Fierce Poison by Will Thomas

 

First Line: Scotland Yard is of the opinion that we at the Barker and Llewelyn Agency are barking mad.

 

There's a poisoner loose in 1893 London, and the first that private enquiry agents Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn know about it is when a victim drops dead moments after walking into their offices.The dead man, a Member of Parliament, was coming to them for help, and former Prime Minister William Gladstone hires them to find his killer.

 

But before they can really begin their investigation, they become the target of the poisoner, now dubbed the "Mad Pie Man" by the press. A member of their household is poisoned and dozens of deadly traps placed throughout their home. 

 

Sending loved ones to places of safety, Barker and Llewelyn are on the run, desperately trying to find the information that will uncover this deadly foe before anyone else dies.

 

~

 

I've enjoyed Will Thomas's excellent series from the very first book, Some Danger Involved. I've learned a lot about the different areas of Victorian London, and I've enjoyed watching young Thomas Llewelyn mature and his cheeky sense of humor become more sharply honed. The mysteries are always good, strong exercises for the little grey cells, too.

From standing beneath Big Ben as it tolls the hour to finding out why the typical Englishman dislikes plainclothes police officers, readers are firmly treading the streets of London in the 1890s, and I have to admit that Fierce Poison is one of my favorite books in the series. The "Mad Pie Man" poisoner is truly frightening, and Llewelyn's reaction to one of the victims and her flower pots is profoundly moving. There was a time or two when Barker or Llewelyn touch something or enter a place and I wanted to shout "Put that down!" or "Don't go in there!" -- but happily, Thomas manages to keep readers on red alert without overusing that thriller staple.

Barker and Llewelyn continue to be one of my favorite private enquiry duos, and as young Thomas's life continues to change, I'm certainly looking forward to their next adventure. If you're new to the series and not sure you're intrigued enough to begin at the very beginning, you should be able to read Fierce Poison without confusion. The author does provide enough of the characters' backstories. But... don't be surprised if you find yourself wanting more.

Fierce Poison by Will Thomas

eISBN: 9781250624802

Minotaur Books © 2022

eBook, 320 pages

 

Historical Mystery, #13 Barker & Llewelyn mystery

Rating: A

Source: Net Galley

Dance With Death by Will Thomas

First Line: I heard him before I saw him: a thick, rich, two-toned baritone voice.

 

It's June of 1893, and the future Nicholas II of Russia is in London for the wedding of his cousin, Prince George. One of Nicholas's bodyguards is convinced that his employer is in danger, so he asks around to learn the name of the best private detective in the city. In no time at all, he's in the office of Clive Barker and his partner, Thomas Llewelyn, private enquiry agents.

 

Barker and Llewelyn aren't particularly anxious to accept the job because they know that it's going to drag them into a bureaucratic nightmare of red tape and fragile egos. However, when they are unwittingly involved in an assassination attempt, they change their minds and find themselves tracking a shadowy figure known as La Sylphide-- a master assassin no one has ever seen.

 

But to get to La Sylphide, Barker and Llewelyn still have to wade through motives that run the gamut from personal to political in order to stop an event that could throw the world into chaos.

 

~

 

I am a longtime fan of Will Thomas's Barker & Llewelyn historical mystery series set in Victorian London. These books are a marvelous blend of history, characterization, action, and humor. Thomas always does his homework when dealing with historical figures, and Dance With Death has a few. For those readers who don't like real people in their fiction, I'd just like to say that the author uses these historical figures as a framework for his story. They are not main characters, and that's a good thing because he already has a marvelous cast of fictional ones. 

As always, the story is told by twenty-eight-year-old Thomas Llewelyn, and I love his narration. Through the course of the series, readers have seen this young man grow and learn, and thankfully the years have honed his fine sense of humor and quick tongue. Barker is the strong, silent type, more like a Victorian James Bond than anything else, although he does play a good straight man to Thomas. As the two investigate further, two secondary characters are brought in: female detective (and typist) Sarah Fletcher, and habitue of the British Museum's reading room, Liam Grant. They have appeared in previous books, and I was glad to see them in Dance With Death. I hope Will Thomas continues to bring them both into future books because I love watching their stories unfold.

The mystery is a good one, and Thomas's setting of Victorian London is hard to beat. I always learn something about that city when I read one of these books. If you like historical mysteries set in London, you really can't go wrong with a Barker & Llewelyn novel. You can read Dance With Death as a standalone, but I've enjoyed the unfolding of Thomas's story so much that I hope you'll think about starting at the beginning with Some Danger Involved. This is a consistently high-quality series that shouldn't be missed.

Dance With Death by Will Thomas

eISBN: 9781250624789

Minotaur Books © 2021

eBook, 320 pages

 

Historical Mystery, #12 Barker & Llewelyn mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Net Galley

Lethal Pursuit by Will Thomas

First Line: The express from Dover was still coming to a stop when Hillary Drummond leapt onto the platform.

When one of the Foreign Office's best agents is murdered at Charing Cross Station in London, the Prime Minister enlists the aid of private enquiry agents Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn to safeguard a priceless document and turn it over to agents of the Vatican in Calais. The document is desperately wanted by the German government, and with a cold war brewing between Germany and England, it's in England's best interests to return it to its original owners-- the Vatican.

But Germany isn't the only group wanting to get its hands on the document. Secret societies, government assassins, political groups, and all sorts of shadowy figures are all making their way to the offices of Barker and Llewelyn, and Barker has the most unbelievable way of dealing with them all. Why? Because he thinks the death of the Foreign Office agent is more important than a first-century gospel, that's why. That's Cyrus Barker for you...

I've been a fan of Will Thomas' Barker & Llewelyn mysteries from the very first book, Some Danger Involved. I always learn something about Victorian London, the slalom course of action and mystery is often hair-raising and always enjoyable to read, and the characters are just plain fun.

While Cyrus Barker is a larger-than-life character, young Thomas Llewelyn is our narrator. He's learned a lot over the years he's been with Barker, and I love his tongue-in-cheek sense of humor. Thomas can always make me laugh.

The story in Lethal Pursuit is a corker, one of the best howdunits I've read in a long time. You see, when the Prime Minister wants Barker to take the mysterious document to Calais, Barker will not agree until he is given the leeway to do the job as he sees fit. The Prime Minister doesn't see any particular problem in allowing this-- no one disobeys him after all-- but longtime readers of the series know that a wild ride is about to begin. And what a ride! With so many different groups after the document, Barker has to be a master of misdirection, and that's exactly what he turns out to be.

Now I'm left wondering what on earth these two private enquiry agents will get up to in the next book in this series. I can't wait!

Lethal Pursuit by Will Thomas

eISBN: 9781250170415

Minotaur Books © 2019

eBook, 320 pages

Historical Mystery, #11 Barker & Llewelyn mystery

Rating: A

Source: Net Galley

Blood Is Blood by Will Thomas

First Line: I detest Mondays with all my soul.

One of the problems with being renowned private enquiry agents is that you soon acquire powerful enemies. This is what has happened to Cyrus Barker and his associate, Thomas Llewelyn. Their London offices are bombed, severely injuring Barker and sending him to the hospital. This leaves Llewelyn alone to find the bomber two weeks before his own wedding.

It doesn't help when Barker's brother, Caleb, shows up on the rubble of their doorstep. There's something about Caleb that Thomas doesn't trust, and that distrust only grows when Cyrus regains consciousness and warns him about his brother.

Thomas agrees to Caleb's help since he does have a new case, but winnowing down that enemy list of theirs must take priority: one by one, those enemies are dying, Thomas's life is in danger, and his bride-to-be is having serious second thoughts about their marriage.

With Barker in the hospital, this is the first time that young Thomas Llewelyn is in total charge of an investigation, and-- wouldn't you know it-- it's a case in which both their lives are in grave danger. He needs help, but the only help he can get is from Barker's brother, Caleb, who seems to have spent most of his time in the United States-- much of it as a Pinkerton agent. This could be good news, but Caleb has a nasty habit of disappearing all the time, and the U.S. Embassy is after him and Thomas doesn't know why.

Blood Is Blood is a very strange and complex mystery, with danger appearing unexpectedly from any and all directions. Will Thomas knows how to make readers wish they had eyes in the backs of their heads. I did enjoy the mystery very much, and it wasn't easy to determine if Caleb Barker was a good guy or a bad one. The only small problem I had with the story is that-- even after six years and everything he's been through-- I thought Thomas Llewelyn didn't perform all that well as the one in charge of the investigation. He took too many things at face value and as a result, put those closest to him in danger.

But that is a small irritation in this latest book in one of my favorite historical mystery series. Will Thomas always puts me right in the heart of Victorian London with his fast-paced, heart-thumping mysteries and strong main characters. Once again, I'm left waiting to see where he takes me next. Wherever it is, I know I will enjoy the journey.

Blood Is Blood by Will Thomas

eISBN: 9781250170392

Minotaur Books © 2018

eBook, 320 pages

Historical Mystery, #10 Barker & Llewelyn mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Net Galley


 

Old Scores by Will Thomas

First Line: I suppose it all began with the garden.

In 1890, the first diplomatic delegation from Japan arrives in London, and Cyrus Barker's beautiful, tranquil Japanese garden has been chosen to show these very important guests. Later that same night, Ambassador Toda is shot and killed in his office, and Cyrus Barker is found across the street in possession of a gun with one spent cartridge. 

He's immediately arrested by the Special Branch for the murder and brutally interrogated for hours until his assistant, Thomas Llewelyn, brings Barker's lawyer and manages to obtain his employer's release. While the British are still convinced that Barker is the killer, the new Japanese ambassador hires him to find the real murderer. This investigation will lead Barker and Llewelyn deep into London's underworld...and deep into Barker's own mysterious past.

Will Thomas's historical mystery series is one that I've been following with pleasure since the very first book, Some Danger Involved. My pleasure is mainly due to the voice of Thomas Llewelyn, who begins as a complete novice to the private enquiry business and gradually becomes quite skilled, thanks to the tutelage of Cyrus Barker. Barker has always been a rather shadowy character, and tiny bits and pieces of his past have to be wrenched out of him, so it was good to see more information was forthcoming in Old Scores. 

Thomas knows how to construct a plot that keeps readers guessing, and his action scenes keep the pace moving right along. I always feel as though I'm walking the streets of the seamier parts of London when I read a Barker and Llewelyn mystery, but I know I'm in safe hands with these two men. If you like strong mysteries that take place in Victorian London, I think you'll find Thomas's series a perfect fit.

Old Scores by Will Thomas

ISBN: 9781250077967

Minotaur Books © 2017

Hardcover, 304 pages

Historical Mystery, #9 Barker & Llewelyn mystery

Rating: B+

Source: the publisher

Hell Bay by Will Thomas

First Line: Harold Throgmorton's face was florid.

If there's one assignment that private enquiry agent Cyrus Barker does not like, it's one in which he must provide security for someone. But it's Her Majesty's government doing the insisting, so Barker and his young assistant Thomas Llewelyn head to the private estate of Lord Hargrave on a remote island off the coast of Cornwall. 

The cover story for the house party is the introduction of Hargrave's two unmarried sons to potential wives, but it's really a secret conference with the French to negotiate a new treaty. However, once everyone is on the island people begin to die. The only way to get off-- a boat-- has been sent away, and the means of signaling for help has been destroyed. Everyone is trapped with no way to escape. Now Barker and Llewelyn must uncover which among them is a killer.

I found it quite refreshing to have Barker and Llewelyn trade their usual London haunts for a country house on a remote island in the Scillys. Hell Bay is Will Thomas's tribute to Agatha Christie. Trapping a group of people on a remote island and then killing them off one by one has definite overtones of Christie's And Then There Were None.  

How well does the author do with a locked room (island) mystery? Very well indeed. I didn't have a clue who the killer was. All I could do was settle down, start learning about each one of the guests, observing their behaviors... and be thankful that there was no way I would wind up as one of the corpses.

Although very familiar with her stories, I am not an Agatha Christie fan, so I do not know how a fan would react to this book. I am, however, a Barker and Llewelyn fan, and it was a real treat to take these two out of their element and have them solve an extremely complicated and dangerous mystery on their own. Llewelyn's mystery-solving acumen grows with each new book, and Barker-- who has always been quite the iconoclast-- fits in rather well with the rich and those pesky government types. Who would have thought? I can't wait to see what these two do next!
 

Hell Bay by Will Thomas

eISBN: 9781466890282

Minotaur Books © 2016

eBook, 304 pages

Historical Mystery, #8 Barker & Llewelyn mystery

Rating: A

Source: Net Galley  


 

Anatomy of Evil by Will Thomas

First Line: I understand it is said in scientific circles that if one attempts to boil a frog it will jump out of the pot, but if one raises the temperature of the water slowly it will never notice the difference until it is too late.

It's 1888, and the head of Scotland Yard's Criminal Investigation Department is about to take some badly needed sick leave. But first he must do one thing: make England's best private enquiry agent, Clive Barker, and his assistant Thomas Llewelyn temporary envoys to the Royal Family with regard to the series of murders in Whitechapel that are tearing the city of London apart. 

So far the murderer has eluded the finest minds of Scotland Yard, but he's never had to match wits with someone as skilled and intelligent as Barker. Are Barker and Llewelyn going to be able to track down Jack the Ripper before it's too late?

The one killer in all of history who simply refuses to go quietly into that good night is Jack the Ripper. Crime fiction is awash with books about his crime spree and his identity. Most of them are forgettable, but Will Thomas's Anatomy of Evil manages to put a whole new spin on the case and becomes very memorable as a result.  How does Thomas do this?

First, he puts his very unconventional private enquiry agents (Barker refuses to be called a "private detective") Barker and Llewelyn right in the midst of Scotland Yard, combining their skills and contacts with all the information and man power that Scotland Yard has at its disposal. What the two men walk into is a jurisdictional nightmare of infighting and jockeying for position among the higher-ups. Thomas makes this much clearer than so many other fictional accounts have done in the past.

Another area in which Thomas excels is with the murder victims themselves. Many other writers have tended to list the women merely as drunks and prostitutes... and as so much dead meat. Will Thomas gives them a measure of dignity by Barker's and Llewelyn's attendance and behavior at a postmortem and a funeral. Very nicely done, even if some readers may complain that he's giving twenty-first century attitudes to nineteenth century men. People with "finer feelings" certainly existed in Victorian England after all. 

The slower pace of Anatomy of Evil illustrates how exhausting it was to slog through thousands of clues and suspects while trying to prevent the very real threats of riots, pogroms, and more murders, and simultaneously sidestepping the well-meant meddling of Queen Victoria. Of course the book covers the same old ground (how could it not?), but Thomas manages to put a freshness to it that I haven't seen in a long time-- and his choice for the true identity of Jack the Ripper? Well, see for yourself!

If you haven't read a Barker and Llewelyn mystery before, and you love historical mysteries that bring Victorian London to life, you are in for a treat. Since these characters do grow and change, I would suggest that you begin at the beginning with Some Danger Involved. The only thing that's left to say is Enjoy!

Anatomy of Evil by Will Thomas

ISBN: 9781250041050

Minotaur Books © 2015

Hardcover, 336 pages

Historical Mystery, #7 Barker & Llewelyn mystery

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from Book Outlet


 

Win One of Five Copies of Will Thomas' Fatal Enquiry!

When I was contacted by a publicist for Minotaur Books about Will Thomas's latest Barker & Llewelyn mystery, I was thrilled. It had been a long eight years since the last book in this marvelous historical mystery series was published, and I couldn't wait to wrap myself in the author's Victorian London once again. When the publicist asked me if I would be interested in giving away five copies of the books to my readers, I jumped at the chance.

If you'd like to know more about the book, you can find my review here on my blog (just below this post actually). If you're new to the series, and you're not sure about starting with the sixth book, you don't have to worry. The author provides the backstory you'll need so you won't be confused as you read. For those of you who have already read a Barker and Llewelyn adventure, I really don't have to tell you anything, do I?

Let's get down to the rules for the giveaway, shall we?

1. You have until 6 PM, this coming Saturday, May 17 to enter. 
2. One entry per person is all you need.
3. Click on the Contact tab at the very top of my blog header to send me an email.
4. The subject line of the email must read "Fatal Enquiry Giveaway." 
5. The body of the email must contain these two things: (a) your email address, and (b) your mailing address.
6. Since the publisher is the one mailing out the books, this giveaway is open to US residents only. 

I will send each entrant a "Thanks, I got your entry!" email, so you'll know I received it. The five winners' names and mailing addresses will be sent to the publisher so the books can be sent to them. Once that's done, all entries will be destroyed. Naturally, I will also announce the winners here on my blog as well as Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

Here's your chance to read a wonderful historical mystery. Don't wait to send in your entry!

Fatal Enquiry by Will Thomas

First Line: It is a truth universally acknowledged, at least among private enquiry agents, that the most momentous of cases, the real corkers, begin on the blandest, most ordinary days.

It's a slow day at the office, and Thomas Llewelyn is doing a bit of daydreaming when his boss, Cyrus Barker, receives a warning message that turns their lives upside down. Several years previously, Barker sent a particularly nasty aristocratic sociopath, Sebastian Nightwine, fleeing as far from the law as he could. Now Nightwine is back, under the protection of the British government and given immunity from his past crimes. Barker and Llewelyn have to uncover Nightwine's latest schemes, but the villain is looking for payback. It is a job that has the two enquiry agents trying to do their work while hiding to save their own lives and those of their friends.

It's been a very long six years since the last book in this marvelous historical mystery series, and I was thrilled when I learned of Fatal Enquiry. Barker and Llewelyn are two of my favorite characters, a sort of Victorian Era John Ceepak and Danny Boyle (wonderful characters created by Chris Grabenstein). More of Cyrus Barker's mysterious past is unveiled in this book, and although young Thomas Llewelyn is still a bit naive-- and still has an eye for the pretty girls-- he gets the chance to have some control over the investigation this time around. Has he learned anything? That's up to you to find out.

Author Will Thomas certainly hasn't lost his ability to bring Victorian London to life with its various ethnic neighborhoods and colorful characters. Following Barker and Llewelyn through these mean streets is a feast for the eyes, the ears, and the nose. If you enjoy books with atmosphere, look no further.

Nightwine's schemes are just the sort of magic that overconfident government officials would line up for, and it was a treat to watch Barker and Llewelyn dodge Scotland Yard, informants, and paid assassins in order to learn what the man was up to-- and to come up with a plan to stop him.

Characters, atmosphere, action, and humor. I was so pleased to be back in Barker and Llewelyn's London, and I think you'd enjoy spending some time there as well. Although it would be better to start at the beginning of the series to get all the nuances of the characters and their relationships, it's not necessary. Fatal Enquiry stands alone very well. Now that I've read the latest adventure of these private enquiry agents, my only question is-- when's the next one?

Fatal Enquiry by Will Thomas

ISBN: 9781250041043

Minotaur Books © 2014

Hardcover, 304 pages

Historical Mystery, #6 Barker & Llewelyn mystery

Rating: A

Source: publicist 

The Black Hand by Will Thomas

Title: The Black Hand
Author: Will Thomas
ISBN: 9781416558958, Touchstone, 2008
Genre: Private Investigator, Historical, #5 Barker & Llewelyn mystery
Rating: B+

First Line: I stepped across the sill of the conservatory, glass crunching under the heels of my boots, and steadied my Webley pistol with both hands, reluctant to step inside.

With each mystery in this series, author Will Thomas explores another area of Victorian London. In The Black Hand, after the body of a well-known Italian assassin is found floating in a barrel in the Thames, we're taken to Clerkenwell. It seems that Sicily has grown too small and the Mafia is seeking to increase its territory by moving into London. The bodies begin to pile up, rival gangs are pitted against each other, and private enquiry agents Barker and Llewelyn have their hands full.

As always in this series, it is the characters and the setting that shine supreme. Barker is a mysterious Victorian version of James Bond, and his young assistant, Thomas Llewelyn, is the perfect callow foil to all his seriousness. Llewelyn talks us through the streets of Victorian London, tries to figure out his enigmatic boss, and never misses an opportunity to appreciate a pretty female. That Llewelyn genuinely wants to learn and be the best assistant to Barker that he can only adds to the story.

A bonus in The Black Hand is that we get to go on a short journey away from London and learn about the woman in Barker's life. There's so much testosterone and action in these books that the feminine touch felt like a lovely sea breeze through the pages. It also added another character about whom I want to know more!

As long as Will Thomas writes about his private enquiry agents, I will read their adventures. Thomas brings nineteenth-century London to life, his characters are interesting and fun, and the action keeps the pages turning quickly. If you're in the mood for some Victorian mystery and adventure, Will Thomas is an excellent author to try.

[Source: Paperback Swap.]

REVIEW: The Hellfire Conspiracy

Title: The Hellfire Conspiracy
Author: Will Thomas
ISBN: 9780743296403/ Touchstone
Historical Mystery, #4 in the Barker & Llewelyn series
Protagonist(s); Clive Barker and Thomas Llewelyn, private enquiry agents
Setting: London, England in the 1880s
Rating: A-

First Line: I recognized the sound, though I had never heard it before.

This series, loosely patterned after Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, is fun to read. Told from the point of view of Thomas Llewelyn, a young Welsh ex-convict who was given a job by private enquiry agent, Clive Barker, each book in the series is set in a different district in London's East End. Thomas is fascinated by his boss: a tall, strong, mysterious man who always wears dark glasses. He knows that Barker spent many years at sea and in China, that Barker is extremely intelligent and well-read, that he prefers to drink gunpowder green tea, and that he knows martial arts. But there are many areas of Barker's life that are unknown to him. Thomas is a babe in the woods with an eye for the ladies, and these two characteristics are part of the charm of his narration.

In this fourth installment, Barker and Llewelyn are interrupted in the office by a desperate Guards officer, Major DeVere, whose twelve-year-old daughter has disappeared. At first thought to be a victim of white slavers, as Barker and Llewelyn begin investigating, they find that the culprit is really a serial killer preying on young girls in Bethnal Green. Their job is to identify and catch the murderer before the body count gets any higher.

As always, the author immersed me in the streets of London. I could see, hear, smell and taste the Bethnal Green area. Thomas's narration brought more than a few smiles and chuckles, and the race to find the killer was engrossing. The only reason why I downgraded the book a bit was that I knew the identity of the killer when the character was first introduced, and this isn't normal for a book by this author. Even though I knew whodunit, the chase more than made up for it.

If you like historical mysteries set in Victorian London that have a touch of humor, you should give Will Thomas's books a try.

This copy of The Hellfire Conspiracy also includes a Reading Group Guide and an interview with Will Thomas.