"Wonderful mystery, gripping suspense."

Enter the world of Benjamin January, where history will not only come alive, but reach out and grab you by the throat. In this latest book of the series, Benjamin and his new wife, Rose, find themselves leaving their home in New Orleans and traveling to Mexico. Traveling to help his friend, Hannibal Sefton, who's been accused of murder, the newlyweds find themselves fighting off bandits and prejudice.

The words to describe Hambly's series slip sideways out of my head. Other reviewers have used "haunting," "masterly" and "ravishing." Yet, those descriptions don't seem complex enough. I've found her books so disturbing that I have trouble finishing them, and yet, at the same time, I'm compelled to finish them. The darkness of prejudice is so alive that I find myself embarrassed, horrified and terribly ashamed. Then there's the sadness for what we did to each other through this period of history.

Read Barbara Hambly. Yes, the mystery and suspense will entertain you. But the evocative feelings will force you to enlarge your perspective. Thank you, Ms. Hambly, for assuming your readers have brains and for challenging us to use them.

Reviewed by Morgan Chilson
Courtesy Old Book Barn Gazette
Posted June 20, 2003