Lady Julia Grey and Nicholas Brisbane (Brisbane) have been on their honeymoon for 8 months before they are interrupted by Julia’s sister Portia and brother Plum. This little interruption results in the party travelling to India to investigate a murder. Jane Cavendish, Portia’s ex-partner, is newly widowed. The circumstances of Jane’s husband Freddie Cavendish’s death cause questions to be asked, the big one being was Freddie murdered? Which leads on to why was he murdered? Jane is pregnant and if a boy is born could be set to inherit the family estate, including tea plantation. Is Jane one of the suspects? If Jane is not responsible could her life now be in danger and the life of her unborn child as well?
Brisbane is a detective and Julia an aspiring detective, always trying to find a way to involve herself in Brisbane’s work, fancying herself to be quite a good partner. Although Brisbane would probably prefer Julia keep her nose out of his investigations they do make a good team and together they work to uncover the truth.
In the beautiful foothills of the Himalayas it seems almost everyone in town is considered a suspect, all in some way seeming to profit from the death of Freddie. In Dark Road to Darjeeling we meet a myriad of interesting characters, delve into their secret lives, discover scandals and become well acquainted with the eccentric, malicious and colourful inhabitants.
Further, we witness the love, lust and camaraderie of Julia and Brisbane’s relationship. Never without a dull moment, these two seem perfect for each other, even though some may argue the opposite. Danger seems to knock at their door and sometimes they face it together, sometimes alone, but always with concern for the other. I really enjoyed reading the passages Julia and Brisbane were the stars of, definitely a relationship I would love to read more about. They seem to have this magic between them and even though they have the odd rough patch here and there you just know what they feel for each other will see them through.
Dark Road to Darjeeling is set in 1889, mixing together the English and Indian, adding murder and secrecy, making for the perfect historical mystery. All the way through I was trying to guess, first of all, if there was a murder and secondly, who on earth was the murderer. I must admit right to the end I was suspecting another twist to come out of left field.
This fourth Lady Julia Grey novel is the first I’ve read in this series and don’t worry if you haven’t read the previous three; I don’t think it takes anything away from this book. You don’t need to have read the previous books but that doesn’t mean to say me personally won’t in the future. I would certainly like to read more about Lady Julia Grey.
Having said all of that, Dark Road to Darjeeling was an engaging read, even though I may not have ultimately liked the ending. The main characters shone throughout but the secondary characters had a huge impact on my overall reading enjoyment. There will be more Lady Julia Grey on my shelves in the future.
Many thanks to Erin McNichols from Meryl L. Moss Media Relations, Inc for providing me with a copy of Dark Road to Darjeeling and introducing me to Lady Julia Grey. Thank you, Erin!
To read the blurb for Dark Road to Darjeeling click here
