Crimson Angel: A Benjamin January Historical Mystery
In 1838 New Orleans, Benjamin January, a freed slave and Paris-trained surgeon, is having to survive as a musician. However, life takes a turn for Benjamin when his wife Rose’s white half-brother, Jeoff, comes calling with an offer to participate in a treasure hunt. He claims to have discovered clues to his family’s heirlooms hidden at their former estate in Haiti; the family had had to flee the island following the slaves’ bloody uprising. Benjamin is reluctant to accept Jeoff’s proposal. However, when Jeoff is mysteriously murdered and Rose is attacked, Benjamin enlists the help of a white fellow musician friend. To resolve matters, they embark on a trip that takes them to Grand Isle, Cuba, and Haiti.
Although the thirteenth novel of Barbra Hambly’s series, this reads like a standalone, for all the necessary backstory is dexterously interwoven. The story’s historical antebellum period is portrayed vividly. The delicate race relations are dramatized like in a screenplay. Benjamin’s skills, not only as a physician but also as a scholar, are amply demonstrated. For instance, when he is washed ashore in Haiti, he appropriately recites Shakespeare: “What country, friends, is this?” Furthermore, the mystery aspects of the plot will keep readers engrossed up to the end.
