Deborah A. (DebKit) -
Helpful Score: 6
What a good book! The characters have great personalities, there's subtle humor, definite intrigue,well-written descriptions and vibrant history. I couldn't put it down and promptly wish-listed the other books in the series.
Helpful Score: 6
Excellent Victorian England mystery novel. Barker is more a man of action than Holmes, but equally a brilliant thinker. His "Watson", Llewelyn, is a great character, as are all the inhabitants of Barker's home and office. Well-plotted but the characters are what drew me in.
Helpful Score: 4
A Sherlock Holmes - Doctor Watson type detective story, only better. Better characterizations, better atmosphere, more plausible story, and nice, dry humor.
Set in fin-de-siecle London, enquiry agent Barker and his new assistant Llewelyn are investigating the gruesome murder of a Jewish scholar against the background of a looming pogrom. The identity of the murderer was a surprise - did not expect it at all.
Great read - I'm putting the next book in the series on my wishlist!
Set in fin-de-siecle London, enquiry agent Barker and his new assistant Llewelyn are investigating the gruesome murder of a Jewish scholar against the background of a looming pogrom. The identity of the murderer was a surprise - did not expect it at all.
Great read - I'm putting the next book in the series on my wishlist!
Cindy T. (biker-girl) reviewed Some Danger Involved (Barker & Llewelyn, Bk 1) on + 15 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
WONDERFUL! I gravitate towards mysteries, and did Sherlock when younger but have stayed more with current period mysteries in the past few years and a few of the Victorian and WWI settings. This book was so fresh and I am hooked! I find these characters real, loveable, and the details amazing. Written very well and absolutely absorbing.
I think the tendency might be to compare it to Sherlock Holmes, although I can see some similarities at the same time I would never compare the two as Will Thomas' writing has just grabbed me completely and I can't put him down.
Give him a try - you might be pleasantly surprised!
I think the tendency might be to compare it to Sherlock Holmes, although I can see some similarities at the same time I would never compare the two as Will Thomas' writing has just grabbed me completely and I can't put him down.
Give him a try - you might be pleasantly surprised!
Helpful Score: 2
Good old fashioned Holmesian mystery. A man is hired to help a famous detective and the job description says "Some Danger Involved".
That turns out to be more true that he can know. Great read!
That turns out to be more true that he can know. Great read!
Kirsten W. (wardbunch) reviewed Some Danger Involved (Barker & Llewelyn, Bk 1) on + 88 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Wonderfully Victorian. Rivals any Sherlock Holmes mystery.
Kay A. (katiebear) reviewed Some Danger Involved (Barker & Llewelyn, Bk 1) on + 24 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I loved this book! It's a very good start to the series and I can't wait to get my hands on the next one. For a guy from Oklahoma, Will Thomas knows an awful lot about Victorian England. He wrote a page-turner. I highly recommend it.
Amy B. (BaileysBooks) reviewed Some Danger Involved (Barker & Llewelyn, Bk 1) on + 491 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This is Book 1 of the Barker & Llewelyn mystery series.
I am always reluctant to read books by authors who try to add to the Sherlock Holmes canon. But then there are books like Some Danger Involved. Will Thomas obviously built his characters on the Holmes-Watson foundation, but he managed to make them unique and engaging enough that they stand on their own merit, outside of the looming shadows of their predecessors.
Cyrus Barker's past is delightfully mysterious and his significant eccentricities give him depth. (What IS behind those black spectacles, after all?) While still reserved, he is slightly less cold than Holmes, more physical, and a little rough around the edges. He was born a Scot, lived on the streets of China as a youth, spent time at sea as the captain of a ship, and is covered in tattoos. Thomas Llewelyn is a bumbling but endearing sidekick with a more unfortunate past than Doctor Watson could ever claim, as his resume includes an 8 month sentence in an Oxford prison. He also has a good sense of humor.
Being the first book of the series, some of the mystery elements take a back seat to allow for the initial character development, but overall I have no complaints. Llewelyn narrates for Barker as Watson does for Holmes, and the reader is left as clueless as the narrator until Barker reveals the specifics of the case at the very end. This has all the makings of a promising new series and I cannot wait to see what happens next.
I am always reluctant to read books by authors who try to add to the Sherlock Holmes canon. But then there are books like Some Danger Involved. Will Thomas obviously built his characters on the Holmes-Watson foundation, but he managed to make them unique and engaging enough that they stand on their own merit, outside of the looming shadows of their predecessors.
Cyrus Barker's past is delightfully mysterious and his significant eccentricities give him depth. (What IS behind those black spectacles, after all?) While still reserved, he is slightly less cold than Holmes, more physical, and a little rough around the edges. He was born a Scot, lived on the streets of China as a youth, spent time at sea as the captain of a ship, and is covered in tattoos. Thomas Llewelyn is a bumbling but endearing sidekick with a more unfortunate past than Doctor Watson could ever claim, as his resume includes an 8 month sentence in an Oxford prison. He also has a good sense of humor.
Being the first book of the series, some of the mystery elements take a back seat to allow for the initial character development, but overall I have no complaints. Llewelyn narrates for Barker as Watson does for Holmes, and the reader is left as clueless as the narrator until Barker reveals the specifics of the case at the very end. This has all the makings of a promising new series and I cannot wait to see what happens next.
Helpful Score: 1
This was a delightful read. Thomas Llewelyn is a very lovable character and it was fun to follow him through his adventures of becoming private inquiry assistant to the eccentric Cyrus Barker. The writing style is a little more playful than for some other historical fiction detective type novels (such as Caleb Carr's works, which I also highly recommend). I can't wait to read the next installment.
Donna K. (tomeworm) reviewed Some Danger Involved (Barker & Llewelyn, Bk 1) on + 52 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
"Best book of the year" "Best mystery novel of the year"
"An atmospheric debut novel set on the gritty streets of Victorian London, ... introduces detective Cyrus Barker and his assistant, Thomas Llewelyn, as they work to solve the gruesome murder of a young scholar in London's Jewish ghetto."
Sound good? Better get this and read it!!
"An atmospheric debut novel set on the gritty streets of Victorian London, ... introduces detective Cyrus Barker and his assistant, Thomas Llewelyn, as they work to solve the gruesome murder of a young scholar in London's Jewish ghetto."
Sound good? Better get this and read it!!
Susan S. (sulock) -
Helpful Score: 1
This is the start of a marvelous series, 1800 England mix of groups and individuals really wonderful. Great writing style this will keep you engaged and invested in the future of the characters he introduces in this book.
Thomas F. (hardtack) -
Helpful Score: 1
Over the past few years I have read stories of British detectives written from an interesting angle---that of American authors. Many of the well-known, and some unknown or forgotten in our time, British mystery authors do such a great job I sometimes wonder if the American authors are simply writing about British detectives with a sense of envy---wishing they were British.
Fortunately, a number of these American authors have done a great job too, and Will Thomas is one of them. "Some Danger Involved" is a wonderfully engaging story about a veteran British detective hiring a new assistant and the assistant's introduction to a new aspect of "London' society. In fact, the tale of his initiation is so enjoyable that discovering who the murderer is was almost a disappointment.
Fortunately, a number of these American authors have done a great job too, and Will Thomas is one of them. "Some Danger Involved" is a wonderfully engaging story about a veteran British detective hiring a new assistant and the assistant's introduction to a new aspect of "London' society. In fact, the tale of his initiation is so enjoyable that discovering who the murderer is was almost a disappointment.
Helpful Score: 1
good Victorian mystery; the first of a series maybe
Helpful Score: 1
an interesting Victorian mystery with a noir-ish detective
Helpful Score: 1
A good read for fans of Sherlock Holmes and similar type Victorian detective stories.
Rosemary F. (canadianeh) reviewed Some Danger Involved (Barker & Llewelyn, Bk 1) on + 242 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I wish I had something to add here that hasn't already been said. This is a great detective mystery that jumps right in with an intriguing start and continues on a swift roll to a surprising conclusion! More action than Sherlock and more gruesome violence! Great!
Melani D. (Sailorslady) reviewed Some Danger Involved (Barker & Llewelyn, Bk 1) on + 50 more book reviews
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a very well written, tight mystery with intriguing characters. I can't wait to read the other books in the series.
Jeanie S. (JeanieS) reviewed Some Danger Involved (Barker & Llewelyn, Bk 1) on + 192 more book reviews
A fast and interesting story. I am looking forward to ready more of the series.
Tina T. (tinabean88) reviewed Some Danger Involved (Barker & Llewelyn, Bk 1) on + 51 more book reviews
You will be hooked after this first installment. Love the characters & the ambiance of the time period. Keep them coming
Beverly H. (GainesvilleGirl) -
A Victorian era book which takes place in gaslit London, and whose protagonist is assistant to the highly regarded and extremely quirky, private investigator, Cyrus Barker. This story particularly intrigued me because of its connection with London's community of orthodox Jews. When one of their rabbinical students is murdered in a "biblical way," they turn to Cyrus Barker and his young assistant, Thomas Llewelyn for help.
Good story plot!
Surprising ending!
Good story plot!
Surprising ending!
Cameron-Ashley H. (BigGreenChair) reviewed Some Danger Involved (Barker & Llewelyn, Bk 1) on + 464 more book reviews
A fun read between two much heavier books. This one was relaxing, fun, and kept your attention. Good historical mystery.
