Wet Grave (Benjamin January # 6), by Barbara Hambly
Important news for people who have been idly contemplating this series, a set of historical mysteries about a black doctor/musician in New Orleans:
1. The ebooks are no longer $24.99. Some of them, including this one, are now $5.99, and they all max out at $9.99.
2. You could probably start the series with this book. Hambly is really good at filling you in on "previously..."
3. There is a fair amount of dark/grim aspects to this book, but 1) nowhere near as much as previous installments, 2) it's frontloaded (starts grim, gets cheerier), 3) it has a really great romance, a solid build-up, and an absolutely delightfully bonkers climax. I'm going to do layered spoilers, from mild to major, in the hope of luring in people on the fence. This one was wonderful to be surprised by, but not really a huge spoiler and also the sort of thing that might serve as an enticement. So if you're hesitant about the series due to grim, click this (and then quickly backtrack.)
( Read more... )
I got stalled on this series for ages (ETA: since 2014, good Lord) due to repeatedly bouncing off book 5, Die Upon a Kiss. The plot of that sounds right up my alley (backstage hijinks at an opera) but I never managed to get past chapter one. I finally skipped it and went on to this one, which I adored.
So basically, the first two-thirds of this book are about the slow, sweet romance of two damaged people in an unjust world, plus a murder investigation, plus a sensitive exploration of grief and trauma and healing. And this is all very good. However, what lifts this book into A++ territory for me is that the last third takes a sudden swerve into absolute batshit OTT adventures with the same characters and enough plot for approximately six pulp adventure novels. It's all well-written and in-character and delightful, and so for me was charming rather than jarring.
Cut for MAJOR spoilers. I will just quote my emails to Layla as I started liveblogging once I hit the last third. ( Read more... )
Grimness quotient: Low, comparatively speaking. References to the heroine having been raped in the past. This is very sensitively/realistically handled, IMO. Gross murder scene at beginning (bugs, etc). Two very sad murders. Death, illness, non-graphic attempted rape. Period-accurate racism and sexism, but counterbalanced by the characters generally coming out OK.
Wet Grave (A Benjamin January Mystery Book 6)[image error]
[image error] [image error]
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1. The ebooks are no longer $24.99. Some of them, including this one, are now $5.99, and they all max out at $9.99.
2. You could probably start the series with this book. Hambly is really good at filling you in on "previously..."
3. There is a fair amount of dark/grim aspects to this book, but 1) nowhere near as much as previous installments, 2) it's frontloaded (starts grim, gets cheerier), 3) it has a really great romance, a solid build-up, and an absolutely delightfully bonkers climax. I'm going to do layered spoilers, from mild to major, in the hope of luring in people on the fence. This one was wonderful to be surprised by, but not really a huge spoiler and also the sort of thing that might serve as an enticement. So if you're hesitant about the series due to grim, click this (and then quickly backtrack.)
( Read more... )
I got stalled on this series for ages (ETA: since 2014, good Lord) due to repeatedly bouncing off book 5, Die Upon a Kiss. The plot of that sounds right up my alley (backstage hijinks at an opera) but I never managed to get past chapter one. I finally skipped it and went on to this one, which I adored.
So basically, the first two-thirds of this book are about the slow, sweet romance of two damaged people in an unjust world, plus a murder investigation, plus a sensitive exploration of grief and trauma and healing. And this is all very good. However, what lifts this book into A++ territory for me is that the last third takes a sudden swerve into absolute batshit OTT adventures with the same characters and enough plot for approximately six pulp adventure novels. It's all well-written and in-character and delightful, and so for me was charming rather than jarring.
Cut for MAJOR spoilers. I will just quote my emails to Layla as I started liveblogging once I hit the last third. ( Read more... )
Grimness quotient: Low, comparatively speaking. References to the heroine having been raped in the past. This is very sensitively/realistically handled, IMO. Gross murder scene at beginning (bugs, etc). Two very sad murders. Death, illness, non-graphic attempted rape. Period-accurate racism and sexism, but counterbalanced by the characters generally coming out OK.
Wet Grave (A Benjamin January Mystery Book 6)[image error]
[image error] [image error]
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