Book Description Review “Readers will learn a lot about the unique culture of antebellum Louisiana” (Publishers Weekly on Cold Bayou)”Fascinating … This well-researched mystery offers readers an appealing cast of characters, a suitably complex plot, and some eye-opening historical details” (Publishers Weekly on Murder in July)”January is a wonderful character … Hambly does a fine job of painting January’s world realistically” (Booklist on Murder in July)”A riveting explorations of a little-known period of Texas history intensified by gut-wrenching depictions of people’s enduring inhumanity” (Kirkus Reviews)”Outstanding … In addition to the slavery issue, Hambly focuses on broader social concerns, with panache and sensitivity” (Publishers Weekly Starred Review of Drinking Gourd)”Deeply researched… Hambly’s well-wrought denunciation of slavery and her skillful defense of women’s rights resound from January’s times to our own” (Publishers Weekly)”An atmospheric, beautifully written mystery” (Kirkus Reviews on Cold Bayou) Read more About the Author Barbara Hambly, though a native of Southern California, lived in New Orleans for many years while married to the late science fiction writer George Alec Effinger. Hambly holds a degree in medieval history from the University of California and has written novels in numerous genres. Read more Customers Review: As always, Barbara Hambly tells a good story. She has an amazing ability to draw the reader into her imaginary world. The only problem I have is with her Spanish and French comments (and I suspect her Latin quotes, though I can’t judge them). They are full of errors in spelling and misplaced accents. She needs to get a proofreader. The mistakes are distracting.
Keep them coming and I will keep reading.Although I love Benjamin and Rose, It’s Hannibal who really peaks my interest.
Ben January, surgeon and musician, is on the trail of a kidnapped girl in Texas when he and his friends become entangled in the murderous affairs of a previous acquaintance. I try to start Ms Hambly’s books only when I know I won’t be interrupted!
January travels to Texas to rescue one of his students, and he and Hannibal run into all sorts of old acquaintances there. Another excellent book — I learned some Texas history, and stayed up way too late to find out what happened.
I usually enjoy these Benjamin January books, and I did enjoy parts of this, but there were so many characters that I couldn’t keep up with them & didn’t really have a clue as to what the H*** was going on until the last few pages.
Exquisite writing, insightful character development, intricate mystery, rich description, coherent history—every Benjamin January episode is a jewel. I hope Hambly returns to New Orleans for the next one, though. I want to see what his family is up to.
Lady of Perdition does a very good job of being exactly what it is: one volume in a mystery series that simultaneously offers a puzzle that needs solving and a glimpse of life in a particular historical moment. The puzzle(s) (actually, there are two of them) aren’t particularly compelling, but the context the author sets them in makes for engrossing reading. The dcentral character, Benjamin January, is a free black man living in New Orleans in 1840, but he finds himself in the Republic of Texas, also known as the “Slaveholders’ Republic.” January continually walks a fine line—he can’t appear too intelligent, to independent, too anything. And he knows that he could easily be abducted and sold into slavery—free papers are easy enough to burn if a potential slave merchant has the financial motivation. We see a place and a time full of tensions: between Catholics and Protestants, between free and enslaved Blacks, between women and the demands of the male-controlled world, between Mexicans and Texans.This is a book that keeps one going because of the strength of its characters and the challenges they face because of their own identities, rather than by virtue of a particularly complex mystery. Read it for the picture it offers of the time, not for its central “mystery.”I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions are my own.
Lady of Perdition is the 17th (!!) Benjamin January novel by Barbara Hambly. Due out 7th Jan 2020 from Severn House, it’s 256 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats (ebook available now).These books are superbly well written. The author manages to convey the very real peril of living as a person of color in the southern USA in the 1840s. Despite being a European trained physician and gifted musician, Dr. January is continually at risk of being kidnapped and forced into slavery. In this installment, January, along with his loyal friends Abishag Shaw and Hannibal Sefton venture deep into Texas to try to rescue a young kidnapped girl, a student of his wife’s girls’ school.This book works well as a standalone, the mystery (less of a murder mystery and more of a ‘how will they get out of this alive’) and parallel plots work very well without previous familiarity with the series. I do recommend reading the series, however, for the consistently high quality of the plotting and characterizations as well as the meticulous historical research. The books are full of the casual racist violence which was endemic to that part of the world, and they could have been relentlessly depressing. The author manages to imbue the characters with nobility, grit, purpose, honesty, and even a touch of humor and whimsy (especially Hannibal and Rose, whom I adore).I love these books and truly look forward to every installment with anticipation.Five stars for this one, and five stars for the series.Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes. |
13 reviews