Ninth in the series. Excellent as always; Hambly brings 1830s New Orleans to vivid and sometimes frightening life. This is a story about secrets among a couple families, and the lengths they go to keep the secret. We learn a thing or two about Hannibal's past, and Hambly throws in a bit at the end that I did not see coming. January once again puts himself in mortal danger by travelling away from New Orleans, into the plantations and swamps where he could be captured and sold without questions.