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Fiction.
Suspense.
Thriller.
Historical Fiction.
HTML:Nineteenth-century New Orleans is a blazing hotbed of scorching politics and personal vendettas. And it's into this fire that Benjamin January falls when he is hired to follow Oliver Weems, a bank official who has absconded with $100,000 in gold and securities. But it's more than just a job for January. The missing money is vital to the survival of the school for freed slaves that he and his wife Rose have founded.
Following the suspected embezzlerâ??and the moneyâ??onto the steamboat Silver Moon, January, Rose, and their friend Hannibal Sefton are sworn to secrecy about the crime until they can find the trunks containing the stolen loot. And then the unexpected happens: Weems is found murdered and suddenly the job of finding the pirated stash grows not only more difficultâ??but more deadly. There is no shortage of suspectsâ??from the sinister slave-dealer to the bullying steamship pilot to the suspiciously innocent "lady" with connections to every river pira… (mais)
Barbara Hambly's research into 19th century Louisiana is impressive. In this book, she looks at two surprising false faces of abolitionism. **Spoiler warning** There's a "preacher" who liberates runaway slaves from jail only to sell them for profit (Benjamin, being falsely imprisoned by the machinations of an absconding bank official and not an actual runaway, begs off to return to his "master" Hannibal out of "loyalty" and in his role as benefactor, the preacher has to accept this). There's also a slave trader taking a coffle of slaves north to market, who is actually a real abolitionist whose slaves are rescued runaways, one of whom has a key to their shackles in case of emergency.
On a mission to discover what an absconding bank official has done with the assets of Benjamin's bank, he must pose as Hannibal's slave to give some measure of safety from slave traders. As it is, Hannibal receives countless offers for his purchase. He represents nothing but profit to greedy Americans (Louisiana still considers Americans as foreigners at the date of this story). It's a very exciting trip - if you don't have to actually be there on a steamboat facing all the dangers of navigating on the Mississippi, from shoals and snags to pirates. Young Jefferson Davis makes an appearance and turns out to be a pleasant and honourable man, willing to trust Benjamin January and help his investigation as long as proper respect is shown; for Davis, respect does not include groveling, but can still be grating. This portrayal is firmly based upon Hambly's historical research.
To my chagrin, I mislaid this library book one chapter before the ending and didn't find it until I had already paid the non-refundable replacement cost (I will never understand how the book got into an inaccessible closet, months before we moved All The Stuff from in front of the door to get the cards and Christmas decorations out). But if it had to happen, I'm glad it happened to this book. I'll be happy to own and reread it. ( )
I really like this series. Benjamin January puts most of the money he and his wife found in an earlier book to pay for their house although his mother suggested he invest in slaves. A bank official embezzles the money and Benjamin is asked to investigate by another official. He, Rose and friend Hannibal take a steamship down the river following the bank official hoping to find the money so he and Rose don't lose their house and school. On the ship are a couple of slave traders with slaves for sale. Heling Benjamin is a young Jefferson Davis. The bank official dies and with killers following the steam ship hoping to find the money, time is running out until Benjamin figures it out.
Informação do Conhecimento Comum em inglês.Edite para a localizar na sua lÃngua.
For Yeoman Mel
Primeiras palavras
Informação do Conhecimento Comum em inglês.Edite para a localizar na sua lÃngua.
Six days out of seven, the ten thousand or so people in the city of New Orleans whose bodies were the property of other people were kept pretty busy.
Citações
Informação do Conhecimento Comum em inglês.Edite para a localizar na sua lÃngua.
Even his mother, January reflected wryly, sometimes passed him on the street without acknowledgement if she was with someone she wanted to impress. God forbid she should admit that a man who looked every inch of his enormous height to be a full-blooded African (not to mention being forty-three years old) was her son. He sometimes wondered with amusement what she'd do if she needed a surgeon: call in one of the lighter-skinned libres as all her friends did, or send for her son because he'd work for free.
Like a chameleon set down on plaid, he supposed she'd simply die of vexation.
After the first flood or two brought coffins bobbing down the streets - giving a new meaning to the phrase "Grandma's coming to visit" - tombs began to be built above the ground.
"Will he play?" January recalled Granville's words on the subject, but Hannibal only raised his eyebrows.
"My dear Benjamin, the man spent two hours this afternoon practically hugging himself for taking thirty dollars off me at cribbage." He closed his eyes and settled back on his bunk again. "Even splitting the take with Byrne, I think we both deserve more than what Granville's paying us. And as I said last night, there are specific instructions in the Bible about oxen, muzzles, and corn."
"Dearest," sighed Rose as January returned from seeing Grenville and his mother out the door, "it breaks my heart to have to tell you this, but you're so good to me, you really ought to be warned about it: one of these days I am going to murder your mother."
"Let me know when you're getting ready to do it so I can dig a grave for her under the house." January slumped back into the chair and poured himself the remains of the coffee. "You shouldn't have to do everything around the school."
"And thirty pieces of silver times twenty-five is how much?"
Últimas palavras
Informação do Conhecimento Comum em inglês.Edite para a localizar na sua lÃngua.
He turned, and went back into the dim sanctuary of his home.
Fiction.
Suspense.
Thriller.
Historical Fiction.
HTML:Nineteenth-century New Orleans is a blazing hotbed of scorching politics and personal vendettas. And it's into this fire that Benjamin January falls when he is hired to follow Oliver Weems, a bank official who has absconded with $100,000 in gold and securities. But it's more than just a job for January. The missing money is vital to the survival of the school for freed slaves that he and his wife Rose have founded.
Following the suspected embezzlerâ??and the moneyâ??onto the steamboat Silver Moon, January, Rose, and their friend Hannibal Sefton are sworn to secrecy about the crime until they can find the trunks containing the stolen loot. And then the unexpected happens: Weems is found murdered and suddenly the job of finding the pirated stash grows not only more difficultâ??but more deadly. There is no shortage of suspectsâ??from the sinister slave-dealer to the bullying steamship pilot to the suspiciously innocent "lady" with connections to every river pira
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On a mission to discover what an absconding bank official has done with the assets of Benjamin's bank, he must pose as Hannibal's slave to give some measure of safety from slave traders. As it is, Hannibal receives countless offers for his purchase. He represents nothing but profit to greedy Americans (Louisiana still considers Americans as foreigners at the date of this story). It's a very exciting trip - if you don't have to actually be there on a steamboat facing all the dangers of navigating on the Mississippi, from shoals and snags to pirates. Young Jefferson Davis makes an appearance and turns out to be a pleasant and honourable man, willing to trust Benjamin January and help his investigation as long as proper respect is shown; for Davis, respect does not include groveling, but can still be grating. This portrayal is firmly based upon Hambly's historical research.
To my chagrin, I mislaid this library book one chapter before the ending and didn't find it until I had already paid the non-refundable replacement cost (I will never understand how the book got into an inaccessible closet, months before we moved All The Stuff from in front of the door to get the cards and Christmas decorations out). But if it had to happen, I'm glad it happened to this book. I'll be happy to own and reread it. (