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brighteyes1178's review
2.0
I look forward to Benjamin January mysteries and read about one a year - but this one didn't do it for me. I was bored, never did fully understand the tangled mess of relationships and dozens of characters and who was allied with who and who wanted what, and found the mystery itself contrived, and the writing occasionally unnecessarily foreshadowing events that did not need to be foreshadowed so aggressively to make me keep reading.
From the reviews on goodreads, it looks like the next one is set back in New Orleans, so I sincerely hope that one is better. A rare disappointment in this series.
From the reviews on goodreads, it looks like the next one is set back in New Orleans, so I sincerely hope that one is better. A rare disappointment in this series.
bponsford's review
4.0
Enjoyed. Wish I could talk to Mom about it - she had some issues but I didn't see them.
jhadler's review
2.0
The middle was too slow and sometimes seemed populated with characters who later turned out to be superfluous to the plot. I did like the uniqueness of the main characters and the climax was effective--just had to navigate excessive scenery to get there.
slowlauris's review
"...January, breathless with relief at being involved again in one of Hannibal's ridiculous conversations"
jdthunter's review
4.0
An entertaining read in which the hero travels to Mexico to investigate a murder that his friend is accused of committing.
miraclemarg's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
volare's review against another edition
3.0
It was a nice change of pace for Benjamin to go to Mexico. I enjoy the stories set in New Orleans but sometimes tire of all the swampland descriptions. This story was interesting and it had a surprise medical twist together with hobnobbing with General Santa Anna. I think the story would have been better served with fewer descriptions of the Mexican landscape and the muddy streets.
threerings's review against another edition
3.0
This may be my least favorite of the Benjamin January books so far. But then again, I did enjoy it. It's the first book not set in Louisiana. Instead it's set in Mexico. The setting was interesting, especially having Santa Anna as a character in the time right before he went to Texas to fight. The part of the book that really didn't work for me was the mystery. The author does her best to confuse and obscure the truth, but I saw it all coming way, way before the characters had any inkling. So most of the plot was disappointing in its predictability.