GOOD MAN FRIDAY (Barbara Hambly)

Benjamin January is an educated man of color living in an era where possible slavery lurks around every corner and race limits almost all opportunity to succeed in life.  In 1838 Benjamin, freed slave and Paris-educated physician, is not allowed to practice medicine in the white community, so he supports his family as a piano player.  After a vindictive slave-owner ruins Benjamin's opportunity to earn money by having all of his bookings cancelled, he is willing to accept an offer from Henri Viellard and his young wife, Chloe, to travel to Washington City to discover the whereabouts of Chloe's old friend, Mr. Singletary, who has disappeared without a trace.  Benjamin's sister, Dominique, is Henri's mistress, so she and her daughter and maid also accompany the group to Washington.

Hambly's novels are meticulously researched and expertly written (she also writes the Abigail Adams mystery series under the name Barbara Hamilton) and after reading Good Man Friday I felt as if I had had a very enjoyable and enlightening history lesson.  In New Orleans freed people of color, while still limited by the laws and tempers of the white population, could live freely, hold jobs (within limits), own businesses, and raise their families in relative peace.  In Washington, by contrast, free black people lived in constant fear of being kidnapped and sold as slaves.  While investigating Mr. Singletary's disappearance Benjamin lives in a rooming house owned by a black family while Henri and Chloe stay in separate, white-only quarters, socializing with the upper crust while Benjamin hob-nobs with the servants and slaves.  Interesting, Edgar Alan Poe appears in this novel, helping Benjamin with his investigation at a time when Poe actually would have been living in the Washington area!

I would highly recommend this novel.  The mystery is complicated and intriguing, yet it all makes sense in the end.  The sense of history is wonderful, as is the sense of place.  The characters are well-developed and generally interesting.  A warning, though...this novel does require some brainpower and an interest in history.  If you have these, you'll love it!