Murder in the Trembling Lands

Hambly’s sturdy latest historical mystery featuring Black pianist and physician Benjamin January (after The Nubian’s Curse) combines a clever plot with a vivid evocation of mid-19th-century Louisiana. In 1841, January is performing at a masked ball in New Orleans when Bastien Damoreau, who is deep in debt, accuses Edouard-Georges Couvillier, a recent arrival from France, of being a Black man attempting to pass as white. Couvillier responds by challenging Damoreau to a duel, and January accepts a request to be one of the surgeons present at the skirmish, where he witnesses Damoreau shoot and kill Couvillier. However, January’s subsequent examination of Couvillier’s corpse reveals that the bullet that killed him came from behind, leading the doctor to suspect that Damoreau was perhaps hired to insult Couvillier and bait him into a fake duel that could serve as cover for a more personally motivated slaying. Initially reluctant to investigate further, January gets roped into the case anyway. As always, Hambly fully immerses readers in her humid historical setting, and January proves an astute, empathetic sleuth. This long-running series shows no signs of slowing down. Agent: Sarah Yake, Frances Collin Literary. (July)