Fever Season

by Barbara Hambly

Book Overview

Benjamin January made his debut in bestselling author Barbara Hambly's A Free Man of Color , a haunting m lange of history and mystery. Now he returns in another novel of greed, madness, and murder... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553575279
• ISBN13: 9780553575279
• Release Date: May 1999
• Publisher: Bantam
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 4.1" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

2nd in series of Benjamin January

Atmospheric and historically rich details abound in this great story, 2nd in the series. Not a book you can put down. I loved it.

A Chilling Account from 1833 New Orleans.

This book is spare as well as chilling. Ms. Hambly borrows from true historical situations to write this story about her "freed coloured" hero, Benjamin January. This book opens during a massive "fever" (Bronze John) outbreak in New Orleans in the summer. Benjamin is working nights at a hospital trying to help people stricken with the sickness. He is a trained doctor, although he is not allowed to practice at any other time because he is "coloured". He is asked to pass a message from a runaway slave to her slave lover in another household and from this seemingly innocuous act, he is embroiled into a maelstrom of of lies, greed, torture and murder. As we read we see life as it was in 1833 New Orleans. We also see how black people had no choice or rights in that city, even if they were "free" and not slaves. It's scary to see what can be overlooked and glossed over for cultural or politically reasons. This is an awesome historical mystery, and much more fast-moving and exciting than the first one was.

vivid depiction of a bygone era

FEVER SEASON hooked me from page one. The layers of culture in New Orleans (circa 1833) are revealed to you through a variety of characters that have learned to live and survive in their respective "castes". These complex and believable characters are really what make this novel such an intriguing and engrossing read. Ben January is an educated man. In fact he is a European trained doctor, but being a free man of color doesn't allow him to actively practice medicine in the race driven society of the 19th century. Fortunately, he is also a skilled musician who is allowed into the homes of New Orleans finest families. It is there, acting as a music teacher, that he hears and notices things that others might not. Because of his mixed race, the elite don't think of him as a real person and consequently things "slip out" in his company. This second book takes place during the summer. A time of sweltering heat when many upper class families leave town and others just shut themselves up in their homes. The lower class don't have this luxury and consequently they often succumb to the cholera that runs rampant during this time of the year. With so many dying daily it isn't surprising that a few extra people missing wouldn't be noticed. When a young girl comes to Ben for help locating her missing lover he is intrigued but hesitant to get involved. She then disappears, but not quite "without a trace". Unfortunately both of the disappearances seem to have occurred near the home of the very wealthy and influential Creole wife of a local Doctor. From the beautiful homes of the cities high society to the squalid hospitals of the terribly poor, this story takes you through every facet of the elaborate New Orleans society. Based on the true story of Delphine Lalaurie this novel is a wonderful mystery filled with historical tidbits that I found fascinating. Barbara Hambly is an extraordinary storyteller.

Fascinating! ! !

When I first saw that Barbara Hambly was moving away from fantasy, I was disappointed. She is one of my favorites. But then I read "A Free Man of Color" and "Fever Season" and was blown away. The characters are rich and the amount of research and work that went into the story must have been massive. She picks you up and puts you right down in 1833 New Orleans. One thing for sure, you don't go to New Orleans without wondering where it all happened.Thank you for a wonderful book.

More please

Barbara Hambly has done it again. Benjamin Janvier returns in a sequel to A Free Man of Color. The images that are invoked are excellent. The streets of New Orleans, the culture, the miscarriage of justice reflect the way it was. My friends who teach French and enjoy mysteries loved the frist one after I pointed it out to them. I am recommending this one as well. Please keep up the good work.

I love Ben Janvier!

When I saw the book on the new fiction shelf I gasped for joy! I could hardly wait to get home, tell my family I was unavailable for the weekend, and curl up for a good read. Ben Janvier and New Orleans of 1833 were back! And I was not disappointed. These characters are so well limned that they seem real. The caste system in New Orleans is terrible, but more terrible still is the assumption by the newly arrived "Americans" that all people of dark skin (or light skin, yet of African heritage) are to be seen only in terms of potential dollar value. One appreciates the only good "Kaintuck," Shaw, although I got a little squimish with all of his tobacco spitting. Still, this book is highly recommended reading for lovers of a good mystery! By the way, after my review of the previous Janvier novel, I got TONS of e-mail telling me that this novel was BEFORE the civil war, not ANTE bellum. Folks -- ante bellum means before the civil war. Anyway, read and enjoy!