Lady Julia is a recent widow with an interest in detective work. She goes to Nicholas Brisbane at Grimsgrave Hall to help him out and stumble upon a house of great mystery and intrigue. Nicholas Brisbane is a private enquiry agent who has recently become master of Grimsgrave hall. He had asked Portia, Lady Julia's sister to decorate his home for him. Lady Julia decides to accompany her sister Portia to Grimsgrave Hall but her oldest brother and heir to her father the viscount Bellmont thinks it a terrible idea. Their father then asks them to take their brother, Valerius along for the sake propriety. On their way to Grimsgrave Hall Portia reveals that she had gotten a letter from Brisbane which asked her not to come but he seemed out of sorts therefore she decided to go ahead and visit him anyways. On their arrival they are shocked to realize that Brisbane had allowed Allenbys to live in his home until other alternatives were arranged. Brisbane asks Lady Julia to leave but she refuses to leave him as he is more depressed than the usual. Next morning, she finds out that he is leaving to solve another case. She decides to wait for him. Until then she explores the Grimsgrave hall and the moor around it and tries to find out more about its former occupants. Allenbys had ancestors who belonged to the royal family and they were very proud of it. Sir Redwall Allenby had slowly lost all the money while travelling through Egypt and had died sometime ago due to malaria. Lady Julia offers to catalogue all his possessions so that some of it can be sold and it was accepted by Sir Redwall's mother, Lady Allenby. As Lady Julia catalogues his possession she realizes that Grimsgrave Hall is riddled with secrets. Brisbane had spent his spring at this land where his mother had been convicted of thievery. His aunt Rosalie lives nearby to fulfill some old prophecy told by Brisbane's mother. She realizes Brisbane had been ruthlessly destroying the Allenbys step by step. She tries to make him see how wrong that is, when he returns, but Brisbane refuses to listen and tells her that there could be nothing between the two of them due to the difference in their financial status. Lady Julia finds mummies of two babies amongst Sir Redwall's possessions. The mummies were not of Egyptian origins and Brisbane deduces that the babies belonged to a family nearby. The same night Brisbane is poisoned and Lady Julia call Rosalie and Valerius to save him as they are the only people she trusts. Lady Julia finds out Lady Allensby had tried to poison Brisbane and Brisbane sends her to a nunnery. Later Lady Julia realizes that it was Ailith Allensby, Lady Allenbys daughter who had tried to kill Brisbane. Ailith wanted her mother punished because she had drowned Ailiths babies just after they were born. The babies had been result of Ailth's incestuous relationship with her brother, Sir Redwall which was inspired by the Egyptian history. Sir Redwall had then mummified the babies when he had clearly lost control of his mind near his deathbed. Ailith jumps off a cliff when cornered by Lady Julia and Brisbane. Brisbane then finds silver on his land and proposes to Lady Julia who accepts his proposal.
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Best part of story, including ending:
I love Deanna Raybourns style and the way she sets her story in different backgrounds.
Best scene in story:
I enjoyed the scene when Brisbane confronts Ailith, who plans to stab him and Lady Julia save his life by throwing herself at Ailith.
Opinion about the main character:
I like Lady Julia luck because of her good luck she is able to stumble upon clues that help her find the killer.
