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Benjamin January #15
Murder in July
Benjamin January investigates the murder of a mysterious Englishman in this absorbing New Orleans-set mystery.
When British spymaster Sir John Oldmixton offers Benjamin January a hundred dollars to find the murderer of an Englishman whose body has been found floating in the New Basin Canal, Benjamin turns him down immediately. As a free man of colour in New Orleans in the sweltering July of 1839, he knows this is not something he should get mixed up in.
But when clues to the dead man's identity link the death to another murder, in another July in January's past, he is reluctantly drawn into the investigation. Nine years ago in Paris he failed to catch a killer - with tragic consequences. Now in New Orleans he must unravel the earlier murder, the one that took place during the great revolt against the Bourbon kings, to solve the second killing. At stake is not merely a hundred dollars, but hidden treasure, the fate of an innocent woman - and the lives of January's wife, son and unborn child.
When British spymaster Sir John Oldmixton offers Benjamin January a hundred dollars to find the murderer of an Englishman whose body has been found floating in the New Basin Canal, Benjamin turns him down immediately. As a free man of colour in New Orleans in the sweltering July of 1839, he knows this is not something he should get mixed up in.
But when clues to the dead man's identity link the death to another murder, in another July in January's past, he is reluctantly drawn into the investigation. Nine years ago in Paris he failed to catch a killer - with tragic consequences. Now in New Orleans he must unravel the earlier murder, the one that took place during the great revolt against the Bourbon kings, to solve the second killing. At stake is not merely a hundred dollars, but hidden treasure, the fate of an innocent woman - and the lives of January's wife, son and unborn child.
250 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2017
45 people are currently reading
342 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Hambly
205 books1,603 followersaka Barbara Hamilton
Ranging from fantasy to historical fiction, Barbara Hambly has a masterful way of spinning a story. Her twisty plots involve memorable characters, lavish descriptions, scads of novel words, and interesting devices. Her work spans the Star Wars universe, antebellum New Orleans, and various fantasy worlds, sometimes linked with our own.
"I always wanted to be a writer but everyone kept telling me it was impossible to break into the field or make money. I've proven them wrong on both counts."
-Barbara Hambly
Ranging from fantasy to historical fiction, Barbara Hambly has a masterful way of spinning a story. Her twisty plots involve memorable characters, lavish descriptions, scads of novel words, and interesting devices. Her work spans the Star Wars universe, antebellum New Orleans, and various fantasy worlds, sometimes linked with our own.
"I always wanted to be a writer but everyone kept telling me it was impossible to break into the field or make money. I've proven them wrong on both counts."
-Barbara Hambly
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
October 19, 2019
This series, its locale in the recently French city of New Orleans in the early 19th C, and its protagonist, a highly educated, polyglot, surgeon, concert pianist “free man of color” living in the creepy American south decades before slavery was outlawed is always a good read. I particularly fall into the plots that include New Orleans as a major character, with some of that unique city’s special delicious magic. No, no i don’t mean beignets or crawfish gumbo - although the food is to die for (ask Paul Prodhomme, may he RIP). i mean the history: Congo Square, the importance of Voudou, and so syncretism, the demi-monde, the whole population of free Blacks living side-by-side with the French, and enslaved Blacks, and then (yikes) by the, very different, Kaintucks (Americans). The drumming. The music. And then we can see - maybe - how it evolved into the city it is now; different than any other.
The recurring characters in this series are a complex delight - January’s sister Olympe, a prominent voodooienne, and his best friend, a wannabe goliard, white musician who is constantly speaking Latin, drunk or over-imbibing Laudanum, for instance. I’ve a bit of a crush on both of them.
This mystery involves memories January has from 1830, when he was living in Paris and took part in the Trois Glorieuses, the July Revolution, which seem to be related to a current (1839) murder for which a single woman of color with children has been imprisoned unjustly. So the story goes back and forth, as the mystery precedes, between these nine years - and between Paris and New Orleans, involving intimate friends, life and death, in both cities.
I thought that, for the complexity of the danger, at the height, the solution was more simplistic than usual, but overall a worthwhile read. This being my 15th Benjamin January book, I'll likely be reading the next one, too.
2 1/2 stars - rounding up because i learned so much vocabulary!
The recurring characters in this series are a complex delight - January’s sister Olympe, a prominent voodooienne, and his best friend, a wannabe goliard, white musician who is constantly speaking Latin, drunk or over-imbibing Laudanum, for instance. I’ve a bit of a crush on both of them.
This mystery involves memories January has from 1830, when he was living in Paris and took part in the Trois Glorieuses, the July Revolution, which seem to be related to a current (1839) murder for which a single woman of color with children has been imprisoned unjustly. So the story goes back and forth, as the mystery precedes, between these nine years - and between Paris and New Orleans, involving intimate friends, life and death, in both cities.
I thought that, for the complexity of the danger, at the height, the solution was more simplistic than usual, but overall a worthwhile read. This being my 15th Benjamin January book, I'll likely be reading the next one, too.
2 1/2 stars - rounding up because i learned so much vocabulary!
February 24, 2018
Fabulous! This fifteenth book in the series continues the adventures of Benjamin January. The series is comprised of historical mysteries; often murder mysteries, as is this one. However, that description alone does not do justice to the heart and soul at the core of each tale. The main characters are far beyond three-dimensional: they have become well-loved friends and family. We especially come to know Ben intimately, through his self-reflective inner dialogues, as well as the choices he makes and his resultant behavior.
I could have devoured this book in a day, but chose to stretch it out over weeks, to prolong the enjoyment. In this installment, Ben experiences some serendipity, as the current murder- in 1839 New Orleans- of a man who may not be who he seems, has ties to Ben's own past in 1830 Paris, and another murder that led a wrongly-accused friend to the guillotine. Ben's remembrances of his past in Paris, with first-wife Ayasha and a wholly different existence, give readers more insight into his inner life. He struggles to make the connections between both crimes, nine years apart, in order to save an acquaintance in his current life.
I highly recommend this book, and the entire series. Though I disagree with those who say they can be read out-of-order. Far better to start with book one, A Free Man of Color, and build your knowledge of Ben, his world, its constraints, and his fierce desire to live life on his own terms, as much as possible, in an American south still defined by slavery.
I could have devoured this book in a day, but chose to stretch it out over weeks, to prolong the enjoyment. In this installment, Ben experiences some serendipity, as the current murder- in 1839 New Orleans- of a man who may not be who he seems, has ties to Ben's own past in 1830 Paris, and another murder that led a wrongly-accused friend to the guillotine. Ben's remembrances of his past in Paris, with first-wife Ayasha and a wholly different existence, give readers more insight into his inner life. He struggles to make the connections between both crimes, nine years apart, in order to save an acquaintance in his current life.
I highly recommend this book, and the entire series. Though I disagree with those who say they can be read out-of-order. Far better to start with book one, A Free Man of Color, and build your knowledge of Ben, his world, its constraints, and his fierce desire to live life on his own terms, as much as possible, in an American south still defined by slavery.
October 24, 2017
I enjoyed this, as I enjoy all of Hambly's work. It's a good, enjoyable book, full of tension and mystery and the complicated politics of navigating America while Black. It also gives us a deeper glimpse into what Ben's life in Paris was like, on the other side of the wall of his grief from losing Ayasha. The time period, as what we think of as "America" coalesces in New Orleans, prior to the powder keg of The Civil War is fascinating.
However--and perhaps spurred by an ongoing conversation in the writer's community about who is the best narrator for a given story--I found myself wondering what the story would be, in different hands.
Hambly, as a White author, has done a viscerally sterling job writing about Blacks in pre-Civil War New Orleans. It has always read as emotionally true for me. And, though Ben is the protagonist of all the books, the large cast of women of color has given Hambly plenty of opportunity to write intersectionally and I've never had any complaints about her depictions.
But a large portion of this particular book is Ben, a cisgender, heterosexual man, observing and internally narrating the stories of homosexual men--lovers--and the wife of one of those men. To be clear, I didn't feel, per se, that Ben's narration was WRONG, or bad. But I did feel that their tragedy, and the difficulties of being gay, a Bright Young Thing, in 1830, was possibly not best served by being told by Ben. I question whether Ben's secondhand suffering, because these are his friends, is the right vehicle. As I said, I found myself wondering what that story would look like, if it were told through the eyes of the men concerned, how different it would be.
But. Even with that question, and the struggle to resolve it, in my mind, I DO like the story that Hambly wrote. And if the story centers on people whose oppression Ben couldn't not know intimately, Hambly does make the stakes very personal by the second act. So I have questions, but I am not dissatisfied.
However--and perhaps spurred by an ongoing conversation in the writer's community about who is the best narrator for a given story--I found myself wondering what the story would be, in different hands.
Hambly, as a White author, has done a viscerally sterling job writing about Blacks in pre-Civil War New Orleans. It has always read as emotionally true for me. And, though Ben is the protagonist of all the books, the large cast of women of color has given Hambly plenty of opportunity to write intersectionally and I've never had any complaints about her depictions.
But a large portion of this particular book is Ben, a cisgender, heterosexual man, observing and internally narrating the stories of homosexual men--lovers--and the wife of one of those men. To be clear, I didn't feel, per se, that Ben's narration was WRONG, or bad. But I did feel that their tragedy, and the difficulties of being gay, a Bright Young Thing, in 1830, was possibly not best served by being told by Ben. I question whether Ben's secondhand suffering, because these are his friends, is the right vehicle. As I said, I found myself wondering what that story would look like, if it were told through the eyes of the men concerned, how different it would be.
But. Even with that question, and the struggle to resolve it, in my mind, I DO like the story that Hambly wrote. And if the story centers on people whose oppression Ben couldn't not know intimately, Hambly does make the stakes very personal by the second act. So I have questions, but I am not dissatisfied.
July 12, 2021
Thanks to Netgalley for providing a copy of this book for review.
Barbara Hambly is a reliable author for me. I know that she does her history homework and one of her greatest strengths is her ability to evoke vivid settings that are grounded in detail. Although Benjamin January's story here takes place in 1839 New Orleans and 1830 Paris, her characters feel utterly real and the sights, smells and sounds of the places she describes feel as though I could step right into them.
The mystery in this book is twofold. A man has turned up dead in one of the sewage ridden canals in New Orleans, and the mixed race woman he was staying with has been charged with his murder. She'll almost certainly hang for the murder since no one cares much about a colored woman on her own. Unless Benjamin looks into it. He does this for his sister Olympe, and also because something about the situation reminds him of Paris 9 years ago....
In that time, another young woman went to prison and is in danger of execution for the murder of a man ( this time her husband's lover) and January ends up getting involved because of his friendship with the family.
There's the possibility of a hidden fortune that several unsavory characters are after and who are in competition with January to get information. There is January's fear of getting himself and his family (his wife is just about to give birth to their second child) involved in danger. And there's that instinct towards helping those with no other help receive justice that has gotten January in trouble before.
I didn't know anything about the July days in Paris- really I don't know much about what happened in France after Napoleon's time came to an end. So that was educational for me. The mystery itself- the pieces come to light after the author wants you to see them. I don't really read these for the mysteries any more.
I ended up skimming the last part of the book because I got impatient with waiting for all of the plot threads to come together, and that's why I didn't rate the book higher.
Barbara Hambly is a reliable author for me. I know that she does her history homework and one of her greatest strengths is her ability to evoke vivid settings that are grounded in detail. Although Benjamin January's story here takes place in 1839 New Orleans and 1830 Paris, her characters feel utterly real and the sights, smells and sounds of the places she describes feel as though I could step right into them.
The mystery in this book is twofold. A man has turned up dead in one of the sewage ridden canals in New Orleans, and the mixed race woman he was staying with has been charged with his murder. She'll almost certainly hang for the murder since no one cares much about a colored woman on her own. Unless Benjamin looks into it. He does this for his sister Olympe, and also because something about the situation reminds him of Paris 9 years ago....
In that time, another young woman went to prison and is in danger of execution for the murder of a man ( this time her husband's lover) and January ends up getting involved because of his friendship with the family.
There's the possibility of a hidden fortune that several unsavory characters are after and who are in competition with January to get information. There is January's fear of getting himself and his family (his wife is just about to give birth to their second child) involved in danger. And there's that instinct towards helping those with no other help receive justice that has gotten January in trouble before.
I didn't know anything about the July days in Paris- really I don't know much about what happened in France after Napoleon's time came to an end. So that was educational for me. The mystery itself- the pieces come to light after the author wants you to see them. I don't really read these for the mysteries any more.
I ended up skimming the last part of the book because I got impatient with waiting for all of the plot threads to come together, and that's why I didn't rate the book higher.
February 19, 2018
This is the latest in Hambly's Freeman of Color mystery series. This time Benjamin January is enlisted to help solve what seems to be the murder of an Englishman whose body was found floating in the New Basin Canal. Benjamin wants to turn him down, but in 1839 money is still tight owing to a financial depression and the fact that musician jobs (his normal form of employment) are scarce in the summertime when most of the New Orleans elite leave town to avoid the fevers that are endemic in the hot season. So he agrees.
As he begins to investigate he finds that there are many similarities with another murder investigation he was involved in Paris nine years previously, and the story alternated between Paris in 1930 and New Orleans in 1839. The first murder must be solved in order to solve the second.
As usual with Hambly's books, this one is well researched and full of atmosphere. A most enjoyable read.
As he begins to investigate he finds that there are many similarities with another murder investigation he was involved in Paris nine years previously, and the story alternated between Paris in 1930 and New Orleans in 1839. The first murder must be solved in order to solve the second.
As usual with Hambly's books, this one is well researched and full of atmosphere. A most enjoyable read.
July 24, 2018
3.5 stars. Of course Benjamin January fought behind the barricades in Paris. Of course he did. (“Can you hear the people sing?”)
The book alternates smoothly between two timelines. In 1839 New Orleans January is married to Rose, who’s heavily pregnant with their second child, and he’s trying to solve a murder mystery which has striking (and awfully coincidental) connections to an incident in his past. He's hindered and threatened, as usual, by the wicked machinations of white men from the American district, "to whom all black men were slaves or potential slaves".
January then takes the reader back to Paris in 1830, before the death of his first wife, when he was smack in the middle of the July Revolution and trying to prove the innocence of a friend’s wife, accused of murder and facing the guillotine.
I was slightly disappointed that my favorite secondary characters (Hannibal, Shaw, Rose) were neglected in favor of the French characters in 1830. Also, while it was nice to see Ayasha in a context other than January’s grief for her death, I though her characterization was a little shallow.
The book alternates smoothly between two timelines. In 1839 New Orleans January is married to Rose, who’s heavily pregnant with their second child, and he’s trying to solve a murder mystery which has striking (and awfully coincidental) connections to an incident in his past. He's hindered and threatened, as usual, by the wicked machinations of white men from the American district, "to whom all black men were slaves or potential slaves".
January then takes the reader back to Paris in 1830, before the death of his first wife, when he was smack in the middle of the July Revolution and trying to prove the innocence of a friend’s wife, accused of murder and facing the guillotine.
I was slightly disappointed that my favorite secondary characters (Hannibal, Shaw, Rose) were neglected in favor of the French characters in 1830. Also, while it was nice to see Ayasha in a context other than January’s grief for her death, I though her characterization was a little shallow.
February 9, 2018
The Benjamin January series continues to fill a sweet spot in my reading rotation, of fascinating setting; world-building and exploration of the Black experience beyond stereotype; and well-plotted mysteries that keep you going. The dual setting of this outing, switching between France and New Orleans, opened new vistas for the world building and for the social exploration, but at the expense of the clarity of the plot. I found it tough going at times in the middle to keep up with where we were, and what was going on. (To be fair, I do a fair bit of my reading while falling asleep, but this genre I expect to be kind to me!).
The plot grapples with class, sexuality and - lightly -racial tensions in Paris. January has a distinct take on this, which is never far from his own experience. That has always been what I like about the series, the firm sense of how one's experiences shape the experience of the world, so it didn't bother me. But it means the world passes in the distance, dwarfed by January's own preoccupations with revolution, justice and the safety of his vulnerable family.
The plot grapples with class, sexuality and - lightly -racial tensions in Paris. January has a distinct take on this, which is never far from his own experience. That has always been what I like about the series, the firm sense of how one's experiences shape the experience of the world, so it didn't bother me. But it means the world passes in the distance, dwarfed by January's own preoccupations with revolution, justice and the safety of his vulnerable family.
February 7, 2020
Worthy edition to the Benjamin January series of historical mysteries. This installment has the protagonist investigating two murders that have a number of suspicious connections - one in January's past (in Paris during the July Revolution in 1830) and one in the "present" (1839 New Orleans). I enjoyed the view into January's past, but found the format (jumping back and forth between the current and past investigations) a little disruptive. This isn't to say that it doesn't work for the story (it does) or that I thought of a better way to handle it (I don't); it's just that I'd start getting into one of the story tracks and the get irritated when it stopped and jumped to the other. 3.5 stars.
December 12, 2017
I wasn't sure is i should start the book because this is the first book that I've read in the Benjamin January series and my first Barbara Hambly book. However, I decided to because i love historical fiction and historical mysteries. Also, I love the fact the book is set in old New Orleans; Benjamin January is offered $100 dollars to find the murderer of a friend of British spymaster Sir John Oldmixton. Its an Englishman whose body has been found floating in the New Basin Canal. At first, Benjamin turns him down immediately. He is a free man of colour a musician and trained doctor. His wife Rose is pregnant and they are planning to open a school to educate “colored girls.” In July of 1839, he does not want to get mixed up into this mess but his mind drifts back 9 years before. The clues to the dead man’s identity link the death to another murder which happened in July 9 years ago in January’s past. He is reluctantly drawn into the investigation. Likewise, he recognizes the weapon used belonging to a woman he knew nine years before in Paris that was wrongly accused of murder. This book has a good cast of characters and and once I started I could not put the book down. Its a good read.
January 5, 2018
The newest Benjamin January novel sees us looking at yet another New Orleans murder with ties to Benjamin's past in Paris -- this time during the July 1830 revolution.
Benjamin is asked to look into the disappearance of an Englishman who has run off with stock certificates and hard currency ... after buying up a great deal of useless, swampy land. When the name in the man's personal effects is that of someone January knew in Paris, we start to see the backstory of an aristocratic family and its gay son whose proclivities they were trying to hide.
As usual, the story is impeccably researched and tightly constructed. I did not see the twist coming (which, as regular readers of my reviews know, is hard to do because I read so many mysteries), and that made it an extra pleasure.
I highly recommend this series to any admirer of historical mysteries. While each tale builds a bit on the one before, they can be read as stand-alones without losing your sense of the story.
Benjamin is asked to look into the disappearance of an Englishman who has run off with stock certificates and hard currency ... after buying up a great deal of useless, swampy land. When the name in the man's personal effects is that of someone January knew in Paris, we start to see the backstory of an aristocratic family and its gay son whose proclivities they were trying to hide.
As usual, the story is impeccably researched and tightly constructed. I did not see the twist coming (which, as regular readers of my reviews know, is hard to do because I read so many mysteries), and that made it an extra pleasure.
I highly recommend this series to any admirer of historical mysteries. While each tale builds a bit on the one before, they can be read as stand-alones without losing your sense of the story.
November 21, 2017
I have not read this series in years so thanks to Netgalley for the ARC which reintroduced us. The thing is, even with that gap, I was quickly able to get into the story and enjoy Hambly's unique characters Benjamin and Rose. He's fascinating and she, well, she's a wonder for her time, This moves back and forth between 1830 Paris and New Orleans in 1839. What was most interesting to me, however, was the portrait of New Orleans in this time frame, complete with the racial issues. The mystery of who killed Sir John's friend is a tool to set off the back story for Benjamin. It's well researched and written and I learned something, not only about New Orleans but also Bourbon France. Try this one, even if you haven't read the others for a very character driven plot rich historical mystery.
October 27, 2018
Fun read
I am always a fan of Hambly’s Benjamin January books, but this one was a real page-turner. I could not solve the mystery myself, but remembered the clues when all was revealed. Believable, enjoyable characters with accurate historical references. I greatly enjoyed my time in historical New Orleans
I am always a fan of Hambly’s Benjamin January books, but this one was a real page-turner. I could not solve the mystery myself, but remembered the clues when all was revealed. Believable, enjoyable characters with accurate historical references. I greatly enjoyed my time in historical New Orleans
October 6, 2024
Reading these books is like stepping back in time. I love the detail, the history, and the characters.
January 3, 2019
The 15th book in the Benjamin January series of historical murder mysteries. In July 1839, New Orleans, the body of an Englishman is found in the canal. The British Consulate asks Ben to investigate, revealing that the dead man is linked to a theft of money and secret papers. Ben, wisely, wants nothing to do with international spies and the trouble therein, but soon after he refuses his sister Olympe convinces him to get involved after all, since an innocent black woman has been accused of the murder and is certain to hang for it if no better suspect is uncovered. As Ben begins to follow the clues, he suspects that he once knew the dead man under another name: back in July 1830 in Paris. There, during the July Revolution, Ben came across another dead body, one which didn't belong on the barricades with the students and workers. It was the boyfriend of Daniel Ben-Gideon, a good friend of Ben's. When Daniel's wife Anne (who is entirely uninterested sexually in her husband, their marriage being purely political, and who in fact quite liked the boyfriend) is imprisoned for the murder, Ben must again find the real killer to save her from the guillotine. The narrative moves back and forth between the two mysteries, that of 1839 and 1830, until they reach their climaxes simultaneously, revealing that the murders are linked in more ways than one, and are tied not just to Ben's past, but to Hannibal's – who was himself in Paris in July 1830 – as well.
It's a book about the unforeseen consequences of past actions, about the past as a foreign country (sometimes literally), and how regret and hope can mix together into a single emotion. You can't step twice into the same river, Ben repeats to himself many times, and that is the fundamental thread of this story. It's a fantastic depiction of loss and memory and gray, rainy mornings, a mood that lingers even when the mystery is solved, and Hambly's writing is as lovely and evocative as always.
It's a Benjamin January book, so obviously I loved it. It's got all the usual Ben January elements: rich historical detail, attention to underrepresented groups (Murder in July, in addition to the usual suspects, has a great deal about homophobia and anti-semitism), and vivid secondary characters. Among those newly introduced, Anne is just incredible, and I'd love to read so much more about her.
However, the frequent switching between the two time periods made it difficult for me to follow the separate plots. On the other hand, I did love the way their themes paralleled by the end, and I'm not sure how anyone could have told this story except by running through them concurrently, but that didn't make keeping straight the many, many minor characters and red herrings less of a slog.
But, you know, it's still a Benjamin January book, and that means I could never recommend it highly enough.
I read this as an ARC via NetGalley.
It's a book about the unforeseen consequences of past actions, about the past as a foreign country (sometimes literally), and how regret and hope can mix together into a single emotion. You can't step twice into the same river, Ben repeats to himself many times, and that is the fundamental thread of this story. It's a fantastic depiction of loss and memory and gray, rainy mornings, a mood that lingers even when the mystery is solved, and Hambly's writing is as lovely and evocative as always.
It's a Benjamin January book, so obviously I loved it. It's got all the usual Ben January elements: rich historical detail, attention to underrepresented groups (Murder in July, in addition to the usual suspects, has a great deal about homophobia and anti-semitism), and vivid secondary characters. Among those newly introduced, Anne is just incredible, and I'd love to read so much more about her.
However, the frequent switching between the two time periods made it difficult for me to follow the separate plots. On the other hand, I did love the way their themes paralleled by the end, and I'm not sure how anyone could have told this story except by running through them concurrently, but that didn't make keeping straight the many, many minor characters and red herrings less of a slog.
But, you know, it's still a Benjamin January book, and that means I could never recommend it highly enough.
I read this as an ARC via NetGalley.
October 10, 2025
This is the 15th book in the Benjamin January series, and it’s been quite a long while since I read the previous books. At that time, I felt I had to give the series a bit of a rest as it is very intense. After reading this 15th book, I am sorry I left it for so long even though the book is still a very intense read. Ms. Hambly does not hesitate to step right into the problems and social concerns that rose from slavery. Benjamin is a freed black man who lives in New Orleans and in this book, he lives there with his wife, Rose and his baby son John. Benjamin is a doctor by trade and practised that profession when he was in France, which ended about seven years before this book begins. In New Orleans he has been sought out to help solve some very tricky mysteries, either by the people in his black community or by his friends, Abishag Shaw and Hannibal Sefton. Abishag is the head of the Orleans Guard, and Sefton is a gambler and drifter who has saved Benjamin’s life many times. In this book, a British diplomat approaches Benjamin to ask him to help him find some missing papers and bonds that have gone missing from the dead body that has been pulled out of the Bayou. Since January is needing some money to help him finish the repairs on his house, he accepts. Much to his dismay it turns out to be much more than just that. There are two separate timelines in this book and I found that difficult to try to keep straight at first. The book goes back to Benjamin‘s time in Paris when his friend’s wife was charged with the murder of a French nobleman and then it flips back to the 1839 timeframe with Benjamin and his family in New Orleans and him trying to find these bonds, and this documentation that the English diplomat has asked him to find at much risk to Benjamin and his family. He continues to search to try to figure out what happened, but as he continues deeper into the mystery he finds clear indications that these crimes that are happening in New Orleans in 1839 reflect back to 1830 crimes when he was in Paris. New Orleans in 1839 is very much a slave state and it is dangerous for free black men to be found wandering in some of the sectors within the city. I love how Ms. Hambly brings this antebellum period back to life, and I love the fact that she doesn’t seem to hold back at all when she illustrates the issues that were of common occurrence at that time between the blacks and the whites. This is a tense thriller, and the pace is kept up throughout. I won’t be waiting so long to read the next book in this series.
August 3, 2020
This is one not one of my favorite Benjamin January novels. As much as I like the series, I found this particular one lacking the usual grab-me substance. There was too much French revolution details which were boring. It seemed to drag on and on about little details that didn't really matter to the plot. Relating the past with the present was interesting and she kept it easy to shift from one time period to the other. She did that quite well. The bones of the story itself was fascinating. Hambly outdid herself with the premise of the tale but the delivery was hard for me to get through. I struggled to finish this novel and that is highly unusual for this series. I normally devour them quickly. It won't stop me from reading more of the series, however, because anyone can miss the mark one time.
March 22, 2018
I’d actually give this 3.75. Evidently, the “in” thing for authors to do is write novels that cover stories from two different time lines. This is the fourth book I’ve read lately that did that. It is getting somewhat annoying. Hambly is wonderful about usually letting the reader know if it’s Paris or New Orleans, but jumping back and forth can be jarring. Not too mention the “everyone switching names” repeatedly!
In New Orleans, An British delegate asks Benjamin to track down a man and retrieve certain documents from him. However, the man has been murdered, and his pockets emptied. Flash back to Paris: a man found murdered during one of the rebellions. Benjamin’s entire family in New Orleans ends up becoming involved. Class conflicts interfere with both cases.
In New Orleans, An British delegate asks Benjamin to track down a man and retrieve certain documents from him. However, the man has been murdered, and his pockets emptied. Flash back to Paris: a man found murdered during one of the rebellions. Benjamin’s entire family in New Orleans ends up becoming involved. Class conflicts interfere with both cases.
May 17, 2019
I love Benjamin more with each book.
Memories of his old life in Paris plague Benjamin as the weather turns in New Orleans. A white man is murdered and, though for once Benjamin is not suspected, another person of color is. A whore, who would have been a placee in an earlier time.
Fortunately, Benjamin’s sister Olympe is insistent that Benjamin finds the real killer, which, of course, he will. Abishag Shaw and Hannibal step in to ably assist, which I loved. I’ve missed Shah and his strange belief in Benjamin.
The tale unfolds in agonizing slowness, but not only resolves the mystery of who killed the American, Brooke’s, but also who killed his old friend in Paris, a death which caused another friend to be condemned to the guillotine.
Memories of his old life in Paris plague Benjamin as the weather turns in New Orleans. A white man is murdered and, though for once Benjamin is not suspected, another person of color is. A whore, who would have been a placee in an earlier time.
Fortunately, Benjamin’s sister Olympe is insistent that Benjamin finds the real killer, which, of course, he will. Abishag Shaw and Hannibal step in to ably assist, which I loved. I’ve missed Shah and his strange belief in Benjamin.
The tale unfolds in agonizing slowness, but not only resolves the mystery of who killed the American, Brooke’s, but also who killed his old friend in Paris, a death which caused another friend to be condemned to the guillotine.
April 25, 2018
This is the first novel of Benjamin January that I have read and I would like to thank the publishers for the advance copy I received. I don't normally read historical fiction set in America, usually sticking to European historical fiction which I know more about. But the writing in this is so good, it hooked me straight away and now I want to read them all. It was definitely a disadvantage not reading any of the previous novels, however, I learned a lot about that period of time, and the way Creole people were treated in Louisiana at that time. I loved the characters, and the novel was fast-paced and engrossing.
November 10, 2019
1839 and New Orleans is recovering from a depression, but Benjamin refuses a suspicious assignment from Sir John Oldmixton, as he and his family are preparing to reopen Rose's school in the fall. But when his sister asks him to help a friend accused of murder, he finds himself reminded of another Murder in July, nine years earlier in Paris, during the 1830 uprising there. As he carries out his current investigation, he can't help harking back to that earlier occasion. Very atmospheric, with wonderful descriptions of life in both New Orleans and Paris. Excellent, believable characterizations. Highly recommended.
August 25, 2020
She tricked me! Hambly totally tricked me in this one.
I often can't quite see what's going on in these, because they are so dense - packed with detail and little pieces of conversation and action. It's like being in a convention hall full of people having individual conversations.
In this case, it was just a nice piece of sleight of hand. The way Hambly works Ben's life in Paris into this one is pretty brilliant. And I like the way too the impact of history on Ben's life - as it impacted real people - is pretty realistically portrayed. Financial crashes are something we can all relate to and fear, while cholera, war, etc are more distant.
I often can't quite see what's going on in these, because they are so dense - packed with detail and little pieces of conversation and action. It's like being in a convention hall full of people having individual conversations.
In this case, it was just a nice piece of sleight of hand. The way Hambly works Ben's life in Paris into this one is pretty brilliant. And I like the way too the impact of history on Ben's life - as it impacted real people - is pretty realistically portrayed. Financial crashes are something we can all relate to and fear, while cholera, war, etc are more distant.
October 3, 2021
This was not my favorite Benjamin January book. I didn't like it that the author kept having January reminisce about a murder that happened when he lived in Paris, France in 1830 and then switch back to a murder he was investigation in 1839 New Orleans. It kept making me think that the author didn't have enough of a plot for each story and just ended up or her editor decided that the two stories should just be combined into one. Toward the end of the story, the real murderer in each case was revealed. But it still seemed to be a lot to go through to get to that resolution.
April 26, 2018
In this addition to the series, we find out more about Ben's life in France with his first wife. There are elements that run parallel and help solve a murder mystery in that past life and his current life. Every addition to this series is fresh and fascinating. And I find it disturbing and yet educational learning what a free black man or woman, suffered in just trying to live a normal life and raise their children.
May 31, 2020
I have been reading the Benjamin January novels for nearly fifteen years, eagerly awaiting each new installment in the series. It has frustrated me that Ms. Hambly’s lyrical writing and the marvelously rich, vibrant world she has created are not more widely appreciated. For a while, Ben’s stories were only available through Amazon UK, and Ms. Hambly was offering the novellas in ebook format on her website. I am so pleased that the Ben January stories are more easily available.
I thoroughly enjoyed Murder in July. I felt as though I were meeting old friends and visiting a favorite city after a long time.
May we look forward to, and enjoy, many more novels in this unique and beautifully crafted series!
I thoroughly enjoyed Murder in July. I felt as though I were meeting old friends and visiting a favorite city after a long time.
May we look forward to, and enjoy, many more novels in this unique and beautifully crafted series!
September 18, 2021
Well-researched historical mystery in the long-running Benjamin January series. This one has two timelines: 1830 Paris during the Three Glorious Days and 1839 New Orleans. I'm always struck, reading these, by just how careful Ben has to be, not just with his own physical safety (he's a free man of colour but risks being kidnapped and sold as a slave if he leaves his neighbourhood) but to play dumb in front of whites he doesn't know so he won't receive a beating for being "uppity".
December 4, 2017
Fifteenth book in this excellent series. it is tonally somewhat different from the other Benjamin January mysteries - it shifts between his current life in New Orleans, and his life before he returned from Paris with his late and much lamented wife, Ayasha. There isn't a lot to the "mystery" itself, but there is some closure for Benjamin, and his character progresses, emotionally.
October 5, 2020
Very, very good.
I’m always impressed and entertained when I read one of Barbara Hambly’s Benjamin January mysteries. It’s bittersweet though because of her detailed descriptions of how black men and women were treated by Americans and as horrifying as that treatment was it’s bitter knowledge that we aren’t doing much better now.
I’m always impressed and entertained when I read one of Barbara Hambly’s Benjamin January mysteries. It’s bittersweet though because of her detailed descriptions of how black men and women were treated by Americans and as horrifying as that treatment was it’s bitter knowledge that we aren’t doing much better now.
December 13, 2017
This series keeps getting better. I love Benjamin January. I think the politics and racial injustice resonate with me because of our current climate. I liked the mystery and the flashbacks to Ben's life in Paris with Ayasha.
December 22, 2017
Thanks Severn House and netgalley for this ARC.
A glimpse of New Orleans after the civil war plus back flashes to Paris before the Revolution make this mystery all the more suspenseful and thrilling.
A glimpse of New Orleans after the civil war plus back flashes to Paris before the Revolution make this mystery all the more suspenseful and thrilling.
December 30, 2021
The backtrack to Paris was a little hard to keep track of, but I love the way Ms. Hambly creates parallel story lines, and how well she ties them together. I truly didn't know all the way up to the end how Anne played into the later plotline, and had to sit and think about how it all culminated.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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