Review: The Dark Enquiry

The Dark Enquiry by Deanna Raybourn
Genre: Adult Fiction, Mystery
Pages: 392 (Ereader)
Publisher: Harlequin
Source: NetGalley

Description

Partners now in marriage and in trade , Lady Julia and Nicholas Brisbane have finally returned from abroad to set up housekeeping in London. But merging their respective collections of gadgets, pets and servants leaves little room for the harried newlyweds themselves, let alone Brisbane’s private enquiry business.
Among the more unlikely clients: Julia’s very proper brother, Lord Bellmont, who swears Brisbane to secrecy about his case. Not about to be left out of anything concerning her beloved–if eccentric–family, spirited Julia soon picks up the trail of the investigation.
It leads to the exclusive Ghost Club, where the alluring Madame Séraphine holds evening séances...and not a few powerful gentlemen in thrall. From this eerie enclave unfolds a lurid tangle of dark deeds, whose tendrils crush reputations and throttle trust.
Shocked to find their investigation spun into salacious newspaper headlines, bristling at the tension it causes between them, the Brisbanes find they must unite or fall. For Bellmont’s sake–and more–they’ll face myriad dangers born of dark secrets, the kind men kill to keep....

My Rating:

My Review:

In book 5 of the Lady Julia series, we find our protagonist getting into trouble yet again.  Feeling that Brisbane needs a partner, Lady Julia attempts to solve a minor mystery on her own.  However, this mystery leads to bigger mysteries.  Lady Julia must struggle with feeling the need to protect her husband and the need to win a wager between herself and Brisbane.

I enjoy the interplay between Lady Julia and her husband Brisbane.  Their exchanges are full of witticisms and dry humor. The mystery started off as a simple commission taken on by Brisbane with Lady Julia attempting to tag along but quickly turned into quite a complex story with the main suspects dying one by one.  I found the "guilty" party to be a complete surprise.  I felt like there were too many characters in the book but I might feel this way because I didn't read the series in order.  It can stand alone but if you care about the characters and want to know more, starting at the beginning of the series might be ideal.  Also, this story doesn't have any steamy moments.  I was quite surprised by this because of the cover.  Overall,  a very fun read because the characters are witty and fun.

Have you read this book or another by Deanna Rayburn?  What did you think?  Can great  characters fix a mediocre plot?  Or do you have to average characters and average plot at the very least?  Food for thought I guess :)