Within the first chapter of the book, the reader once again regrets the lack of a genealogical chart. Old White Guy (aka Uncle Veryl) at the age of 67 is getting married for the first time and it’s a small family affair held at a remote plantation (yes, we probably need a map too, and aren’t getting one). In traditional Louisiana Creole fashion, “family” includes both the white, legitimate, members and the “free colored” members involved in or born of irregular but stable and socially recognized relationships. It’s clear why Dominique Janvier is in attendance; her husband is related to the family; but apparently there’s also a Janvier connexion so Benjamin’s and her mother is there, and even Rose is invited on her own account. I just cannot follow here. But the most startling thing is that Rose accepts the invitation and leaves her two month old baby in New Orleans, at serious risk of dying from “summer complaint” — diarrhea, the major cause of death amongst infants not feeding at the breast in that era. Perhaps a wet nurse was hired but not mentioned? Rose would still be painfully engorged, profusely leaking, and probably running a fever from mastitis within a day or two. Ignoring all this and moving on... the story is really good. An excellent, engaging plot (and fortunately you don't really need to remember the name of everyone and his lawyer, although in the last chapter or two a sketch map of the plantation would be even more important than I expected). The denouement was unexpected. One of my favourites in this series, and that's high praise.

And once again I am left marvelling at the depth of Barbara Hambly's research. She is constantly coming up with new and appalling evils of slavery, the sort of things that every enslaved person in that time and place knew in their bones but hoped not to have to deal with. And by giving them a context in story, she makes us care about them. ( )