The Limehouse Text

Barker & Llewelyn Series, Book 3

By: Will Thomas

Narrated by: Antony Ferguson

Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

In The Limehouse Text, Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn discover a pawn ticket among the effects of Barker's late assistant, leading them to London's Chinese district, Limehouse. There they retrieve an innocent-looking book that proves to be a rare and secret text stolen from a Nanking monastery, containing lethal martial arts techniques forbidden in the West. With the political situation between the British Empire and Imperial China already unstable, the duo must not only track down a killer intent upon gaining the secret knowledge but also safeguard the text from a snarl of suspects with conflicting interests. Prowling through an underworld of opium dens, back-room blood sports, and sailors' penny hangs while avoiding the wrath of the district's powerful warlord, Mr. K'ing, Barker and Llewelyn take listeners on a perilous tour through the mean streets of turn-of-the-century London.

©2006 Will Thomas (P)2017 Tantor

Critic reviews

"A wholly satisfying twist ends this outstanding entry in what is fast becoming one of the genre's best historical-mystery series." ( Booklist Starred Review)

Love this series

Great characters. I’m slowly getting into the series. Is it me or does the narrators European accents sound Jamaican? Still a great listen.

Not as good as the first in series but still Good

The characters are more interesting the first time you meet them. They are broadened here but now it is time to give them some depth

LOST: a secret Chinese book detailing lethal techniques of dim mak, “the touch of death”

I read the first hardback of this series approximately 10-15 years ago, and I recently found the Audible version of “Limehouse Text,” which is the third book, on sale. I was able to listen to this as a stand-alone, because author Will Thomas includes enough backstory.

Antony Ferguson is an excellent narrator who is exceptional with accents, and he manages to make the characters sound unique. Bravo, Mr. Ferguson!

Outstanding Series!

You KNOW you've found a good series when you can't wait to download the next book in line. These are all stand alone books, with a different story for each one, but I would strongly suggest that you start with the first book for the background of the characters. There are 'laugh out loud' moments in all of the books, which is always great for myself.

The narrator could not be a better pick for the role of Thomas Llewelyn, the books are all told from his point of view. There is definitely 'some danger involved'

These books have more substance than a cozy novel, but still there are no graffic or too gory incidents (IMHO) and no objectionable language. I hope Will Thomas NEVER stops writing this series!
MY HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION FOR THIS SERIES!

Strongest Characters Will Thomas has introduced

I would have loved to see Petrolingo marry Thomas instead of the insipid one he did.
What fun!

So many twists and turns! Great historical fiction

l cannot emphasize what great historical fiction this series is. I have learned a great deal about Asian and Great Britain from the 1880's time period. The scences are very descriptive, the clothing exacting, and the behavior, both proper and otherwise well described.
I have stated before that despite all the other shining examples that makes this series great, it is the characters that make it outstanding. I have never seen a protagonist quite like this one. He's very much in the Sherlockian style, but with a twist. His Asian background, his life---Oh, the was he had to claw his way to an existence and a whole cast of supporting characters that are also fascinating enrich the entire experience.
I've had the flu since I've started this series and these stories have literally saved me from a completely miserable existence. In fact, they've made this time somewhat enjoyable which is something I find amazing considering the fact I feel like garbage.
Thank you, Mr. Thomas. It's been a pleasure.

Enjoyable audible mystery

It took awhile but now I am hooked. I enjoy the characters and the narration. I will continue the series.

Wonderful, exciting and enjoyable

Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn are at it again. The story centers around a missing rare Chinese artifact. Cyrus gets a chance to display his wealth of knowledge about China and his with people in high places. While Thomas gets a chance to display his newly acquired fighting skills.

The usual friends are along to add spice to the adventure. Their antics reveal answers to questions that were still open from book 1. For action, deductive reasoning and a captivating story, this series still has it.

One of the most intelligent series!

I am relistening to the series and am enjoying it more as i catch details previously missed. The plots are always intelligent and revolve around a different historic scenario. Clever and entertaining.

Wonderful.

Any additional comments?

This is not the best of the series but it is still wonderful and well worth your time.