Cyndi J. (cyndij) reviewed Death and Hard Cider (Benjamin January, Bk 19) on + 1033 more book reviews
19th and latest in the series but a new reader could probably start here and pick up most of the basic background, although I think the relationship between January and Shaw might be puzzling without background. As usual Hambly does an amazing job evoking the period and the setting - the heat, the smells, the constant apprehension just trying to survive as a person of color at that time. I'm never intensely interested in historical politics, but Hambly gives all the info needed about the politicians and the election that is part of the plot. There are a lot of new characters and family relationships to keep track of in this entry. I had to laugh at the scenes where the musicians are betting on when a duel will break out, and I didn't need to be as worried for January as in many of the other books. I guessed the identity of the rifleman pretty early on, although there's more to know. Good solid mystery, very evocative of its place and time, good pacing, excellent characters.
