Murder in the Trembling Lands, Barbara Hambly
Murder in the Trembling Lands, Barbara Hambly
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
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Murder in the Trembling Lands

Author: Barbara Hambly

Series: Benjamin January Historical Mystery

Narrator: Ron Butler

Unabridged: 9 hr 22 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 11/18/2025


Synopsis

Masked balls, duels, and murder: musician, sleuth, and free man of color Benjamin January is caught up in a shocking crime in this gripping nineteenth-century mystery set in New Orleans.

February, 1841. It's Carnival season in New Orleans. Free man of color Benjamin January—a surgeon turned piano player, with a talent for attracting trouble—is playing at an opulent masked ball when, little to his surprise, a quarrel breaks out between two guests, and his services are requested at a duel. Young planter Bastien Damoreau has accused a recent arrival to town of passing himself off as white—an insult not to be borne.

The duel results in the stranger's death. But when January examines the body, he's disturbed to realize that young Damoreau couldn't possibly be the killer, as the dead man was shot from behind . . .

January knows it's murder, but this is white people's business, and calling attention to himself is not a risk he can afford to take. So when Detective Abishag Shaw asks if he'll investigate, he declines—a decision he will later come to regret.

About Barbara Hambly

Barbara Hambly is a New York Times bestselling author of fantasy and science fiction, as well as historical novels set in the nineteenth century. After receiving a master's degree in medieval history, she published The Time of the Dark, the first novel in the Darwath saga, in 1982, establishing herself as an author of serious speculative fiction. Since then she has created several series, including the Windrose Chronicles, Sun-Cross, and Sun Wolf and Starhawk, in addition to writing for the Star Wars and Star Trek universes.

Besides fantasy, Hambly has won acclaim for the James Asher vampire series, which won the Locus Award for best horror novel in 1989, and the Benjamin January mystery series, featuring a brilliant African-American surgeon in antebellum New Orleans. She lives in Los Angeles.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Elizabeth on April 01, 2025

Ben January is adept at walking the fine lines that a free man of color in 1840s New Orleans must, but the Carnival season of 1841 tests him sorely. When he is approached by “not my cousin” (read white half-brother) Michie Janvier to help the surviving daughter of a plantation owner reclaim the prop......more

Goodreads review by Sue on November 28, 2025

I’m from California, so for me, “trembling lands” has an entirely different meaning… Oddly enough, although I am a big fan of historical mysteries, especially those set in unusual times or places, I haven’t previously read any of Barbara Hambly’s Benjamin January series, set in 1830s New Orleans. Rec......more

Goodreads review by Sarah on May 16, 2025

Book Review: Murder in the Trembling Lands by Barbara Hambly A Masterful Blend of History and Mystery Barbara Hambly’s Murder in the Trembling Lands is the latest installment in her acclaimed Benjamin January historical mystery series, delivering another richly atmospheric and meticulously researched......more

Goodreads review by S.J. on July 25, 2025

Firstly, don’t let the fact that this is the twenty-first book in the series put you off. While there is an overarching story of Ben’s life across the series, each book explores a particular murder mystery involving Ben and as such, doesn’t leave you floundering. Ben January is now settled with a wif......more

Goodreads review by ProfeSancho on August 17, 2025

It's always a treat to return to the New Orleans of Barbara Hambly's surgeon/musician/detective Benjamin January, whose adventures I've been reading since his first appearance in 1997's A Free Man of Color. In the 21st entry in this series, set in 1841 with substantial flashbacks to 1816, Hambly pre......more