I must suggest that you do so immediately. This is a fantastic series featuring excellent writing, wonderful characters, exacting period detail, and sharp as a tack dialogue.
I was thrilled to receive an arc of the latest Lady Julia Grey mystery and set down on a Saturday afternoon to lose myself in the world of Lady Julia and her soulmate and now, husband, Nicholas Brisbane. The first three books in the series found Julia and Nicholas meeting over the body of her first husband, bonding over adventures involving her family and his and finally realizing that they are meant to be. The newest book was bound to be a challenge for it would be the first to feature the couple as husband and wife. These are two incredibly strong-willed people and I wondered if DR would be able to find a way to allow them to make all of the compromises a newly married couple must make and still retain their individuality. I needn't have worried, because in DR's masterful hands Julia and Nicholas manage to navigate their way through the rocky waters of their new marriage and emerge not only stronger as a couple, but also with their individual character intact.
The book opens with Julia's siblings Plum and Portia tracking the newly married Brisbanes down while they are on their honeymoon. Portia requests their assistance in the matter of her ex-partner Jane. Jane is recently widowed and expecting a child. She is living on her husband's tea plantation in India and Portia is concerned about her safety, as well as her state of mind. The group travels to India, where they set about figuring out if there was indeed foul play involved in Jane's husband's death. Initially, I bemoaned the fact that this book was going to be set in India since England is my favorite setting for historical mysteries, but I soon changed my tune. The setting was perfect. The exotic locale pulled Nicholas and Julia out of their normal comfort zone and, in my opinion, placed them on a more even playing field. As they begin investigating the strange occurrences around the plantation, they both are forced to deal with people and places terribly unfamiliar to them. It was interesting to watch their different investigative styles emerge as they struggle with their individual desire to be the one to solve the mystery versus their obvious strength when they work as a team. The plot was well-developed and the ending was a bit of a shocker. Although I started to suspect the truth about 3/4ths of the way through, I wasn't sure that DR would go in that direction, but I thought it provided a solid twist.
The most satisfying aspect of the book for me was watching Nicholas and Julia figure out how to be husband and wife. It was clear that the idea of melding their lives was causing both some real angst. I was pleased to see that they continued to treat each other with the respect and affection that they have always shared. The romance lover in me was thrilled to find that the intimacy of the marital bed had not dampened the heated attraction between the two. When Nicholas and Julia married at the end of the last book, I was alternately excited and concerned. I was so happy that they were together finally, but wondered if DR would be able to keep their relationship interesting. After reading Dark Road to Darjeeling, I feel nothing but optimistic that this relationship will continue to develop and grow in all kinds of intriguing ways. While I have loved all three of the previous books in the series, I have to say that Dark Road to Darjeeling was pretty nearly flawless. I came away from it anticipating all of the amazing adventures that the future holds for these two characters as well as the rest of the eccentric March clan. Kudos Ms. Raybourn! Keep 'em coming...
PS. I don't always cast books as I'm reading them, but here are my picks to play Lady Julia and Nicholas:
I think Rachel Weisz and Richard Armitage would be absolutely perfect in the roles. Who would you cast?
