The new Benjamin January novel from the best-selling author - RAN AWAY. So began a score of advertisements every week in the New Orleans newspapers, advertising for slaves who’d fled their masters. But the Turk, Hüseyin Pasha, posted no such advertisement when his two lovely concubines disappeared. And when a witness proclaimed he’d seen the “devilish infidel” hurl their dead bodies out of a window, everyone was willing to believe him the murderer. Only Benjamin January, who knows the Turk of old, is willing to seek for the true culprit, endangering his own life in the process . . .
Ran Away (A Benjamin January Mystery)
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
*Starred Review* The prolific Hambly returns to her popular Benjamin January series with a tale that jumps from New Orleans in the late 1830s, with free man of color January—a musician, surgeon, and Underground Railroad conducter—navigating between the French, American, free black, and slave communities, and back to Paris, 10 years earlier, when he was married to Ayasha, his first wife. Connecting the two time frames is January’s friend, Hüseyin Pasah, known as “The Turk,” who is believed to have strangled his two concubines and thrown the bodies out a window. January isn’t buying that. He knows the Turk from their time together in Paris and doesn’t believe he would harm the women. Investigating the case, January treads a thin line, as always, knowing that his freedom and that of his present wife, Rose, and their baby son could so easily be taken away. Who would vouch for January as a free black if he was caught by a white slave trader in the wrong part of town? Hambly seamlessly combines two mysteries here, the one in the Paris backstory, which has January and the Turk searching for one of the concubines, and the one in the present involving the attempt to clear the Turk of the concubines’ deaths. The touching portrait of January’s love for his two very different wives as well as the incredible period detail and rich atmosphere make this stand out among historical mysteries. Suggest it to readers who also enjoy Jason Goodwin’s Investigator Yashim series. --Jessica Moyer
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
The preceding two Benjamin January mysteries delved into the past of January's closest friends and allies, fiddler Hannibal Sefton and city guard lieutenant Abishag Shaw, including the events that shaped their extraordinary personalities and led them to the vibrant and volatile city that is 1830s New Orleans. Now the spotlight turns to Benjamin's first wife, the young Moroccan seamstress Ayasha. Her untimely death propelled Benjamin to return to his childhood home, despite having sworn as a young man never to do so when he fled oppression in New Orleans for the promise of liberty and brotherhood in Paris.
"Ran Away" takes us back to the life Benjamin shared with his first love in Paris before the cholera came. We not only get to know the feisty Ayasha but are introduced to several new characters that play important roles in the adventure leading up to Benjamin's present mission. Benjamin can't believe that the Turk, who once made a great personal sacrifice on Ayasha's behalf, is behind the murder of two of his own concubines. However, it seems the whole of New Orleans is all too convinced of the infidel's rapacious nature and guilt. Benjamin must fight past prejudice and preconceived notions to uncover a plot that stretches all the way back to his younger days in Paris. He also struggles to come to terms with the pain that the loss of Ayasha still causes him, despite his dedication to his wife Rose and new baby John.
Barbara Hambly brings us some intriguing new personalities that conceal surprising depths and secrets, as well as favorites like Shaw, Hannibal, Rose and Dominique in this welcome addition to the Benjamin January series. Reading this book is like an enjoyable evening spent with friends both old and new.
"Ran Away" takes us back to the life Benjamin shared with his first love in Paris before the cholera came. We not only get to know the feisty Ayasha but are introduced to several new characters that play important roles in the adventure leading up to Benjamin's present mission. Benjamin can't believe that the Turk, who once made a great personal sacrifice on Ayasha's behalf, is behind the murder of two of his own concubines. However, it seems the whole of New Orleans is all too convinced of the infidel's rapacious nature and guilt. Benjamin must fight past prejudice and preconceived notions to uncover a plot that stretches all the way back to his younger days in Paris. He also struggles to come to terms with the pain that the loss of Ayasha still causes him, despite his dedication to his wife Rose and new baby John.
Barbara Hambly brings us some intriguing new personalities that conceal surprising depths and secrets, as well as favorites like Shaw, Hannibal, Rose and Dominique in this welcome addition to the Benjamin January series. Reading this book is like an enjoyable evening spent with friends both old and new.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By avidreader
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Since I first encountered Benjamin January and New Orleans in the 1830's I have become extremely fond of the characters created by Barbara Hambly in this series. Although her plots border on the extravagant the real extravagance of the historical period, which she seems to know quite well, supports them - and besides, they're really fun. Ms. Hambly's prose is always delightful and I can overlook her occasional howlers - a lay Catholic is NEVER allowed to absolve someone else's sins - for the pleasure of encountering again some of my favorite eccentrics. My only real regret is that Livia Levesque is unlikely to survive long enough to give us her opinion of Ben Butler, but then, I can hope. First to last, this series is full of humor, information, mental challenges and insight. Prominent in my memory is the concluding section of "The Shirt Off His Back," which works in my mind with "The Color of Lightning" and "Empire of the Summer Moon" to give an idea of how devastating the European diseases were to the Native American plains tribes. Any one of the January books is a great read.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Kevin Chard
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
WOW - one of my wishes has finally been granted, Ms. Hambly has now written of Ben's time in Paris and his first wife Ayasha in her new novel, "Ran Away". And it is a wonderful and beautiful and exciting novel! The tying together of Ben's past in Paris with his present in New Orleans is outstanding. As always Ms. Hambly has written a terrific mystery which includes all the wonderful characters that inhabit Benjamin's world - Rose, Hannibal, Constable Abishag Shaw, Gabriel, Zizi-Marie, Baby John, and introducing Huseyin Pasha, Sitt Jamilla and many others. I have been a continuing fan of this series after reading "A Free Man of Color", the first in Benjamin January's adventures. As I've written in my previous reviews, I continue to be amazed that none of these great books, with their amazing characters and spot-on portrayl of a terrifying time in American history has been made into a movie - they certainly deserve to be!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
A RAINY AFTERNOON READ
Entertaining, well-written, very good characterization.
Plot a little lacking, but keeps the reader going until the end.
Good for a rainy afternoon read.
Plot a little lacking, but keeps the reader going until the end.
Good for a rainy afternoon read.
Published 4 days ago by Carol S Meade
1.0 out of 5 stars
Didn't finish reading it
Not anything I like to read. Ordered in error but tried to read it. Too confusing and too many characters before anything happened.
Published 27 days ago by Dorothy Jensen
2.0 out of 5 stars
Ran Away
In my opinion, this story was hard to read. There are too many ethnic/religious words. I had to read past them in order to understand the story. Read more
Published 1 month ago by dawntigger
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sort of exotic.
I can't speak for historical accuracy, though it SEEMS fairly accurate - this is not a period in time and history that I would be terribly familiar with. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Eva Gorup
5.0 out of 5 stars
I really like this
I enjoyed all of the Barbara Hambly, Benjamin January books. I even put myself on the list to receive
the Good Man Friday as soon as it came out.
the Good Man Friday as soon as it came out.
Published 2 months ago by Doris L. Perry
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not very interesting.
Not very interesting.I normally like historical novels but not this one. I only read 100pages and gave up reading this novel.I'm glad it was free.
Published 3 months ago by pegtron
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Free Man of Color Rides Again!
Barbara Hambly is one of the authors who is an 'automatic buy' for me. Inasmuch as a work of fiction can allow you to go anyplace, be anybody and do anything, her work has taken... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Ms. Susanne Geiger
5.0 out of 5 stars
another winner
barbara hambly has added another benjamin january novel to her series. she continues to delight her fans with her prose. we eagerly await benjamin's next adventure.
Published 9 months ago by David Sommer
4.0 out of 5 stars
Delightful addition to the series
This series stays fresh and interesting. Worth the money and a strong addition to the series. You will not be disappointed.
Published 9 months ago by plum9195
5.0 out of 5 stars
Rich Turks
Ran Away (2011) is the eleventh suspense novel in the Benjamin January series, following The Shirt On His Back. The initial volume in this series is A Free Man of Color. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Bill Jordin
