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The Benjamin January mysteries is a series of historical murder mystery novels by Barbara Hambly. The series is named after the main character of the books. The ''Benjamin January mysteries'' are set in and around New Orleans during the 1830s, and focus primarily on the free black community which existed at that time and place. The first book was published in 1997, and the series is still on-going. The first eight books in the series were published by Bantam Press, with the subsequent four being published by Severn House Publishers. The second book in the series, ''Fever Season'', was named a New York Times Notable Mystery Book of 1998. ==Major recurring characters== Benjamin January: Mixed-race former slave, freed as a child by his mother's lover. He was trained in Paris as a surgeon, but works primarily as a piano player. He is very tall, and very dark-skinned, which is a significant impediment to his medical career in pre-Civil War New Orleans. He lived in France for many years, but returned to New Orleans when his first wife, Ayasha, died. Rose Vitrac: The mixed-race daughter of a placée, who was raised with the intention of becoming a placée herself. However, Rose was more interested in learning, particularly natural sciences, and eventually managed to secure an education and establish herself as a schoolteacher, in order to assist other free colored girls. She is close friends with both Benjamin and Hannibal, and eventually becomes Benjamin's wife. Hannibal Sefton: Benjamin's friend and fellow musician (violin). He is Anglo-Irish, and appears to be from a noble or wealthy family, though he refuses to speak about his past and is currently living in poverty. He has tuberculosis, and is addicted to alcohol and laudanum, though he eventually manages to break both habits. Hannibal is one of the few white people in the books willing to socialize with the black community, and as a result is regarded as somewhat degenerate by white society. Dominique 'Minou' Janvier: Benjamin's younger half-sister, the daughter of his mother and her white protector. Dominique is herself the placée of a wealthy white gentleman, Henri. Olympe 'Olympia Snakebones' Corbier: Benjamin's younger sister (though older than Dominique). She is a locally prominent Voodoo practitioner, as well as a wife and mother. Both she and Benjamin were fathered by another slave before their mother became a placée. She was freed at the same time as her brother and mother. Livia Janvier Levesque: The mother of Benjamin, Olympe, and Dominique. She is a former placée, and now a minor land owner. She is half white, and extremely status-conscious. She was born a slave, and was freed along with her children when she became a placée. Lieutenant Abishag Shaw: A white policeman, originally from Kentucky, who is significantly smarter and better educated than he pretends to be. Unlike many of the other policemen, Shaw is as interested in true justice as the letter of the law, and has often proved sympathetic to Benjamin's concerns. He seems not to support the institution of slavery, but is still careful to obey the expected rules of behavior regarding black-white interactions, at least in public. Henri Viellard: The man that Dominique is the placée of, and the father of her two children: Charles-Henri (deceased) and Charmian. Chloe Viellard (née St Chinian): Henri's fiance, later his wife; a young heiress with control of her own property. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Benjamin January mysteries」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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