Los espíritus cuentan secretos… Lady Julia y Nicholas Brisbane habían vuelto de su viaje por el extranjero y habían establecido su residencia en Londres. Sin embargo, unir sus dos colecciones de mascotas, sirvientes y artilugios dejaba muy poco tiempo a los recién casados, por no decir al trabajo como investigador privado de Brisbane. Entre sus clientes estaba el propio hermano de Julia. Lord Bellmont le pidió a Brisbane que guardara silencio absoluto sobre su caso. No obstante, Julia no estaba dispuesta a que la mantuvieran en la ignorancia de nada que tuviera que ver con su amada y excéntrica familia, y pronto se implicó en la investigación. El rastro la llevó hacia El Club de los Espíritus, un exclusivo club de espiritismo donde Madame Séraphine celebraba sesiones todas las noches… sesiones a las que acudían caballeros poderosos. A partir de aquel lugar extraño e inquietante fueron revelándose una serie de actos que podían acabar con la reputación de algunos. Los Brisbane pronto se dieron cuenta de que debían permanecer unidos si no querían fracasar. Por el bien de Bellmont, y por otras cosas más que estaban en juego, tuvieron que enfrentarse a peligros que habían nacido de secretos oscuros.

I finished this on Sunday, but sort of forgot to follow up with a review; I've since read another book and I'm in the middle of one, neither of which are historical and the details from The Dark Enquiry have all gone a little fuzzy.

I liked it; better than The Dark Road to Darjeeling, but it wasn't exactly what I'd hoped it would be. From the synopsis I rather figured the paranormal aspect would be more central to the plot and it wasn't central at all. Brisbane is still keeping secrets from Julia, but at least Julia has more or less stopped running around trying to solve mysteries behind his back; they reach a state of mutual respect for each other that was sorely lacking in the last book.

The plot was weird and the murderer came out of nowhere - at no time was the reader given the information needed to identify the culprit, until the denouement scene with Julia. It made for an exciting ending though. ( )

Synopsis: Brisbane has finally admitted that Julia is helpful in his business and Plum has also joined as an investigator. Julia, however, is still working on her own and putting her foot into Brisbane's investigation. She finds herself involved in spiritualism, thinking that she was being on site to help Brisbane if he got into trouble. Her finds herself involved with spies from the US, Britain and Germany. Plum, thinking he is working on a separate case finds that he has become emotionally involved with a spy.
Review: Finally, this book is a mystery with a nod to romance rather than vice versa. ( )

The Dark Enquiry
4 Stars

Marriage to a private enquiry agent has become a frustrating enterprise for Lady Julia as her husband still strives to protect her from his professional life just as she longs to become a full partner in his endeavors. Julia gets her wish after following Brisbane to a clandestine meeting and witnessing what appears to be the murder of a psychic medium. As Julia and Brisbane investigate the strange death, they must learn to work together or lose everything, for the foe they face is willing to sacrifice anyone and anything for their ultimate goal.

While not quite my favorite installment in the series (that is reserved for Silent on the Moor), The Dark Enquiry is certainly one of the more intense and exciting additions and I am sad that it is also the final full length novel.

The highlight of the story is the development of Brisbane and Julia’s relationship as they finally begin working together both in and outside of the marriage bed. Brisbane comes to accept that he cannot protect Julia from every danger and that the best he can do is provide her with the necessary tools and information for her to deal with the darker and seedier side of his work. Likewise, Julia comes to realize not only the very real risks involved in being Brisbane’s partner, but also the extent of his love for her and the lengths he will got to in order to keep her safe.

They mystery is interesting with several compelling twists and turns and one particularly enigmatic character who could Raybourn could do well to give his own series if she were so inclined. The villain came as a surprise although, in hindsight, there are plenty of clues to the ultimate explanation.

The secondary characters are well written and add depth and nuance to the story. Julia is introduced to additional members of Brisbane’s gypsy family and there are also developments in the lives of her own siblings. Portia is settling into motherhood; Bellmont finds himself in a sticky situation, and Plum may finally have met his match.

All in all, a solid addition to the series although there are one or two developments that were disappointing such as Julia’s miscarriage and inability to conceive another child as well as Plum’s devastating love life. The next few installments are novellas, which I don’t usually read but I might give a try if only to catch up on the Brisbanes and the Marches. ( )

Back in London, Julia and Brisbane get involved with spiritualists and spies when they try to recover evidence of her older brother Bellmont's affair with a spiritualist. At first, things seem rather simple. All they have to do is confront the spiritualist and convince her to return Bellmont's letters. Before they can confront her, someone kills her with aconite leaving the letters still missing.

Julia visits the other people who were at the seance she attended and eliminates a couple of them and also meets the intriguing Sir Morgan Fielding who turns out to be an illegitimate cousin of hers. She immediately takes a liking to him which is often a clue in this series that he is up to no good. She soon learns some of his secrets and how they connect to her mysterious husband. We also get a chance to meet more of Brisbane's gypsy relatives when they take shelter in a gypsy camp run by his grandmother.

This book is packed with action and danger for both Julia and Brisbane. Through the course of this story the reader can just see the relationship deepen between Julia and Brisbane as he finally lets loose of some of the secrets in his life now that he is confident that nothing is going to change Julia's love for him.

I love the setting of this story and the touches of humor. Julia's eccentric family and her own eccentricities are often quite funny. I love her growing assortment of pets. ( )