House of the Patriarch is the 18th outing for Dr. Benjamin January in Barbara Hambly's historical series. Released 6th Jan 2021 by Severn House, it's 256 pages and available in hardcover and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats.

I've been with this series from the beginning and can't think of many other series in any genre which have maintained strength and, frankly, still have remarkably insightful things to say after almost twenty books. This series hasn't ever disappointed. The characterizations are astute and the dignity, intelligence, and humor of Dr. January are inspiring and (to me, a middle class white woman who is also a medical professional) humbling. I really like these characters and feel invested in them. His family and relationships with his wife, children, and colleagues/friends shine with compassion and love.

Ms. Hambly is a gifted and prolific author with several series in several genres. All of her books which I've read are well plotted and written and House of the Patriarch is no exception. It seems to be meticulously and accurately researched and the portrayals of the brutality and casual cruelty and racism are stark (and often distressingly echoed in the current day, sadly). The appearance of showman and entrepreneur PT Barnum and a plot that turns as always on deeper (maybe less salubrious) truths of human nature were unexpected but so well wrought. The language is mild (hell, damn, and such). This is a dark and melancholy book, but so well written and the denouement resonated with me for a long while after turning the last page.

I sincerely hope that the author has many more stories for us.

Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

This is the first book by Barabara Hambly that I’ve read, but it won’t be the last. I was impressed by Hambly’s skill as a storyteller in this complex and enthralling mystery of a missing girl.

Eve Russell is missing. Kidnapped, her mother believes. January has his doubts. After all, the Russells aren’t rich, so it’s unlikely that she’s a target for financial reasons. The answer might lie in Eve’s curiosity and spiritual seeking.

During this time period, new religious ideas were springing up everywhere and from unlikely sources, such as people claiming to have visions or communication with the dead. The religious variations intermingle with various lifestyles (such as polygamy) and causes (such as abolition). It’s easy to see that Eve might gravitate toward a self-declared prophet who claims to have answers. But is that what happened?

The stakes are high for the Russell family, who stand to lose their child. But for Benjamin January, there’s more at risk here than one girl’s life.

If the Russells offer a reward for their daughter, slave catchers will search the western New York farms and communes. They might not find Eve Russell, but they would assuredly find (and recapture) runaway slaves near the Canadian border. January feels that he must find Eve before her parents do this. He also can’t tell the Russells not to offer the reward and why. They won’t care, especially given their fears about their daughter’s possible fate. (Sex trafficking is a chief concern.) It’s understandable, complicated, and heart-breaking–and dramatically increases the stakes for January’s search.

The story moves swiftly and seamlessly as January travels from New Orleans to New York. The tension never relaxes in this deftly-plotted mystery.

Benjamin January is a deeply thoughtful, self-aware man. He knows that hatred of white men might blossom in his heart; yet he’s honest enough to know that he might not be aware of this hatred when/if it happens. Hambly deftly captures his complicated emotions towards whites (especially white men), including those he otherwise likes, such as Henri Viellard or his friend Hannibal Sefton.

Even though he’s a free man, he must pretend to be a slave while he travels with the Viellard family. (In playing this role, he also has to act “stupid.” Never mind that he’s a French-trained doctor!) The Viellards are almost family, in a way. Although married to his cousin Chloe, Henri is the “protector” of January’s sister Dominique. At first, the complicated family relationships discombobulated me. But it wasn’t difficult to follow, once I got my bearings.

Barbara Hambly brings the setting to life in sparkling detail. I almost felt the humidity of New Orleans, and along with January, I watched in helpless horror as slave catchers deceive and abduct a freeman. New York state also comes alive, as the wild streets of New York City lead January into danger, but also introduce him to P. T. Barnum and abolitionist David Ruggles. She did a fantastic job researching the time period and settings. Just as importantly, she incorporates that knowledge into this story to adds depth to every aspect of storytelling, from the characters to the settings to the tiniest of descriptive details. Masterful work.

House of the Patriarch works as a standalone. The book does reference previous stories from earlier books, and I don’t know whether these references are spoilers or not. However, they add depth to this story. Besides, if the previous Benjamin January novels are as well-written as this one, then even these slight spoilers won’t diminish the pleasure of reading about his other adventures.

I highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys historical mysteries.

Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own.

Note #2: This review will appear on my blog on January 18, 2021.

This latest “Benjamin January” mystery begins with yet another commission to find a missing daughter. In this case, the lost girl is a young lady from a modestly well-to-do white family, recently introduced into society but given to fanciful questions. The last thing Ben wants is to leave his family and put himself at risk of being nabbed by slave-catchers, or worse. But the fee will mean his family’s security during a long lean season.

That said, House of the Patriarch stands apart in its depiction of the social experiments that flourished at the time. Spiritualism (séances, communicating with the dead), communal living, charismatic leaders, all abounded. The Mormon church and others trace their beginnings to this time. The “House” to which Ben ventures is the resident of one such leader. Since the leader has also a reputation for helping escaped slaves on their route to Canada, Ben disguises himself as such and quickly infiltrates the hidden areas of the house. Needless to say, plot twists and dark secrets abound.

Hambly marries her knowledge of history and social customs to a pitch-perfect story of human fears and longing. Highly recommended.

I'm always excited to see a new title in the Benjamin January series. I think the author does an excellent job of drawing attention to some aspects of history that may be overlooked, at a time of rapid social change. I do hope that after two titles in a row where Ben was sent far from home that the next installment will take place back in New Orleans.

Benjamin January in 184o accepts an appeal from a white family to find their daughter in upstate New York; he travels from New Orleans to New York and finds her with a small pentacostal cult whose leader is murdered. Ben is arrested for the murder and has to prove his innocence, save the young girl and avoid slave catchers who might like to grab him to sell into slavery. His medical qualifications and friendship with PT Barnum prove helpful. Interesting historical mystery with look into small religious sects of the time.

Another meticulously researched and vivid historical fiction / mystery in Barbara Hambly’s Benjamin January series. January is a free man of color in New Orleans, 1840. He is also a musician and a surgeon (certified in Paris). He wants to save everybody and is painfully aware of how few he can actually help.

In this episode, he heads to New York City to help find a young (white) woman who disappeared without a trace. In order to find her, he must slip into the Children of the Light — a religious community in upstate New York run by the charismatic abolitionist Reverend Broadaxe.

Bursting with historical detail, Hambly brings to life the social and political climate of the day — the various religious communities, the occult (and associated scams), the “blackbirders” who catch escaped slaves (or anyone they can) in the North for return to the South, the presence and use of opiates, etc. Real-life characters PT Barnum and David Ruggles play an integral and plausible role in the proceedings.

Plenty of action for those who enjoy action — personally I was far more interested in the history which was detailed and full of dialog, characters, and the rich inner world of January’s thoughts. The portrait of the time and place is full of comprehensive perceptions from a variety of perspectives — the sights, sounds, smells, and the ever present tumult of conflicting ideas.

No need to read previous books — I’ve probably read four out of the seventeen and had no problem understanding the context.

I'm a big fan of Barbra Hambly and of this series. This book was an excellent addition to this series, gripping and entertaining.
I can't wait to read the next instalment, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I'm a big fan of Barbara Hambly's books featuring Benjamin January. Fans of this series will welcome another book to the series. To get the most out of the characters and setting, would recommend starting much earlier in the series!

A historical Benjamin January mystery set in a complicated milieu incorporating the proliferation of religious communities in 1800's upstate New York, spiritualism, and the precarious life of a free black man in a country that still allowed slavery. A series book, but can be read as a stand alone, that starts in New Orleans with a disenchanted black investigator who must travel the dangerous path north to the border with Canada in order to look for a missing white girl. More of a thriller with gothic overtones than mystery, as Benjamin January faces danger at every turn and there are seances, locked rooms, drugs and more.

Benjamin January, a free man of color and physician in 1940 New Orleans spends more time, it seems on the road finding missing persons than he does with his wonderful wife Rose. He's also a musician, by the way. He's asked to find out what happened to 17 year old Eve, who was kidnapped off a steam boat. Who took her and why? The answers lie in New York, which opens up a while new atmospheric setting for this wonderful series. Don't worry if you haven't read the earlier ones- Hambly gives you the perfect amount of background. Much of the novel is set in the miasma which was 1840 New York, complete with corruption, gangs, and other things. Ben is a terrific character- he's smart, wily, and tough. And soft hearted about all the right things. No spoilers from me. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This was an excellent read - perfect for fans of historical fiction.

"Free man of color" Benjamin January travels north (dodging slave catchers) to find a girl who vanished and may have joined a utopian spiritualist community that helps slaves escape to Canada while a medium helps believers reconnect with deceased loved ones. But is the medium a fake? And does the fact that members of the community must sign over their property to join suggest there's something less than utopian going on?

I haven't read any books in this series for a long time, so at first some of the relationships were a bit confusing. But it didn't take long to sort out what was going on, and as January moves from New Orleans to a bustling and dangerous New York, to upstate New York - the "burned over district" where new religious movements have swept through the area. The historical details are fascinating and the story provides an interesting exploration of the second Great Awakening and some fun characters, including a wily P.T. Barnum, who knows hokum when he sees it, just as he sees opportunities to charge admission for just about anything. There is lots of suspense, both in the work January must do to find the missing girl and in the constant threat that he will be caught by enterprising slave catchers and sold into slavery - which provides us with an opportunity to reflect on the roots of our present moment in US history.

I could have done with fewer italics and all caps as January's thoughts are brought into the narrative but that was a minor irritant. Altogether an engaging plot, great historical scene-setting, and a fine cast of characters.

*3.5 stars *

New Orleans 1840, and former slave, 47 year old Benjamin January, described as a man of colour, is now a ‘free man’, though make no mistake, a ‘free man’ was still considered inferior. He’s intelligent, - a physician and musician, who also teaches piano to the daughters of the wealthy, and as if that isn’t enough to keep him busy, he’s also a detective, specialising in finding missing persons. His wife Rose runs a school for girls, teaching subjects such as science, history, and mathematics, way beyond what young girls were customarily taught at that time.

Benjamin’s latest case takes him to New York in search of missing teenager Eve Russell. He’s not too happy about leaving his wife and young sons again, having only recently returned from a very dangerous assignment, but, when asked, he feels obliged to help some old friends. The case will also bring him into contact with the spiritual world, where a woman who claims to communicate with the dead, gives him quite a scare!

The author has really done her homework, descriptions of the wharves of New York, circa 1840, the surrounding streets and the eclectic seething masses is wonderful - the river pirates, the slave stealers, the confidence tricksters, the whores, the sights, sounds and smells. It’s a cruel place, overcrowded, filthy and distressingly noisy, but the author paints such a vivid picture that you almost feel a part of the scene.

This was an interesting plot that was extremely well written, and very well researched. I particularly enjoyed the chapters relating to Ben’s attempted kidnapping, and his determination to avoid capture, turning him into a wanted fugitive, with the baying masses after his hide. It created much fear and tension that made for an exciting read. I loved Benjamin January, however, I do wish I’d read at least some of the previous books in the series, as it would have given me a better ‘feel’ for this one. That said, I’d be happy to read the next in the series, as it appears to be a really worthwhile one.

I arrived late to Barbara Hambly's Benjamin January historical mystery series. I've only read volumes 17 and 18. Seventeen (Lady of Perdition) was good, but was set up as a Western, which just isn't my genre of choice, so while I enjoyed it, I wasn't sure if I was sold on the series. Volume 18 (House of the Patriarch) has answered that question. I'm going back to read the series from the beginning.

Benjamin January is a free man of color living in pre-Civil War New Orleans. Trained as a surgeon, but also a fine musician, he makes his living giving music lessons, since it is impossible for him to work as a surgeon as a black man. When he does offer medical advice, he has to couch it in phrases like "I was once the valet for a surgeon, and he...." He gets angry a lot. There's no way to take the treatment he faces with equanimity. His wife, a scientist, runs their home as a boarding school for young women of not-quite-top-tier young women whose families are willing to give them an education beyond dancing and embroidery and provides special effects for a local theatre.

The plots are good. But what I most appreciate—if that's the world—is spending time in January's shoes. As a free black man, his freedoms are very limited. He cannot testify in court. If he attacks a white man, that's a hanging offense, regardless of what preceded the attack. And any time he travels away from home, he must be continuously on the lookout for "blackbirders." Toughs who make their money seizing blacks from the street—free or not—and selling them into (or back into) slavery. With many clients, he also has to do a lot of work to meet the social norms of the time. Even with clients who privately treat him as an equal, he has to pass as a slave in public. As I said, he gets angry.

I recommend this series for anyone who reads historical mysteries. It will pull you into a time and a role that can change the way you see the world. Particularly now, when we are living in the era of Black Lives Matter, we need to see what life is like when one is marked and treated as inferior on a daily basis.

I received a free electronic review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions are my own.

Well written story. Kept me engaged the entire time. A page turner for sure! Looking forward to reading more books by this author!