“Well, I suppose that settles it. Either we all go home to England for Christmas or we hurl ourselves into Lake Como to atone for our sins.”

Silent in the Sanctuary by Deanna Raybourn

In the second installment of the Lady Julia Grey series Julia has been in Italy for six months with her brothers. Being away has lifted her spirits and allowed her to regain her health but now her father is requesting that they all head back to England upon hearing that one of his sons has married an Italian woman.

Arriving in Sussex they learn that their father has a houseful of guests for Christmas and to top it off one of the guests is the intriguing Nicholas Brisbane whom Julia had collaborated with on an investigation and had gotten close to, or at least she thought. She still finds Nicholas just as appealing but he’s not alone, he’s brought his darling if somewhat vapid fiancee with him. Thank goodness Julia and her brothers thought to invite Alessandro, an Italian count, with them. She’ll show Nicholas that she has her share of admirers too.

The March family is filled with eccentrics. An aunt who may be going a bit mad, the poor relations, Lady Julia herself has a pet raven and as if that weren’t enough to ensure chaos among the family the weather has basically left them snowed-in and now one among them is dead. Who is the killer and what was the motive?

Lady Julia and Nicholas are deteremined to find out who the murderer is. Surely it can’t be the ghosts that some say they have see or the gypsies nearby. As Lady Julia works to uncover the clues she learns more about Nicholas and finds it harder to keep from thinking of him.

Unlike the first book in the series I felt this one was leaning more towards a romance genre. I enjoy my mysteries with a bit of romance and like to see characters develop their relationships but in this case I felt I was a reading a romance with some mystery. Why even the murder didn’t happen until almost half way into the book.

I liked the setting and how it basically became a locked-room mystery as the characters were “locked in” the estate because of the weather but I didn’t particularly like all the cast of eccentrics. It seemed like everyone had something just so wild and offbeat about them. I found that a bit much. I really liked the first book in this series and found this one a bit disappointing so I’m not sure if I’ll continue with the third book.

Source: Personal copy

“There were eight of us. Only two were men, which wasn’t that strange as the age limit for them is sixty. It’s perfectly natural; after all, they produce viable sperm much later in life than we produce eggs. Even so, I had thought for a long time that the difference in age limits for men and women was unfair.”

The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist

Dorrit Weger remembers when the new referendum was talked about but it was a new political party that no one paid much attention to and besides she’d never been much into politics. She figured she had all the time in the world to have a family but now she is fifty, single, childless and without a job in a progressive industry so her call of duty is to report to the Unit and be of service to those who have been deemed more deserving.

Life on the Unit means you are taken care of because you are valuable to a certain degree. There really isn’t a cash system, there are restaurants, art galleries, dancing and you live in your own place. All the while being watched and slowly being used for drug experiments. As time goes on members are asked to donate organs to those on the outside who need them. Most members of the Unit live about six years before their final donation.

The months pass by and Dorritt, who so far has mainly been part of an exercise study, has started forming friendships and is perhaps even finding love. It all seems almost normal except for the fact that she starts to see her close friends endure harsh side effects and there’s a quiet desperation that builds inside knowing that some members who you don’t see one day may have gone on to give their final donation.

A crucial point in the novel comes when Dorritt’s life is about to change. Can she perhaps have another chance as a regular member of the outside society?

While I expected to find a bit more rage or revolt from the members of the Unit it seemed to me that for the most part everyone just accepted things as they were. No one was happy but I couldn’t help but wonder how does a society just accept this and no one questions it anymore? Is it because it has gone on for so long?

And, really who’s to say one life is more valuable than the other? At least personally, I believe that we all have something to contribute to the world whether it’s on a small scale or something grand. There has to be something and it can’t just be based on reproduction. Reading this book my mind swirled with questions and not many answers from the book which of course makes this a perfect read for a book group discussion.

I think this is one of the best books I’ve read all year. I felt the horrible gut-wrenching moments when Dorritt saw her friends go away. I felt her fear as the night closed in on her and she was alone with her thoughts. It was a chilling read which I hope you’ll decide to read too.

Source: Advance Readers Copy