Wet Grave (Benjamin January) [Kindle Edition]

Barbara Hambly (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

After an excruciatingly slow start, Hambly's sixth novel featuring Benjamin January (after 2001's Die Upon a Kiss) builds to hurricane force as the former slave and Creole surgeon looks into the murder of a drunken whore whom no one seems to care about. Despite his education and musical and medical accomplishments, January is only a short, catastrophic step up from bottom in the oddly stratified society of 1830s New Orleans. January proceeds as carefully with his investigation as he does with his wooing of Rose Vitrac, whose traumatic past he only partially knows and understands. Only when another murder strikes much closer to January's home and heart does the pace quicken. To a desire for vengeance is added a thirst for justice. Still cautious, but steeled by anger, January goes on a search that will lead beyond the fetid city into the surrounding bayous, swamps and islands. When the author hits her stride, the tension ratchets up to an almost unbearable level until the violence of man and the violence of nature are both unleashed. Hambly is terrifically effective in her portrayal of the squalid lives of the poor and enslaved and the contrasting opulence of the wealthy. The beautiful New Orleans of the future can only be glimpsed in the scrofulous, swampy, sewer-like summer heat that pervades everything. Hambly's strong and unusual series tracking a largely unexplored period of American history should continue to please fans and attract new readers.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

New Orleans: July 1835. An elderly black woman, a free citizen, is found murdered. Is her death somehow connected to the notorious Jean Lafite and the gold he's said to have secreted away? Or could she have been killed so that two of New Orleans' wealthiest families could finalize their union? And can Benjamin January, the professional musician and amateur sleuth, find out whodunit before the killer strikes again? This is the sixth January novel, and like the previous installments, it's a splendid historical mystery. Hambly appears to know the period inside out; her depiction of New Orleans' contradictions--beauty and squalor side by side--is almost visceral in its detail. As with any good historical mystery, we are at least as captivated by the characters, dialogue, and environment as we are with the mystery itself. Benjamin January, a free black man in a society that regards black men as second class, is an original, exciting character. Series fans will be thrilled with his new adventure and will eagerly anticipate the next. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 498 KB
• Publisher: Bantam (April 29, 2003)
• Sold by: Random House Digital, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B000FBFNEC
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #222,886 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars brilliant, as usual, July 9, 2002

By 

tregatt (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wet Grave (Benjamin January, Book 6) (Hardcover)

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.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars She's done it again!, July 11, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Wet Grave (Benjamin January, Book 6) (Hardcover)

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?

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Each one is better, July 10, 2002

By 

Margaret Dybala "too many books, too little time" (Pearland, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wet Grave (Benjamin January, Book 6) (Hardcover)

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!