The latest in Hambly's Benjamin January series of historical mysteries set in New Orleans between the Louisiana Purchase and the Civil War lives up to the high standard set by its predecessors.
A first rate mystery about a man gone missing and presumed dead in Washington City, as it was then known. Henri Viellard, the protector of January's beautiful half-sister Dominique, according to the French Creole "custom of the country" in New Orleans, hires January to accompany himself and his wife Chloe to Washington City to search for Selwyn Singletary, an eccentric Englishman whom they hold in high regard. Although they have never met, Chloe has been corresponding with Mr. Singletary for many years on subjects mathematical.
Hambly's historical acumen adds fascinating embellishments to the basic plot. Such luminaries as John Quincy Adams and Edgar Allan Poe appear in supporting roles, along with vivid vignettes of Capitol Hill, Rock Creek, Georgetown and other locales, and stark renderings of the seamier side of early America, including slave traders, grave robbing, insame asylums, and bawdy houses. Plus, Hambly incorporates an early version of baseball into her narrative, and makes a complex mathemantical cipher the crucial element in solving the mystery.
Highly recommended for those who like their mysteries challenging, their history accurate, and their characters intriguing.
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