Graveyard Dust
(Benjamin January #3)
by Barbara Hambly
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First Chapter/First Paragraph/Tuesday Intros is hosted by Bibliophile By The Sea. To play along, share the first paragraph (or a few) from a book you’re reading or thinking about reading soon.
African drums in darkness sullen as tar.
Rossini’s “Di tanti palpit” unspooling like golden ribbon from the ballroom’s open windows.
Church bells and thunder.
Benjamin January flexed his aching sholders and thought, Rain coming. Leaning on the corner of Colonel Pritchard’s ostentatious house, he could smell the sharp scent in the hot weight of the night, hear the shift in the feverish tempo of the crickets and the frogs. The dim orange glow of an oil lamp fell through the servants’ door beside him, tipping the weeds beyond the edge of the yard with fire.
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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jenn of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can participate. If you’re new to Teaser Tuesdays, the details are at Jenn’s A Daily Rhythm or on my Tuesday Memes Page.
Given the trouble his curiosity had caused him in the past, January reflected that he should know better. In any case, he had a good idea of what he would find in the darkness where the trees got thick.
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Barbara Hambly definitely has a way with words. She also seems to write in multiple genres. This series, historical mysteries, is set in 1830s New Orleans. The first book I remember reading by her is Ishmael, a Star Trek novel featuring Spock (my favorite!). I read it in the 1980s, so I have been reading Hambly’s books for three decades. The award-winning author has also written in the science fiction, fantasy and supernatural genres.
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Do you enjoy reading series? What are some of your favorites?
Vauquer Boarding House 
That is a great opening paragraph!
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Thanks, Cathy. With the first three paragraphs only being one sentence each, I expanded it a bit. 🙂
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Now that’s the way to start a book! Barbara Hambly has been on my list of authors I want to check out, but I haven’t yet read any of her books. I may have to move her up on the list. 😊
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It’s amazing to me that she writes successfully in so many different genres. I enjoyed one of her vampire stories immensely.
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Ohhh! Vampire stories? She’s definitely moving up on my list! 😊
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That’s her James Asher series. The first one is Those Who Hunt the Night. I must have read it about twenty years ago – before vampires were everywhere, lol. Then it was quite a long break before the next in the series.
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Great visual images! I haven’t yet read this author, but now I must. Thanks for sharing….and I do love series books, but I prefer trilogies…to keep my attention. LOL
Here’s mine: “MY SALINGER YEAR”
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I go for the longer series. Years ago, before I was keeping up with so many of them, it was torture waiting for the next one to be published.
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Sounds like his curiosity will be getting him in trouble.
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That’s always the way with those amateur detectives!
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This is a really good series.
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Thanks, Beth. I am finding it so. I didn’t read this series for a long time because I’m not always fond of historical mysteries. But there is so much local color in this one that I am hooked.
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Beautiful, poetic writing in the opening. Love the New Orleans setting too. I’d definitely keep reading.
My Tuesday post features Shadow of the Hawk.
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Hambly’s prose is so descriptive. I love it. Thanks for coming by to comment and leave your link.
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I’m not familiar with this series, but it sounds like a good one. Enjoy!
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I’m enjoying it, JoAnn. I see you have a mystery this week too!
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I have been wanting to read something by Hambly for some time now. This sounds really good.
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This is the third book in the series. They do stand alone, so it’s a matter of how you feel about jumping right in versus reading in order. The first book was good, but I spent so much time meeting the characters and figuring out who would be a continuing character, that I think I missed a lot of enjoyment. The second book blew me away!
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This sounds very good – I’d definitely read more. Thanks for joining us this week.
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You’re welcome, Diane. Happy to participate in First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros. Thank you for stopping by to comment.
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I really like the way that intro sets up the atmosphere. This series sounds really intriguing, I might have to look it up.
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I’m finding this a very atmospheric series – me who never cared for historical novels, lol. Thank you so much for coming by to comment.
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I remember Ishmael. I loved that book. This sounds good.
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I’m surprised by the number of Ishmael fans! I thought it was so old that not many people would have remembered it. I’m so glad now that I mentioned it.
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I love the opening to this one so I will be looking out for this author – I do love a good historical mystery.
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After decades of thinking I didn’t like historical novels, there are several series that I now follow. It makes sense that I would like ones set in the 19th century since I love books written then.
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Oh this is DEFINITELY a series I have to check out!!! (And I ADORED Ishmael!)
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Another Ishmael fan! I thought it might have been before the time of you youngsters.
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Never heard of this author but the opening paragraph would want to me read on for a while at least…
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Thanks for coming by, Karen. Your blog has some interesting books on it that are out of my general realm of reading. Good browsing for “new” authors.
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I’ve been making a conscious effort to get out of my comfort zone. sometimes the experiment doesn’t always work
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Omg, I LOVE ISHMAEL. Adore it beyond all good reason and Aaron & Spock… SO GOOD. I will definitely check this one out!!
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I’ve been meaning to reread Ishmael for a while. I still have my old paperback.
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Ok, this might be a second comment from me bc I hadn’t logged in before: but I LOVE ISHMAEL. LOVE. Beyond all good reason. She’s a favourite Trek author of mine. So I will definitely check this out. (Spock and Aaron were FABULOUS!)
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No, you’re ok. It’s just that the first time any one posts here, they need to be approved so your comment didn’t show up right away. You’re good to go now.
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Ohwhew. I’ve done that a couple of times and it’s embarassing lol!
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Hambly sounds like a jack of all trades. Very cool!
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It is cool – even though I don’t read her fantasy, I know it’s there and may give it a try sometime. Her vampires would work for the R.I.P. Creepy Challenge. Maybe even this one with the Voodoo being mentioned, probably not though.
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Such a lovely paragraph to start the book… I’m adding it to my TBR. I’ve never read anything by Barbara Hambly before… Can you suggest any of her books to start with?
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This is the third Benjamin January novel I’ve read. They are filled with densely descriptive passages which really evoke the mood and setting.
Hambly wrote in several genres. Aside from the Star Trek novels, I haven’t read any of her science fiction and none of her fantasy novels, but I think those might be of interest to you. There are several you can find listed on her goodreads page.
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Star Trek! Wow! I really need to read her books now 🙂
Thanks Dagny!
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She wrote three Star Trek novels and also three Star Wars novels.
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