Death and Hard Cider

April 1, 2022
Hambly continues her series of mysteries about Benjamin January, a free man of color in 1840s New Orleans. Educated as a physician, Benjamin makes a living as a piano player and teacher, and he's in constant danger of being taken by slave traders. The miasmic city is abuzz with the arrival of former Secretary of State Henry Clay, who's campaigning for Whig candidate William Henry Harrison against the Democrat Martin Van Buren. January and a few fellow musicians are playing at big campaign events for both parties. Trouble arrives in the form of Marie-Joyeuse Maginot, a beautiful, heartless flirt who has already occasioned several duels. Unfortunately, Clay's son James is in love with her. So is her cousin Damien Aubin, who already has a wife and mistress. Neither Henry Clay nor Damien's older brother Melchior approves of a romantic connection. When Melchior is called out by the worst shot in the parish, January is asked to provide his medical services but is sidetracked when Damien's mistress, Zandrine, drinks quinine to abort a baby. Zandrine's mother, an old friend of January's, is accused of murder when Marie-Joyeuse is shot dead, and January soon becomes involved in ugly political fights and family discord while attempting to clear her name. One of Hambly's best mysteries combines historical detail, intense local color, and ugly truths about slavery and politics.

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Starred review from April 18, 2022
Set in 1840, Hambly’s superb 19th mystery featuring free Black surgeon and musician Benjamin January (after 2021’s House of the Patriarch) unfolds in New Orleans during the presidential campaign between Whig William Henry Harrison and the Democratic incumbent, Martin Van Buren. January and his small orchestra play for both sides’ cider-fueled rallies, allowing him to witness political and romantic chicanery. Senator Henry Clay is in town to support Harrison, along with his 23-year-old son, James. Though James is already engaged to the daughter of the wealthiest man in Kentucky, he flirts with 16-year-old Marie-Joyeuse Maginot, a prominent Democratic planter’s daughter, who’s already adept at inflaming duels between young fools smitten with her. When Marie-Joyeuse is found shot to death, January and his white policeman friend, Abishag Shaw, investigate. Could the senator, as some believe, have killed the girl to prevent his son from marrying her? Hambly dramatically juxtaposes January’s bitter anger at the injustices inflicted upon enslaved people with the love he feels for his family and friends. This masterly portrayal of smoldering racial tensions deserves a wide readership. Agent: Frances Collin, Frances Collin Literary.

Starred review from May 1, 2022
It's 1840, and William Henry Harrison is making his run for the American presidency. Professional pianist and amateur sleuth Benjamin January has been hired to play at festivities in New Orleans. When a woman is murdered, and Benjamin's friend is accused of the crime, he discovers that the search for the truth will put him up against some of the most powerful people in the country. This is the nineteenth Benjamin January mystery, but it is in every way as fresh as the first in the series, 1997's A Free Man of Color. January is a wonderful character: he was born to enslaved parents but was freed when he was a child, received his medical training in Paris (he's a surgeon), and now makes his living as a musician. He's not a professional sleuth, and in fact we get the impression he'd be perfectly content if he never had to involve himself in another crime, but a good man can't ignore an injustice. As always, the historical backdrop is vivid, and the writing is exquisite. One of the best in a not-to-be-missed series.

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