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No Graves As Yet

Book 1 in the series:World War I

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Set on the brink of World War I, 'No Graves As Yet' by Anne Perry follows the story of Joseph and Matthew Reavley as they navigate the complexities of impending war, personal loss, and the search for truth. The book delves into the psychological nuances of the characters, particularly Joseph and Matthew, who represent different facets of English society in 1914. Perry's writing style is dense and detailed, exploring themes of masculinity, morality, and ethical responsibility in the face of imminent conflict.

Characters:

The characters are primarily the Reavley siblings, with Joseph's grief contrasting with Matthew's more typical characterization, alongside underdeveloped female figures reflecting societal norms.

Writing/Prose:

The prose is marked by extensive detail and vivid imagery, featuring dense internal dialogues and a strong philosophical underpinning, effectively conveying historical context.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot centers on siblings facing personal loss amid the brewing tensions of WWI, intertwined with a murder mystery and a significant document that could alter the course of history.

Setting:

The setting is early WWI England, particularly Cambridge, capturing the socio-cultural atmosphere as war looms.

Pacing:

The pacing can be considered slow due to the dense descriptions and heavy focus on character introspection, which might not appeal to all readers.
It was a golden afternoon in late June, a perfect day for cricket. The sun burned in a cloudless sky, and the breeze was barely sufficient to stir the slender, pale skirts of the women as they stood o...

Notes:

The book is the first in a five-book series by Anne Perry, set during World War I.
It explores historical events and their impact on modern society, emphasizing the lingering effects of WWI.
The story centers on four siblings whose parents die in an accident while they were delivering a crucial document.
This document contains information that could potentially bring about peace but also threatens British honor.
Each book in the series includes a murder mystery tied to the overarching theme of wartime morality and honor.
The main characters are Joseph and Matthew Reavley, who are well-educated and represent class-bound masculinity in 1914 England.
The narrative delves deep into the psychological struggles of its characters against the backdrop of impending war.
Anne Perry's writing style is dense, with rich internal dialogues and philosophical themes, which may not appeal to all readers.
The author has a complex personal history which intrigues some readers in relation to her literary work.
The reception of the book suggests it may not have strong female leads, leading to some criticism.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

The book includes content warnings related to themes of death, war, and moral conflicts.

From The Publisher:

Through Anne Perry's magnificent Victorian novels, millions of readers have enjoyed the pleasures and intrigue of a bygone age. Now, with the debut of an extraordinary new series, this New York Times bestselling author sweeps us into the golden summer of 1914, a time of brief enchantment when English men and women basked in the security of wealth and power, even as the last weeks of their privileged world were swiftly passing. Theirs was a peace that led to war.

On a sunny afternoon in late June, Cambridge professor Joseph Reavley is summoned from a student cricket match to learn that his parents have died in an automobile crash. Joseph's brother, Matthew, as officer in the Intelligence Service, reveals that their father had been en route to London to turn over to him a mysterious secret document-allegedly with the power to disgrace England forever and destroy the civilized world. A paper so damning that Joseph and Matthew dared mention it only to their restless younger sister. Now it has vanished.

What has happened to this explosive document, if indeed it ever existed? How had it fallen into the hands of their father, a quiet countryman? Not even Matthew, with his Intelligence connections, can answer these questions. And Joseph is soon burdened with a second tragedy: the shocking murder of his most gifted student, beautiful Sebastian Allard, loved and admired by everyone. Or so it appeared.

Meanwhile, England's seamless peace is cracking-as the distance between the murder of an Austrian archduke by a Serbian anarchist and the death of a brilliant university student by a bullet to the head of grows shorter by the day.

Anne Perry is a sublime master of suspense. In No Graves As Yet, her latest haunting masterpiece, she reminds us that love and hate, cowardice and courage, good and evil are always a part of life, in our own time as well as on the eve of the greatest war the world has ever known.

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About the Author:

Anne Perry is the bestselling author of fifteen previous holiday novels, as well as the bestselling William Monk series, the bestselling Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series, the new Daniel Pitt series, five World War I novels, and a work of historical…

 
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