Rating: 
Summary: She's done it again!
Review: I haven't been reading much since 9/11, I was right across the street, but when I saw the new Ben January book was out, I knew I'd be reading again.
And it was like finding an oasis after being lost in the desert. We're back with Ben, Rose, Abishag Shaw, and the city of New Orleans in the 1830's, with all the caste, class and racial striations on full view. It still amazes me how Ms Hambly gets inside of her characters, black and white, and everything in betweeen, presenting her reader with people you feel like you know. Chloe St Chinian was the most surprising character for me, after Rose Vitrac's metamorphosis of course. I missed Hannibal, and I like Shaw so much, filth and all. I just see Johnny Depp playing him, don't know why.And Dominique has become one of my faves, after Olympe and Ben of course. I even like Livia, their repressed and vicious mother. Contrast her with Hesione, and you see a "there but for the grace of God" situation.
I enjoyed it immensely, even the somewhat contrived happy ending for all concerned.
When is book seven coming out?
Rating:
Summary: Okay, I've changed my mind....
Review: I just re-read this book, having read it for the first time last summer, and wasn't as thrilled with it then as I am now. I've changed my mind. It is truly fabulous. I still missed Hannibal, and wondered where Artois came from, but the book flows along so seamlessly, those were just minor questions in the back of my head. Hambly's world-building is wonderful, the atmosphere of place and time richly drawn, and her characters grow and change, but still remain true to themselves, right down to Livia not offering January any sugar with his tea. The book starts off fairly slowly and builds to an impressive climax, much like the hurricane described in the book. I especially enjoyed getting a closer look at Chloe St. Chinian, who marries Dominique's protector, Henri, and see if she truly was the "chill, pale girl" described in "Died Upon a Kiss," but the whole book was wonderful.Several plot lines are tied up in this book. I only hope that doesn't mean that there won't be any more Benjamin January books, but was hearted to read on the book jacket that Ms. Hambly is working on the next one. It can't get here soon enough for me.
Rating:
Summary: All This and Pirates. Too.
Review: I loved this book and literally could not put it down. The start is a bit confusing, but the mastery with which Hambly constructed her final batttle between good and evil - with some alligators thrown in- made up for it. I miss Hannibal, too, but it's pleasant to think of him down in Mexico being bounced about by a lush Spanish diva. Everyone turns up trumps, from the brilliant Abishag Shaw to Henri Viellard, who finally lives up to Dominique's mysteriously high opinion of him. Hambly's writing style continues to be both elegant and affecting in this beignet-and-chicory-coffee treat of a book.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best historical mystery novelists around.
Review: This entry in the Benjamein January series is another winner. It does start out a little slow, but Barbara needs time to set the scene for her books. She immerses her readers so completely in her era and genre, that it's sometimes hard to surface to the modern world once beginning her books. Even though the book starts a bit slow, it builds to explosive force about half-way through and doesn't let up right until the end. Ms. Hambly's writing is absolutely dazzling, and Benjamin and his Rose are so real, that it's hard to believe that it's only fiction. The book takes place in the summer of 1835 and the main part of the action is set in some of the islands located around New Orleans. In it Ben and Rose are trying to stop a slave revolt. As they both know, everyone loses if slaves revolt. In the book we see gun runners, pirates, a hurricane and some old diseases that no longer are such a threat to humanity. This is a magically rich and poignant tale, and one of the strongest entries in this already strong series. Each book seems better than the one preceeding.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best historical mystery novelists around.
Review: This entry in the Benjamein January series is another winner. It does start out a little slow, but Barbara needs time to set the scene for her books. She immerses her readers so completely in her era and genre, that it's sometimes hard to surface to the modern world once beginning her books. Even though the book starts a bit slow, it builds to explosive force about half-way through and doesn't let up right until the end. Ms. Hambly's writing is absolutely dazzling, and Benjamin and his Rose are so real, that it's hard to believe that it's only fiction. The book takes place in the summer of 1835 and the main part of the action is set in some of the islands located around New Orleans. In it Ben and Rose are trying to stop a slave revolt. As they both know, everyone loses if slaves revolt. In the book we see gun runners, pirates, a hurricane and some old diseases that no longer are such a threat to humanity. This is a magically rich and poignant tale, and one of the strongest entries in this already strong series. Each book seems better than the one preceeding.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice Addition
Review: This is a pleasant addition to one of my favorite series. After so many disappointments lately finding consistent quality in books by some of my favorite authors it is refreshing to feel I "got my money's worth" from a book. Cannot wait for the next installment
Rating:
Summary: Nice Addition
Review: This is a pleasant addition to one of my favorite series. After so many disappointments lately finding consistent quality in books by some of my favorite authors it is refreshing to feel I "got my money's worth" from a book. Cannot wait for the next installment
Rating:
Summary: Wet Grave
Review: This is the continued saga of Benjamin January. I was worried when Dragonstar disappointed me. I needn't have. This is an excellent work of historical fiction, which outshines the book immediately before it in the series and is as good as the series' best. Far from being "excruciatingly slow", the opening of the book is fascinating. It shows us the character of a murdered woman, before time and an unforgiving society take their toll. It also sets up plot elements that will be important later, and gives us a glimpse into a world of privateers, adventurers, and pirates pure and simple. From there, Wet Grave rockets on a twisting, turning path. January tries to find out who murdered a woman who was once the mistress of pirates. Meanwhile, a more high-profile murder on a plantation is more demanding of the police's time. Through alligators, gun-running, hurricanes, more murders and various thugs, the madcap plot speeds on to one of the best climaxes I've read. But despite the speed and the melodramatic elements, the book never loses touch with human emotions. At times it is both powerful and moving. Characterization is excellent. I can't end the review without mentioning that one of my favorite characters in all of historical fiction, Lieutenant Shaw, gets a huge role here, and his vivid combination of the uncouth and the heroic comes across perfectly. (If I had psychic powers, I'd make the author write a book just about him.) January and Rose develop too, continuing to be believable, human characters. If I have a criticism, it's that the final conclusion is epilogue-style, going into a distanced ominiscient viewpoint. I didn't mind that, but I suspect some readers may. This is excellent historical fiction: wonderfully researched, gripping, moving, and relevant without being preachy. Highly recommended.
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Summary: Each one is better
Review: When I read the first book in her Benjamin January series, I thought the great descriptions and information about New Orleans in the 1830s made up for what I considered plot defects. Well, the descriptions are still great, and I see no plot defects now!! Each book has just gotten better. Usually, a series gets a little tired after this many books, but not so with these. I am not going to go into an analysis of the plot, which can be gotten better elsewhere. I would simply recommend this book. My biggest fear is that now that several romantic threads are tied up, Hambly may end the series. Please, no!! And while I love Benjamin, I wouldn't mind learning more about Hannibal Sefton, Abishag Shaw, or even to see a mystery from Benjamin's voodoo queen sister's point of view. That might be a lot of fun, too!! At any rate, if you want a fun read, check out this series! But start with the first book and read them all!
Rating:
Summary: brilliant, as usual
Review: When it comes to historical mysteries, I'm pretty much an Anglophile. However, Barbara Hambly's Benjamin January series is definitely one of my favourites. Every single book in the seires has been like a poem -- haunting, lyrical, and beautifully written -- and "Wet Grave" is no exception to this rule. The opens with the discovery of a brutal murder. Hellfire Hessy, a raddled drunk who lived in a rather lawless shanty on the fringes of New Orleans, is found slashed to death. Because the police are a no show (there is a more socially prominent case that they've been called in on), Benjamin's sister, Olympe, calls upon Benjamin to do something about Hessy's murder. Benjamin recognises the dead woman as being Hesione LeGros, once the mistress of one of Jean Lafitte's corsair captains. And even as Benjamin is marveling at Hesione's fall from grace -- to go from being a courtesan of some renown to a drunken hag in a matter of a few decades -- he notices that there are indications that Hesione's murder, far from being some sort of random act of violence was actually a premeditated one. For Hesione's murderer, had not only waited for her to return to her shack, but (s)he had also carried out a methodical search of the room and of all of Hesione's belongings. Who would have wanted to kill Hesione? Why was she killed now, when she has become one of the flotsam's of life? And what was the murderer looking for? Saddened and angered (because the police are doing nothing) by Hesione's murder, Benjamin decides to do some digging of his own, little expecting the strange twists that this investigation will take, and how it will impact on his life... I know some reviewer somewhere decided that this novel started too slowly for his/her taste. I can only speculate that this reviewer has not read other Benjamin January mystery novels. And anyway, quite to the contray, "Wet Grave" did not start out slowly at all. Barbara Hambly always takes great care to create just the right tone and ambiance for her Benjamin January books. Some may decide that this care takes up too much time, preferring that the authour got to the nitty-gritty of mystery with little fanfare. All I can say is that I'm personally glad that Barbara Hambly cares about 'setting the stage' right. Because the care she takes always pays off in spades, and we benefit by getting a book that is fairly reeking with rich detail and atmosphere. I also like that all the books in this series ("Wet Grave") included unfolds in a lyrical and smooth manner, and that she always peppers her novels with (usually) little discussed historical bits about what life was like for the free men and women colour, esp the placees. This entire series makes for avid reading, and "Wet Grave" is as brilliant and absorbing a read as the other books in the series.
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