"Limehouse Text" Great Read

I cannot tell you how disappointed I am that I have now made it through all four of Will Thomas' Barker and Llewelyn mysteries. I devoured these books. They are SO GOOD! I want more!

This third in the series (I started with the fourth and then went from first through third) ties up some loose ends. In this one we get to learn a little more about the mysterious woman coming to groom Harm, Barker's Pekingese dog. We also watch Barker and his sublimely witty assistant solve the murder of Barker's previous assistant, Quong. This is a tour de force of Victorian England's China Town (Limehouse) replete with underground kingpins, bruisers, cops on the take, etc.

I can't say enough about this series. I can't wait for the next one.



Until next time, may your reading be both pleasurable and profitable.

To Kingdom Come is Another Explosive Story

Will Thomas' second Barker and Llewelyn novel furthers the development of Llewelyn's role as an assistant to a private enquiry agent, a.k.a., a private detective. This time around our two protagonists must infiltrate an Irish terrorist group masquerading as builders of "infernal devices." Our young assistant falls in love with the sister of one of the Irishmen.

While the ending seemed a bit transparent to me, I still enjoyed the book. I love Llewelyn's wry sense of humor and his self-deprecating style. Barker continues to be an anomaly only serving to pique my interest further.

All in all, this really is a wonderful series. I'm truly enjoying it.

May your reading be both pleasurable and profitable!

Some Danger Involved Great Debut

After reading Will Thomas' most recent novel, I decided to go back and start from the beginning of his series. "Some Danger Involved" is the first of the Barker and Llewelyn mysteries.

We get to meet Thomas Llewelyn, downtrodden and despairing. He answers an advertisement for a private enquiry agent's assistant. I think the chapter detailing his interview is one of the best meeting of what becomes a partner and his assistant ever written! Here comes another Holmes and Watson.

Thomas has a great knack for description of both characters and setting. His research is meticulous, and it shows through his crisp writing.

This plot of the book revolves around Llewelyn's coming of age and experience in his travails as Barker's assistant. The case which they are hired to investigate is the crucifixion of a immigrant Jew and the subsequent stoning of another Jewess. Is there a pogrom fomenting through the machinations of eugenic ministers and academics, or is this the act of some deranged lunatic?

I'm really enjoying this series, and I've already started on the next one!

May your reading be both pleasurable and profitable!

Historical Mystery Is a Hit

"The Hellfire Conspiracy" is a gem of a book. It is the fourth in a series of mysteries by Will Thomas set in Victorian England, ca 1885.

Thomas Llewelyn is an assistant to private enquiry agent Cyrus Barker. After a young girl is kidnapped and subsequently ravaged and murdered, the two take on the case of finding and stopping what is a serial killer in the East End of London.

Llewelyn is a former Oxford student who has lost his wife and has previously run afoul of the law. Barker is a former captain plying the Chinese trade routes. Their relationship is a neat fit, similar to that of Watson and Holmes.

The author has done a marvelous job of incorporating real-life personalities into his book including W.H. Stead, Amy Levy, Beatrice Potter and others. His knowledge and depiction of London at this time is equally admirable. Not since Caleb Carr's "The Alienist" have I read such a wonderfully accurate and well-researched historical suspense and mystery.

I think I will try to read Thomas' previous books. My interest is piqued!

Until next time, may your reading be both pleasurable and profitable.