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brighteyes1178's review against another edition
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 against another edition
4.0
Enjoyed. Wish I could talk to Mom about it - she had some issues but I didn't see them.
jhadler's review against another edition
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 against another edition
"...January, breathless with relief at being involved again in one of Hannibal's ridiculous conversations"
jdthunter's review against another edition
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
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
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
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.
alesia_charles's review
5.0
Benjamin and Rose January travel to Mexico to (try to) rescue their friend Hannibal Sefton, who's gotten into a jam. First, he was made an unwilling semi-permanent guest at the hacienda of his paramour's father; then, he's accused of murdering his host's son. The evidence appears damning, but it's also absurd to think that Hannibal would kill anyone.
As always, Hambly richly evokes the historical period and landscape. Mexico in the 1830s was, to put it bluntly, an economic and political mess, and Hambly doesn't mince words about it. In the story, medical issues - and the poor state of medical knowledge in the 1830s - again play a role in the solution of the mystery (e.g., what poison killed the man and how was it administered?). And so do the economic and political problems. Can't say more without giving away to much of the plot, but it's convoluted (so what else is new?) and ranges from Mexico City to the hacienda to nearby Aztec ruins.
As always, Hambly richly evokes the historical period and landscape. Mexico in the 1830s was, to put it bluntly, an economic and political mess, and Hambly doesn't mince words about it. In the story, medical issues - and the poor state of medical knowledge in the 1830s - again play a role in the solution of the mystery (e.g., what poison killed the man and how was it administered?). And so do the economic and political problems. Can't say more without giving away to much of the plot, but it's convoluted (so what else is new?) and ranges from Mexico City to the hacienda to nearby Aztec ruins.