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, A Free Man of Color, was published in 1997, and the series is still on-going. The first eight books in the series were published by Bantam Press, the subsequent ten were published by Severn House Publishers. The second book in the series, Fever Season, was named a New York Times Notable Mystery Book of 1998. Seven books in the series (Fever Season, Dead Water, The Shirt on His Back, Ran Away, Good Man Friday, Crimson Angel, and Drinking Gourd ) have rece