R E K. (bigstone) - , reviewed on 1/20/2019 + 1438 more book reviews

A Free Man of Color is set in New Orleans in 1833. A free black man of mixed race, he obtained his skills as a physician in France. However, after his beloved wife dies, he returns home where his life as a surgeon is over because of his color. He makes his living through music, playing the piano with talent and skill in various sites and teaching the children of those whose status is above his own.

This tale begins during Mardi Gras when a woman is murdered at a ball where Benjamin is playing. Hoping to help a former student, he confronts the woman only to be rebuffed. However, because of his color he is seen by many and becomes the key suspect. To clear his name he searches for those who were at the ball when the murder was committed and works to find the motive. He is beaten, his papers destroyed and told he will be sold as a slave regardless of his free man status. Becoming acqainted with a white detective charged with finding the murderer, Benjamin is told must find solid proof of who the murderer is in order to free his name.

The author's research is extensive as she describes the culture of the times and the deep divisions based on color and parentage. Race, gender and class form insurmountable divisions among members of the city. Even his own mother avoids Benjamin because of how society views those as black as he is.
Many white slave owners have coloured mistresses which he puts in her own home whom he visits frequently. Scenes at the ball show men moving from a ball attended by their mistresses to one nearby attended by their wives and other relatives. The murdered woman is one such mistress but who killed her and why? This is a well drafted mystery with excellent period background.

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