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Benjamin January #7
Days of the Dead
The New York Times hails Barbara Hambly’s novels featuring Benjamin January as “masterly,” “ravishing,” and “haunting.” The Chicago Tribune crowns them “dazzling…January is a wonderfully rich and complex character.” Now the bestselling author returns with a story that leads January from the dangerously sensual milieu of New Orleans into a world seething with superstition and dark spirits, where one man’s freedom turns on a case of murder and blood vengeance.
Days of the Dead
Mexico City in the autumn of 1835 is a lawless place, teeming with bandits and beggars. But an urgent letter from a desperate friend draws Benjamin January and his new bride Rose from New Orleans to this newly free province. Here they pray they’ll find Hannibal Sefton alive--and not hanging from the end of a rope.Sefton stands accused of murdering the only son of prominent landowner Don Prospero de Castellon. But when Benjamin and Rose arrive at Hacienda Mictlán, they encounter a murky tangle of family relations, and more than one suspect in young Fernando’s murder.
While the evidence against Hannibal is damning, Benjamin is certain that his consumptive, peace-loving fellow musician isn’t capable of murder. Their only allies are the dead boy’s half sister, who happens to be Hannibal’s latest inamorata, and the mentally unstable Castellon himself, who awaits Mexico’s holy Days of the Dead, when he believes his slain son will himself reveal the identity of his killer.The search for the truth will lead Benjamin and Rose down a path that winds from the mazes of the capital’s back streets and barrios to the legendary pyramids of Mictlán and, finally, to a place where spirits walk and the dead cry out for justice. But before they can lay to rest the ghosts of the past, Benjamin and Rose will have to stop a flesh-and-blood murderer who’s determined to escape the day of reckoning and add Benjamin and Rose to the swelling ranks of the dead.
Days of the Dead
Mexico City in the autumn of 1835 is a lawless place, teeming with bandits and beggars. But an urgent letter from a desperate friend draws Benjamin January and his new bride Rose from New Orleans to this newly free province. Here they pray they’ll find Hannibal Sefton alive--and not hanging from the end of a rope.Sefton stands accused of murdering the only son of prominent landowner Don Prospero de Castellon. But when Benjamin and Rose arrive at Hacienda Mictlán, they encounter a murky tangle of family relations, and more than one suspect in young Fernando’s murder.
While the evidence against Hannibal is damning, Benjamin is certain that his consumptive, peace-loving fellow musician isn’t capable of murder. Their only allies are the dead boy’s half sister, who happens to be Hannibal’s latest inamorata, and the mentally unstable Castellon himself, who awaits Mexico’s holy Days of the Dead, when he believes his slain son will himself reveal the identity of his killer.The search for the truth will lead Benjamin and Rose down a path that winds from the mazes of the capital’s back streets and barrios to the legendary pyramids of Mictlán and, finally, to a place where spirits walk and the dead cry out for justice. But before they can lay to rest the ghosts of the past, Benjamin and Rose will have to stop a flesh-and-blood murderer who’s determined to escape the day of reckoning and add Benjamin and Rose to the swelling ranks of the dead.
592 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2003
30 people are currently reading
512 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Hambly
205 books1,587 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 62 reviews
May 9, 2024
The focus of this was the Mexico-Texan wars which was great for context in relation to what was going on in New Orleans at the time. Benjamin and Rose take a road trip to rescue their friend Hannibal from an allegation of murder in Mexico. A whole cast of new characters bumped me out of the story a few times despite the interesting context. They’re on their way home now so the next book will be a breeze!
February 3, 2017
Whenever i finish a Benjamin January tale i feel like i’ve consumed so much more than a finely woven, well articulated mystery - i also have so much fun looking up all the stuff i didn’t know about the time and place.
Have you ever (as i have multiple times) asked yourself, or the world in general - “Why Chihuahuas?” i love dogs - all animals actually, but chihuahuas? They’re yappy, nippy, edgy not particularly furry, demanding, too small for protection or warmth… Now we know why sweet harmless dogs genes were twisted, contorted painfully until they produced: chihuahua. They were created to be bumped off.
(pg 154-5) “They sacrificed dogs, as well you know. Ate them of course, too. Rather than sacrifice a full sized and perfectly edible dog, they bred them specifically for sacrifice, down to the size of rat.”
I also learned about catamites, vinegaroons, and, most importantly, the powerful god Huitzilopochtli, “the left-handed hummingbird, he was the one they had to fear….He needed blood - great quantities of it - if the sun was to rise the next day, and I must say it seems to have worked, because the sun rose on schedule….”
Set in Mexico just prior to the kerfuffle that was Santa Anna’s war with Texas, we view all strata of society; the corruption and greed of the wealthy and the struggle for survival and meaning in the poor, this story weaves lots of cultural contrast - some with eventual understanding, many not so much. Our protagonist himself is a unique combination of contrasts - a very dark skinned “free man of color” - who thinks he might feel safer in Mexico where “slavery” doesn’t exist. But, like the USA circa 200 years later, slavery does exist and perhaps always will; as long as there are such unconscionable, absurd, and shameful standing inequities in power and resources as exist now and did then. Perhaps named something else, but when a few hold all the wealth, the land, the water, the control -the others (the 99%) will always be beholden to their overseers and “mastas”. Not a lot of freedom.
So Benjamin sees. Whether he is in Paris (where he trained as a surgeon), New Orleans where he is from, the Northern US (where he can be kidnapped, have his papers stolen and be resold in the south for huge profits, especially in the years after importing more slaves was outlawed in the USA) or here in Mexico - a Black man is always first and foremost a Black man. Few take the moment to learn that he is a world class surgeon, incredibly well read (see: Shakespeare banter) a concert pianist, speaks at least 5 languages that live and a couple (Latin, ancient Greek) that have died, and a deeply spiritual soul.
I know, i know - but how much tobacco can he cut in a day?
I remember as a child thinking how horrible the world WAS in The Past, in the Olden Days - for anyone not male and white. But it really is not any different now - talk to a farmworker in California’s central valley, or the little adolescent girls being trafficked on Industrial in Oakland, the day laborer in San Francisco who does not get paid but can do nothing about it because he is undocumented. Likewise Benjamin figures out how the death occurred but isn’t able to explain it to the 1835-brained people in charge. Geez, how frustrating..
A thoughtful, sometimes funny, often poignant, always smart book. Highly recommended
Have you ever (as i have multiple times) asked yourself, or the world in general - “Why Chihuahuas?” i love dogs - all animals actually, but chihuahuas? They’re yappy, nippy, edgy not particularly furry, demanding, too small for protection or warmth… Now we know why sweet harmless dogs genes were twisted, contorted painfully until they produced: chihuahua. They were created to be bumped off.
(pg 154-5) “They sacrificed dogs, as well you know. Ate them of course, too. Rather than sacrifice a full sized and perfectly edible dog, they bred them specifically for sacrifice, down to the size of rat.”
I also learned about catamites, vinegaroons, and, most importantly, the powerful god Huitzilopochtli, “the left-handed hummingbird, he was the one they had to fear….He needed blood - great quantities of it - if the sun was to rise the next day, and I must say it seems to have worked, because the sun rose on schedule….”
Set in Mexico just prior to the kerfuffle that was Santa Anna’s war with Texas, we view all strata of society; the corruption and greed of the wealthy and the struggle for survival and meaning in the poor, this story weaves lots of cultural contrast - some with eventual understanding, many not so much. Our protagonist himself is a unique combination of contrasts - a very dark skinned “free man of color” - who thinks he might feel safer in Mexico where “slavery” doesn’t exist. But, like the USA circa 200 years later, slavery does exist and perhaps always will; as long as there are such unconscionable, absurd, and shameful standing inequities in power and resources as exist now and did then. Perhaps named something else, but when a few hold all the wealth, the land, the water, the control -the others (the 99%) will always be beholden to their overseers and “mastas”. Not a lot of freedom.
So Benjamin sees. Whether he is in Paris (where he trained as a surgeon), New Orleans where he is from, the Northern US (where he can be kidnapped, have his papers stolen and be resold in the south for huge profits, especially in the years after importing more slaves was outlawed in the USA) or here in Mexico - a Black man is always first and foremost a Black man. Few take the moment to learn that he is a world class surgeon, incredibly well read (see: Shakespeare banter) a concert pianist, speaks at least 5 languages that live and a couple (Latin, ancient Greek) that have died, and a deeply spiritual soul.
I know, i know - but how much tobacco can he cut in a day?
I remember as a child thinking how horrible the world WAS in The Past, in the Olden Days - for anyone not male and white. But it really is not any different now - talk to a farmworker in California’s central valley, or the little adolescent girls being trafficked on Industrial in Oakland, the day laborer in San Francisco who does not get paid but can do nothing about it because he is undocumented. Likewise Benjamin figures out how the death occurred but isn’t able to explain it to the 1835-brained people in charge. Geez, how frustrating..
A thoughtful, sometimes funny, often poignant, always smart book. Highly recommended
March 18, 2011
2.5 stars. It was nice to spend time with Benjamin, Rose and Hannibal again, and this novel was as well written as all of Hambly's work, but this isn't one of my favorites in this series. After the events of the previous book I was eager to see how their lives in New Orleans would change, but instead this book takes place in Mexico, where Hannibal has been living with his opera singer.
It's 1835, and we get to meet Santa Anna and hear all about the Texas Revolution. Meanwhile Hannibal has been accused of murdering the unpopular son of a delusional wealthy landowner, and Benjamin and Rose are trying to clear his name. The murder mystery itself is a pretty neat puzzle, but there are about a thousand Mexican characters and I never could keep them all straight, so it was hard to become emotionally invested in the story.
Benjamin is disappointed that blacks are not treated much better in Mexico, even though that country has abolished slavery. And while he's not in danger of being captured and sold into slavery, the constant danger of attack from bandits more than cancels out this benefit. He and Rose really should move to Paris immediately, instead of going back to New Orleans, but I suppose there wouldn't be any more novels if they did so.
It's 1835, and we get to meet Santa Anna and hear all about the Texas Revolution. Meanwhile Hannibal has been accused of murdering the unpopular son of a delusional wealthy landowner, and Benjamin and Rose are trying to clear his name. The murder mystery itself is a pretty neat puzzle, but there are about a thousand Mexican characters and I never could keep them all straight, so it was hard to become emotionally invested in the story.
Benjamin is disappointed that blacks are not treated much better in Mexico, even though that country has abolished slavery. And while he's not in danger of being captured and sold into slavery, the constant danger of attack from bandits more than cancels out this benefit. He and Rose really should move to Paris immediately, instead of going back to New Orleans, but I suppose there wouldn't be any more novels if they did so.
July 28, 2020
Normally set in New Orleans in the 1830s, in the seventh book Benjamin January and Rose, his new wife, travel to Mexico City to try to rescue their good friend Hannibal, falsely accused of murder.
Okay, let's start by addressing the honking big elephant(s) in the room. The author of this series is a white woman, writing about an African American man. Does Hambly have the right to tell the story of an oppressed person from another race and culture? There's no easy answer, but, I tend to be on her side. She treats January and other African Americans with respect and dignity, while telling stories about a period of history and people that are underrepresented in fiction.
That being said, her depiction of Mexicans is not the best. The portrayal of their culture is not as elaborate or fascinating as the cultural hodge-podge of New Orleans. Even worse, practically every Mexican character is shown in a terrible light, being self-centered, or lazy, criminal, insane , ignorant or bigoted .
The prose is good, and the main characters are lifelike and likable, but in other ways this book is maybe the most disappointing of the series. There are too many side characters, and they're often hard to tell apart. There's a lot of action that feels forced in and far-fetched. I can't actually remember how many action scenes were in the book, 6 or 7? And only one was pivotal to the plot. In one of them there is a tense stand off with the police, when suddenly they are all attacked by local bandits, January's horse being shot in the chaos. The main characters ride away and hide in a gully a few minutes away and just, sort of, hang out and have a long chat, with no concern that the police or bandits might still be looking for them; and the bullet wound to January's horse is never mentioned again.
This wasn't a dreadful book, but it was the lame duck of the series. In the end we don't learn anything vital about the main characters, and they don't really change. I'd recommend just skipping it and hoping for better things with the sequel.
Okay, let's start by addressing the honking big elephant(s) in the room. The author of this series is a white woman, writing about an African American man. Does Hambly have the right to tell the story of an oppressed person from another race and culture? There's no easy answer, but, I tend to be on her side. She treats January and other African Americans with respect and dignity, while telling stories about a period of history and people that are underrepresented in fiction.
That being said, her depiction of Mexicans is not the best. The portrayal of their culture is not as elaborate or fascinating as the cultural hodge-podge of New Orleans. Even worse, practically every Mexican character is shown in a terrible light, being self-centered, or lazy, criminal, insane , ignorant or bigoted .
The prose is good, and the main characters are lifelike and likable, but in other ways this book is maybe the most disappointing of the series. There are too many side characters, and they're often hard to tell apart. There's a lot of action that feels forced in and far-fetched. I can't actually remember how many action scenes were in the book, 6 or 7? And only one was pivotal to the plot. In one of them there is a tense stand off with the police, when suddenly they are all attacked by local bandits, January's horse being shot in the chaos. The main characters ride away and hide in a gully a few minutes away and just, sort of, hang out and have a long chat, with no concern that the police or bandits might still be looking for them; and the bullet wound to January's horse is never mentioned again.
This wasn't a dreadful book, but it was the lame duck of the series. In the end we don't learn anything vital about the main characters, and they don't really change. I'd recommend just skipping it and hoping for better things with the sequel.
March 27, 2022
Learning that his fellow musician, Hannibal Sefton, is accused of murder in Mexico City where he traveled with an opera singer friend as Benjamin January weds his love is disconcerting to say the least. Saving a little time for themselves, January and his bride, Rose Vitrac, travel south to discover what happened but the big question is how could Hannibal murder anyone? Furthermore, they find Hannibal alive or dead by hanging?
It is 1835 in a Mexico City rife with beggars and the area ruled largely by bandits. And, Hannibal is believed to have poisoned the elder son of a wealthy landowner. Arriving at Hacienda Mictlin where Hannibal is being held prisoner by the family of the dead man, the pair find a strange extended family feuding with one another, police refusing contact with free people of color, and suspect upon suspect. Nevertheless, the evidence seems conclusive that Hannibal, the last person to see the deceased, is the culprit. With the holy Days of the Dead rapidly approaching time is fleeing for anyone to find the murderer. The delusional father believes his son will return during this event to identify his murderer.
Filled with culture and foods of the period, the author adds references of the god, Huitzilopochtli, and numerous religious Aztec beliefs as well as detailed visits to the temples. Furthermore, The father of the deceased is a staunch supporter of Santa Anna who is more interested in conquering Texas and throwing out the Texicans than serving the people of Mexico. Add corruption by the wealthy and a struggle for survival by the poor and one has a fine story. The plot is complicated, the climax thrilling, and the writing poetic and flowing. This is an exciting read that fans of Benjamin January just must not miss.
It is 1835 in a Mexico City rife with beggars and the area ruled largely by bandits. And, Hannibal is believed to have poisoned the elder son of a wealthy landowner. Arriving at Hacienda Mictlin where Hannibal is being held prisoner by the family of the dead man, the pair find a strange extended family feuding with one another, police refusing contact with free people of color, and suspect upon suspect. Nevertheless, the evidence seems conclusive that Hannibal, the last person to see the deceased, is the culprit. With the holy Days of the Dead rapidly approaching time is fleeing for anyone to find the murderer. The delusional father believes his son will return during this event to identify his murderer.
Filled with culture and foods of the period, the author adds references of the god, Huitzilopochtli, and numerous religious Aztec beliefs as well as detailed visits to the temples. Furthermore, The father of the deceased is a staunch supporter of Santa Anna who is more interested in conquering Texas and throwing out the Texicans than serving the people of Mexico. Add corruption by the wealthy and a struggle for survival by the poor and one has a fine story. The plot is complicated, the climax thrilling, and the writing poetic and flowing. This is an exciting read that fans of Benjamin January just must not miss.
August 14, 2022
I decided to try reading this book again after reading Lady of Perdition which featured as character from this book. When I first read this book I didn't finish it because I found the plot too confusing and convoluted for me at that time. I bought this book a short time ago and was waiting for a good time to read it. This was an interesting Benjamin January mystery and I'm glad I tried reading it again. I finished it. January's theory about how the victim died was interesting. What was disappointing was that he didn't really get the opportunity to prove his theory. This made the ending a bit flat, but I think that the way the author had written the story was that there wasn't a logical and believable way that January could've presented his case to anyone in authority given the time period and his race where he would've been taken seriously.
May 2, 2020
At once a historical, a travelogue, a country house (or in this case hacienda) mystery, and as always, a visit with beloved characters. It was lovely to see Benjamin and Rose working together as a married couple, lovely to learn intriguing bits and pieces more about Hannibal's past, and fascinating to spend time amongst the Aztec ruins. It was, however, confusing in places, with the large cast of characters and with sometimes inexplicable behaviors (if Hannibal was there to be with his lover, why did he get stuck at her father's hacienda for so long?), and I found I missed the New Orleans setting very much.
January 20, 2020
I know of the Alamo and General Santa Ana. And if you don't, where have you been all this time? But this book is not about the battle(s) of the Alamo, but instead about the just previous preparations in Mexico. Peripherally, as a backdrop, a place setting. At times it was confusing, trying to keep everyone in their proper place. Family ties were complex back then. Over all, enjoyable and interesting, but not quite 5 stars.
June 29, 2020
I love all of Barbara Hambley's books about Benjamin January. Her pros reminds me of a train; a little slow getting started. Then building up steam and finally racing to a heart-stopping climax.
Benjamin January is a free man of color who is a doctor and a piano player. He makes more money playing the piano than he does curing illness. Each book is based on a real event that happened in New Orleans before the civil war.
This is a great series and each one of the books is a real gem.
Benjamin January is a free man of color who is a doctor and a piano player. He makes more money playing the piano than he does curing illness. Each book is based on a real event that happened in New Orleans before the civil war.
This is a great series and each one of the books is a real gem.
January 4, 2019
This was a historical mystery set in Mexico just before Santa Anna and his army marched north into Texas. Santa Anna, his preparations for the war with Texas, and his relationships with the wealthy landowners in Mexico are the backdrop for the story. Like most of the author's work, this is an entertaining but dark and sinister story. It's a good, solid mystery, the ending is exciting and there is a nice little twist at the end even after the murderer has been revealed.
November 24, 2020
It was a nice change of pace for Benjamin to go to Mexico. I enjoy the stories set in New Orleans but sometimes tire of all the swampland descriptions. This story was interesting and it had a surprise medical twist together with hobnobbing with General Santa Anna. I think the story would have been better served with fewer descriptions of the Mexican landscape and the muddy streets.
April 15, 2021
Another great installment. Not the most mysterious but it was a solid adventure story, and the setting was very interesting. I know very little about Mexico in that time period, so it was all new to me.
November 21, 2022
She's back! Whatever happened with book 6 (and I'm more convinced than ever that Ms. Hambly may have provided notes but she did not write that book), Michie Janvier is back as I remember. I'm very grateful.
January 17, 2024
I feel that Hambly is helping me figure out just how much I don't know about the history of my own country as well as the history of Mexico, which has everything to do with the history of our country & which most Americans (US Americans) know nothing about.
March 29, 2019
Although I've only read a few books in this series, I've always enjoyed Barbara Hambly's "Benjamin January" series. Now I just have to locate the books between and after #1 and #7.
March 8, 2020
My least favorite of the Benjamin January books. Don't know why, but I felt it dragged a little.
August 17, 2020
A good story, but got a bit tedious. Could have been a bit more streamlined.
Read
July 4, 2021"...January, breathless with relief at being involved again in one of Hannibal's ridiculous conversations"
March 7, 2024
Benjamin January & his bride go to Mexico to "rescue" Hannibal.
September 16, 2025
Good to read an entirely Hannibal-focused story after he was MIA in the previous book. I'm trying not to blow through this series too quickly so I can enjoy it, but that's not easy!
October 4, 2016
I'm working my way through the entire Benjamin January series. So far, I've enjoyed them all. This one is a little bit different, though. It takes place in Mexico, instead of in New Orleans, and deals with the politics of General Santa Anna's government and the events leading up to the Texas wars.
January's friend Hannibal Sefton has been living in Mexico with a woman he met ... and writes a letter talking about how circumstances have changed. To make a long story short, he's being held captive by the woman's family after having been accused of murdering the eldest son. He asks January and his new wife, Rose, to come to Mexico to prove his innocence.
This, of course, is easier said than done. There are rival family factions, a head of household who may or may not be insane ... and religious prejudice all over the place. There were a lot of plot twists, including additional murders ... and events that are staged solely to try to frighten the January couple off the track.
The book is well-researched; there are notes at the end about the culture and facts described in the tale. I'm just looking forward to Rose and Benjamin being back in New Orleans.
January's friend Hannibal Sefton has been living in Mexico with a woman he met ... and writes a letter talking about how circumstances have changed. To make a long story short, he's being held captive by the woman's family after having been accused of murdering the eldest son. He asks January and his new wife, Rose, to come to Mexico to prove his innocence.
This, of course, is easier said than done. There are rival family factions, a head of household who may or may not be insane ... and religious prejudice all over the place. There were a lot of plot twists, including additional murders ... and events that are staged solely to try to frighten the January couple off the track.
The book is well-researched; there are notes at the end about the culture and facts described in the tale. I'm just looking forward to Rose and Benjamin being back in New Orleans.
June 25, 2012
And now for something completely different.
Benjamin January leaves all the murder and mayhem of New Orleans to head for Mexico City where his friend Hannibal is accused of poisoning a Mexican aristocrat.
It’s an interesting shift of gears for January – there is still danger, yes, and lots of it, with madmen, politicians, bandits, and ill-tempered French cooks lurking around every corner, but January is in the kind of danger that could attack anyone, like an illness, rather than a specific danger out to get him for the past six books, like slave stealers, debt collectors, and murderers.
It’s definitely a slower change of pace to see January treated more like Miss Marple by the other characters than hounded as he usually is like LeVar Burton in Roots.
It means January isn’t constantly diving out of windows to avoid being captured or killed, but it also allows him and the reader time to enjoy the scenery, and, for all its dangers, the landscape, both terrain and cultural, of 1830’s Mexico City, is beautiful in its descriptions of the colors, the flowers, the mixing of Catholic Saints and Aztec gods, the theaters, the politics, and the heady mix of Old World and new World cuisine.
The food. Oh, the food. Every time a character has a hot chocolate or a chocolate mole I was practically moaning with envy, knowing this was the REAL stuff they were enjoying – none of this namby pamby watered down waxy Hershey stuff – we’re talking actual food of the gods here. Plus tables full of authentic Mexican food, as Mexican as you could possibly get, plus banquet upon banquet served to the stuffy aristos of authentic French cuisine, all of it, from the pans to the sugar to the flour to the cook, imported directly from France.
Sigh.
December 19, 2012
This book, while extremely well written, didn't have the impact of the other books in the series. I felt it dealt well with Hannibal, who is dying of Tuberculosis (consumption) but the other characters didn't feel as well rounded or as accurate as usual.
A desperate letter from Ben’s friend Hannibal leads to a case in Mexico, with Rose pursued by the Don as her beloved Ben works to find the truth behind the murder of the Don’s son and heir. This story touches on homosexuality, addiction, and the poverty that is the result of decades of war. I almost felt I was there in one scene where Ben, poor in New Orleans, and in Mexico a man of means, flings coins in the dirt to get the beggars to move away so he and Rose can return to their lodgings.
The author has a grand sense of time and space, and an ability to bring the reader in. And as always, her research is very well done. She shows the arrogance of the white American, lording it over Africans and Indians (Native Americans), and the similar arrogance of the Mexican, the Spaniard, and the Englishman.
Again, a reminder to keep ourselves aware of history so we don't repeat.
A desperate letter from Ben’s friend Hannibal leads to a case in Mexico, with Rose pursued by the Don as her beloved Ben works to find the truth behind the murder of the Don’s son and heir. This story touches on homosexuality, addiction, and the poverty that is the result of decades of war. I almost felt I was there in one scene where Ben, poor in New Orleans, and in Mexico a man of means, flings coins in the dirt to get the beggars to move away so he and Rose can return to their lodgings.
The author has a grand sense of time and space, and an ability to bring the reader in. And as always, her research is very well done. She shows the arrogance of the white American, lording it over Africans and Indians (Native Americans), and the similar arrogance of the Mexican, the Spaniard, and the Englishman.
Again, a reminder to keep ourselves aware of history so we don't repeat.
September 8, 2011
This is the seventh Benjamin January mystery, and follows the excellent Wet Grave. This entry follows the adventures of free-man-of-color Benjamin January as he and his new wife, Rose, travel to Mexico in an attempt to rescue their old friend Hannibal, who has been accused of murder. In the course of the book, we learn a lot about Mexico of the 1830's and the cultural clashes within. It's a period rich in drama and the author mines it beautifully to provide a dense backdrop to the smaller story she relates.
I will say that the pacing had issues. Sometimes the historical details threatened to overwhelm the plot. In tone, this felt more like Die Upon a Kiss, and as such I would not recommend it as a starting point for this series. Of course, you wouldn't want to begin a series anywhere except at the beginning anyway, right? Right? Readers who are already fans of Ben, Rose, and Hannibal will be happy to see their old friends again and more patient with a sometimes meandering story-line. I'm looking forward to picking up the next in the series soon! (I purchase Kindle editions.)
I will say that the pacing had issues. Sometimes the historical details threatened to overwhelm the plot. In tone, this felt more like Die Upon a Kiss, and as such I would not recommend it as a starting point for this series. Of course, you wouldn't want to begin a series anywhere except at the beginning anyway, right? Right? Readers who are already fans of Ben, Rose, and Hannibal will be happy to see their old friends again and more patient with a sometimes meandering story-line. I'm looking forward to picking up the next in the series soon! (I purchase Kindle editions.)
June 5, 2011
I really enjoy the Benjamin January books by Barbara Hambly and I think Benjamin himself is a well rounded and interesting enought character to support this series. However, Days of the Dead was one of my least favorite of this series. While Hambly writes with her usual attention to historical detail, there are some problems with this book. Ben, his wife Rose, and friend Hannibal seem a little lost out of Louisiana and plopped down in this plot that takes place in Mexico, where many of the characters come and go with such regularity that the reader is constantly trying to remember who they were and how they are related to the other characters. Fiddler, Hannibal Sefton, plays a bigger part in this plot than he has in the others, and I did get tired of him endlessly quoting great works of literature. Hopefully the next book will find everyone back in New Orleans where they belong, and all of the Dons and Donas of Mexico long forgotten.
June 23, 2012
Benjamin and Rose January travel to Mexico to (try to) rescue their friend Hannibal Sefton, who's gotten into a jam. First, he was made an unwilling semi-permanent guest at the hacienda of his paramour's father; then, he's accused of murdering his host's son. The evidence appears damning, but it's also absurd to think that Hannibal would kill anyone.
As always, Hambly richly evokes the historical period and landscape. Mexico in the 1830s was, to put it bluntly, an economic and political mess, and Hambly doesn't mince words about it. In the story, medical issues - and the poor state of medical knowledge in the 1830s - again play a role in the solution of the mystery (e.g., what poison killed the man and how was it administered?). And so do the economic and political problems. Can't say more without giving away to much of the plot, but it's convoluted (so what else is new?) and ranges from Mexico City to the hacienda to nearby Aztec ruins.
As always, Hambly richly evokes the historical period and landscape. Mexico in the 1830s was, to put it bluntly, an economic and political mess, and Hambly doesn't mince words about it. In the story, medical issues - and the poor state of medical knowledge in the 1830s - again play a role in the solution of the mystery (e.g., what poison killed the man and how was it administered?). And so do the economic and political problems. Can't say more without giving away to much of the plot, but it's convoluted (so what else is new?) and ranges from Mexico City to the hacienda to nearby Aztec ruins.
February 6, 2015
I love historical fiction, especially by authors who I trust to take time to do the research. In Days of the Dead, Barbra Hambly takes her hero, Benjamin January, to Mexico. Is the research as thorough as her stories that took place in the deep south? I haven’t read widely enough about Ye Ancient Mexico to know that. However, it is a great read.
Newly rich Benjamin and his wife Rose travel to Mexico to save their friend Hannibal the musician from being hanged for a murder he didn’t do. But in a locked-room mystery, who else could have done it? Hannibal says that if he didn’t know better, he’d suspect himself. Our Host is a madman, known to be mad for decades, who is protecting Hannibal from the law because he’s waiting for his dead son to come back and say who killed him. This does not inspire Hannibal or January with any confidence.
I loved the big reveal at the end, because the tricky method of murder is still with us.
Newly rich Benjamin and his wife Rose travel to Mexico to save their friend Hannibal the musician from being hanged for a murder he didn’t do. But in a locked-room mystery, who else could have done it? Hannibal says that if he didn’t know better, he’d suspect himself. Our Host is a madman, known to be mad for decades, who is protecting Hannibal from the law because he’s waiting for his dead son to come back and say who killed him. This does not inspire Hannibal or January with any confidence.
I loved the big reveal at the end, because the tricky method of murder is still with us.
November 8, 2010
After the last book, I was skeptical this series could go anywhere...but this book was a *very* pleasant surprise. Or, as I texted a friend, "It's set in Mexico and they brought back my favorite character! Squee!!!"
Hannibal is back, and in trouble. Locked room mystery, all evidence points to Hannibal, only Ben can get him out. He brings along Rose, because why not? There's also a mad patrón, excessive religiosity, buckets of family drama, and Santa Anna, presumably because she could. Which made it was almost reminiscent of the Flashman books. (This guy's.)
Anyway, it was fun, historical, and did I mention that Hannibal's back??? Eeee!! She is once again dropping hints about his background; hopefully that will someday be explored. (I just checked and there are two more to look forward to, yay.)
Hannibal is back, and in trouble. Locked room mystery, all evidence points to Hannibal, only Ben can get him out. He brings along Rose, because why not? There's also a mad patrón, excessive religiosity, buckets of family drama, and Santa Anna, presumably because she could. Which made it was almost reminiscent of the Flashman books. (This guy's.)
Anyway, it was fun, historical, and did I mention that Hannibal's back??? Eeee!! She is once again dropping hints about his background; hopefully that will someday be explored. (I just checked and there are two more to look forward to, yay.)
August 7, 2013
I hadn't read any books from this series for some time and was pleased to see it available on ebook from the library. Unlike previous books in this series, this one was set in and around Mexico City, where January and his wife go to help their friend Hannibal Sefton, who has been accused of murder. The mystery of who actually killed the son of a mad Mexican nobleman is involving and has a rather surprising conclusion, but what I especially liked was the historical Mexican background during the 1830s when Santa Anna was about to go to war with Texas. I have visited Mexico quite a few times, but really haven't known much of its history except for its conquest by Spain and something about its ancient inhabitants.
April 7, 2016
An historical novel of suspense, Days of the Dead is rich with detail of life in Mexico City and its outlying haciendas during the tumultuous days of 1835 with Santa Anna as both President and General of its army ready to march on Texas for what will become the Battle of the Alamo. This novel is 6th in a series featuring an intriguing character, Benjamin January. I have already ordered the first in this series so I can fill in the background of this well-written man and most likely will follow through the rest of the series in order. As to the suspense in this particular story, it proceeds at a stately pace. Hambly leads the reader through the fact-finding and intuitive thought processes of January (and his new wife) with the assurance of a seasoned writer.
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