Customer Reviews

Wet Grave (Benjamin January, Book 6)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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?

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!

I have been reading this series faithfully. I believe this one, so full of all the regular characters (save one), once more saturated in the New Orleans culture of the early nineteenth century, is the finest effort Ms. Hambly has come up with. I too enjoyed that Lt. Shaw, in all his crude glory, was featured, with a hint that there's more to this man (a tragic love affair?). Like Anne Perry, Barbara Hambly writes about another era with such skill that one can almost believe that he or she is there--smell the fetid swamps, feel the moist heat... The excitement of the final scenes kept me riveted. I wanted to make this book "last," but I could not! I look forward avidly for the next installment.

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.

I have been a big fan of the Benjamin January series, written by Barbara Hambly, ever since the beginning. I've been anxiously awaiting Wet Grave since I had heard Hambly was working on it. At long last, I finally managed to get my hands on it. It was definitely worth the wait. The book had both wonderful atmosphere and a very interesting plot. Definitely one of Hambly's best.

Wet Grave continues Hambly's string of wonderfully atmospheric books. That is actually the main character in these January novels: the atmosphere. Hambly uses vivid descriptions to completely set the scene. You feel like you're in a really hot New Orleans in the middle of a sweltering summer. You can almost feel the heat coming off of the page. I love how she sets the scene even as actions are happening. Ben and Rose may be walking down the street, discussing things and eating Italian ices, but Hambly will spend a paragraph or two describing the people and conditions around them. You don't so much read this book as experience it. If this sort of thing bothers you, then you should probably skip this one.

The pace is leisurely. When a book is badly written, that can be a detriment, as nothing seems to happen. However, when it's as masterfully done as it is here, you don't seem to notice. This isn't to say that there isn't a sense of drive to the narrative, because there is. It's just that the pace allows the reader to absorb everything. The only place that the pace drags is during the climax, when Hambly's penchant for description sometimes takes away from the action, making it drag to a halt periodically. She should have toned it down a bit in the end, but I will gladly take this over a book that has a slam-bang climax but isn't interesting the rest of the time.

The characters are another strength of this novel. Some of the characters who have populated previous novels aren't in this one very much, like Olympe, or Ben's mother. In fact, fans of Hannibal, Ben's longtime musician friend, will be disappointed to find out that he's not in this one at all. However, this provides Hambly the opportunity to really explore Ben's relationship with Rose, as well as the character of Abishag Shaw, the head of the city's police. Rose is a school teacher friend of Ben's who he loves. She has been extremely tentative with Ben because she has an intense fear of men, having been raped a few years ago. Ben has been very patient with her, though, throughout the series. In Wet Grave, things finally begin to change. Rose is a wonderful character, and really brings the book to life. She has a wonderful sense of humour, as well as a dedication that makes her very endearing. The relationship between these two characters is simply wonderful to see, and you find yourself rooting for them.

Abishag Shaw, however, has to be the best character Hambly has created. He's a Kentuckian who has moved down to New Orleans. He's one of the few white people who actually will listen to somebody of colour. He's a man who Ben considers a friend and a man of honour. He's genuinely sorry that he can't help Ben with investigating Hesione's death, as he knows he has to instead investigate the murder of a plantation owner. If he doesn't, he wouldn't have a position any more. He's visibly torn about this, however. When circumstances conspire to bring them together, however, Shaw trusts Ben to watch his back like no other white man would. I think he sees a bit of a kindred spirit, as the French Creoles in New Orleans treat him almost as badly as they treat people of colour. Hambly writes Shaw's character with a very deft touch that makes him very interesting to read about. He really comes into his own in this book, as much of the action at the end concerns him and Ben, showcasing their relationship.

Finally, one of the most interesting things about this series of books is the way it portrays race relations in this time period. Ben is a free man, but he always has to carry his papers with him that declare this. If he's out in the bayous and a plantation owner kidnaps him to work in his fields, there's nothing he could really do about it. The relationships between Creoles and Americans, freed coloureds and slaves and white people, and the various other aspects of New Orleans society are vividly portrayed by Hambly, almost like a history lesson. Ben's sister Dominique is a "kept" woman, a mistress of a plantation owner, as so many other free coloured women (such as Ben's mother) did in order to get by. It's a very fascinating study of a culture. It's very interesting to see who looks down on whom, who is "too black" to fit into a certain social class, that sort of thing.

This book is an intriguing mystery, but it's so much more than that. The characters are fascinating, the atmosphere is wonderful and it's a joy to read. You will lose yourself in this book. It took me just as long to read this book (286 pages) as it did to read Harry Turtledove's last book (500 pages). To me, that shows the depth and richness that Hambly provides. I heartily recommend this book, but to experience the best that this series has to offer, you should almost start at the beginning. There's certainly no need to, as it's perfectly understandable on its own. However, the series is so rich that it deserves to be read in order.

David Roy

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.

Hesione LeGros's murder as a poor, drunken prostitute is far removed from her younger days as the beautiful, fiery mistress of a pirate captain. The city guard is busy with the death of a white plantation owner, so it is left to Benjamin January to investigate during the grueling summer heat in New Orleans. But January's inquiries quickly take a backseat when disaster strikes closer to home. Soon, Benjamin and his sweetheart Rose are caught up in a tangle of conspiracies - gun running, slave revolt and pirate treasure. Forced to flee New Orleans, they work to untangle the many mysteries in the surrounding plantations and swamps.

This is the sixth book in Hambly's series about 1830s New Orleans and Benjamin January, well-educated freeman and seeker of justice. Hambly provides enough of a history recap for readers new to the series. The rich descriptions put you directly on the streets of the tarnished jewel that is New Orleans. Hambly is as effective as ever in her depictions of the many colliding cultures, the contrast of the lives of the haves and the have-nots, and the heartbreaking injustices and indignities suffered because of race.

One of the best things about this series is that the characters and relationships continue to grow and change. Benjamin and his friends and family are all complex characters. The villains however, seem to be almost over-the-top evil. The pacing steams along steadily until the climax, which is riotous barrage of action. Hambly does an excellent job of wrapping all of her plot threads together. I have one minor quibble - so many things were wrapped up, I'd be afraid for the series if I didn't know that the next book was already out.

Yes, it takes awhile to get to the danger, but the scenes of New Orleans and Benjamin January's lives are so rich that I didn't care. As usual, I was taken by the contrast among the lives of Ben and his sisters. Dominique, pregnant and in love with her protector, Henri, has her lifestyle threatened by Henri's marriage to a young lady of icy reputation. The bride sold her own nurse! Can such a she-monster be expected to let Henri spend time with and money on his lovely placee? If you thought Olympe was the strong sister and Minou only a pampered weakling, this book will change your mind.

I loved seeing Ben and Rose's relationship progress. Since this is a Barbara Hambly book, you can't expect them to go through gunfire, fire, and a hurricane with just a few scratches, but it isn't all bad, thank goodness.

Hellfire Hessy's murder made me feel sad that so much of her life was wasted, but the second murder is even worse. Remember the old phrase, "Hanging's too good fer them?" Apply that to the killers.

Better take mental notes because some of the information that you might suspect is just local color isn't. It *will* make sense later. That includes the pirate lore, which was fascinating in its own right.

Abishag Shaw (what kind of parents named their son for one of King David's concubines???) is still sharp and sharp shooting. It's nice to see the Long Arm of the Law actually respect the amateur detective. It's also nice that he's not stupid.

I still have to laugh that the publisher of Ms. Hambly's mysteries is being so cagey about not mentioning her fantasy writing. I have plenty of friends and relatives who read both genres. I suspect we're hardly alone in that.

All too often writers seem to lose interest in a series after the first few books. The characters become settled and the plots are rehashes of what's gone before. Hambly has managed to avoid this trap; the characters are still growing and changing, and I care just as much for them after reading this book as I did after the first one. My sole objection, and I admit it's a petty one, is that my favorite supporting character is out of town - but the increased attention to Lt. Shaw gave me a whole new respect for the character.