You could start here but it's much richer if you've read the previous. Once again Hambly sends January on a trip into dangerous territory, and for a portion of it Hannibal is also in grave danger because of the color of his skin. Lots of history about Cuba and Haiti skillfully woven into the story. I needed the family tree at the front of the book, as I'm terrible at remembering details, and frankly the plot is a little convoluted. It has great gothic details - a cursed treasure, letters in code, pirates and voodoo. In a previous book, Hambly implies some voodoo practices work, and it's right up front here - January meets up with a couple of practitioners who are clearly in touch with their god. I liked January's dilemma, since he is a devout Catholic and to accept this is a sin, but he must if he's to survive. However, it's definitely a touch of "woo-woo" in a series that didn't use to have it. Some truly horrific bits about a doctor, and again January is forced to make a moral choice. I am glad he made the one he did.

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