Ben January #15(?): Murder in July

[sholio]

So, although I think I knew this at one point, I COMPLETELY forgot the publish date on this book changed from December to October after I pre-ordered it. So this was a lovely surprise to find on my doorstep! Magic books from heaven! (Or from Amazon and UPS, anyway.)

I love this series so much. My problem with the last few books is that they haven't really been delivering the found-family feels that are what I'm reading this series for (murder, shmurder) - every book has had its moments, but the only one since The Shirt on His Back that really did it for me was the Haiti book ... up until this point, because oh, this one delivered. ♥

Everything with Ben's people assembling to help him get Rose and the kids back was just ... oh my heart, my heart. I loved in that entire section how Ben is Really Not Okay and his narration reflects his trying-to-hold-it-togetherness while everyone around him can see just exactly how Not Okay he really is. And just ... everyone working together, Olympe OF ALL PEOPLE telling Shaw he can stay for dinner if he wants to (and this after her kids were kidnapped by white Americans!). Actually, this was one of my favorite Olympe appearances in any of the books; everything with her being a mom and a pillar of community strength was so gorgeous, and then showing her claws with the poison at the end.

And then Rose naming their second son after Hannibal(!!) and Hannibal's reaction to that ...

I have many, many feels about this book. I haven't enjoyed most of the books since the series rebooted with a new publisher quite as much as the early ones, but this one was wonderful. Even though I still don't really care about Ben's Paris backstory -- I mean, I like Ayasha and I like that Hambly writes about the diverse side of Paris in a way that few historical writers do, but I'm still in it for Ben's New Orleans family. Though I did like the wistfulness of his memories of Paris and the continued refrain about not being able to go back to the past; you can only move forward.

Comments

[arianna]

I'm not familiar with Ben January. Is this a series of books?

[sholio]

Yes, it's a series of historical murder mysteries set in 1830s New Orleans. Here's a list of the books in order:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_January_mysteries#Novels

Overall the series is an interesting mix of bleak and hopeful. The second and third book in the series are particularly dark; tonally, it picks up a lot from there and starts to lean more towards swashbuckling adventure and character interaction lightly sprinkled with humor. I mention this because I know some people nope out on those early books, and it really does get more cheerful afterwards, even though a series set during slavery with a mostly-black cast is never exactly going to be a feel-good-o-rama.

I really love them, and recommend them highly if you like historical books and/or murder mysteries. They also have a couple of really sweet romances that build over several books.

[arianna]

Oh, thanks so much for the info. I love historical murder mysteries and I like her writing. I've just ordered book one and look forward to reading through the series. I really appreciate the introduction to this series.

[sholio]

Wonderful! I'm looking forward to hearing what you think! :) I absolutely love these books and I hope you enjoy them too.

[arianna]

I will definitely let you know!

[affreca]

Oh, I hope you like them.

[arianna]

Hey, thanks, affreca. I'm pretty sure I will love them!

[affreca]

Thanks for giving me a heads up, I didn't realize there was a new one in the series. For some reason my library didn't order this one, so hopefully they take my suggestion so I can read their copy.

[lizbee]

I HAD NO IDEA THIS WAS COMING OUT. And since the Kindle edition is US$25, I think I'm going to keep on pretending I don't know until I get paid next week.

[chelseagirl]

I've read a few of these, out of order, because I bought one in New Orleans and later on my book group read the first one. It's one of those things I always think I'll get to when I have "free time," whatever that is.

[brigdh]

Yes, I also enjoyed this book and have been meaning to get around to writing up a review of it. Rose naming the baby after Hannibal was just THE BEST.