MURDER IN THE TREMBLING LANDS by Barbara Hambly

This review was published in the August 2025 issue of Historical Novels Review

An insulting accusation at a masked ball during Carnival season in antebellum New Orleans progresses to a lethal duel. Free man of color Benjamin January, who is Paris-educated and an accomplished musician and surgeon, attends the duel and finds the outcome is not as it seems. Independently, January assists the daughter of a deceased plantation owner’s effort to recover property lost during Andrew Jackson’s defense of New Orleans nearly three decades earlier. Events unfurl in a whirlwind fashion that leads January back to the duel.

Plentiful historical background renders a fascinating depiction of New Orleans as a melting pot of races and cultures with intricate social hierarchies. Care is given to portraying period backdrop, such as architecture and agriculture. Flashbacks to January’s service during “Mr. Madison’s” War of 1812 provide insights on conflict politics and battle tactics, as well as on a slave rebellion that had some bearing on the battle. Characters are drawn with impressive depth, especially protagonist January, but also his colleagues and family members. Plot intrigue is sometimes illuminated by the recollection of matrons in January’s extended family that proves more detailed and accurate than government records.

The prose has a pleasing panache in the form of classicist references in dialogue, and other times in narrative scene settings or explanations of character motives. Murder in the Trembling Lands is the 21st installment of the author’s Benjamin January series that features him as an intelligent, multi-layered problem solver. An excellent read for fans of historical mysteries and those seeking a better understanding of the complicated racial dynamics and historical backdrop of antebellum New Orleans, a place like no other.