Some Danger Involved

Barker & Llewelyn Series, Book 1

By: Will Thomas

Narrated by: Antony Ferguson

Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

An atmospheric debut novel set on the gritty streets of Victorian London, Some Danger Involved 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. When the eccentric and enigmatic Barker takes the case, he must hire an assistant, and out of all who answer an ad for a position with "some danger involved", he chooses downtrodden Llewelyn, a gutsy young man with a murky past.

As they inch ever closer to the shocking truth behind the murder, Llewelyn is drawn deeper and deeper into Barker's peculiar world of vigilante detective work, as well as the heart of London's teeming underworld.

Brimming with wit and unforgettable characters and steeped in authentic period detail, Some Danger Involved is a captivating novel that introduces an equally captivating duo.

©2004 Will Thomas (P)2016 Tantor

Just OK

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

The narration was B- quality. Often stilted and forced. Not very fluid. Story line was fairly good. I almost didn't listen to the second in the series - then found myself slogging through it since I was on a road trip and had nothing else to listen to. The German character in book 2 was very hard to listen to. I will not buy any more books from this author or narrator.

Really great listen

Good start to a great series! Enough clues for the astute to suspect the culprit. Good characters Good dialogue.

Not Your Average Victorian Detective Story

Any additional comments?

Any Victorian-set detective novel will inevitably be held up against Sherlock to be judged and found wanting by comparison. Fortunately, Thomas makes his detective Barker eccentric and experienced in his own particular ways. I have become tired of authors using Jew-hate as a plot device, but the author handled it sensitively. I found myself enjoying the story without a single cultural cringe.

Mostly Good

Thomas Llewelyn is hired as assistant to Victorian detective Cyrus Barker. The first case he is involved in is the crucifixion of a Jewish man that seems to be leading up to a pogrom.

Barker is an atypical Victorian in many ways, and so close to perfect that the novel nearly becomes Mary Sue-ish. The atmosphere seems more modern than it should at times, due to the use of words that don't seem to fit with a Victorian novel. In addition, more information on Judaism and the London Jewish ghetto is provided than needed, nearly bogging down the narrative. Despite these problems, the mystery is intriguing, the characters engaging, and the writing mostly good. I'm interested enough in Barker and Llewelyn to want to continue the series.


Anthony Ferguson does a fine job of narrating the story, giving distinctive voices to the characters. I would certainly listen to him again.

Good character development, interesting historical details, but overly simplistic story.

I enjoyed the characters and the historical detail, but found the story so simplistic in the end that it was a disappointment.

Predictable Plot But Acceptable

Narration: clear but Welsh and Scots accents are not all that convincing.

Story: Predictable but maybe the series will get better after this first installment.

Very good mystery.

This is my first book by this author but will not be my last. The author is very knowledge so you come away with reading a satisfying mystery and having gained knowledge of history that you were never aware of before.

Quite predictable but enjoyable.

When I first purchased this I was afraid it was another Holmes clone. Well it was in the way almost any murder mystery is. The bad guy was well hidden in plane sight. He killed people for what he thought was justifiable reasons. And so on.

What was different than Holmes. The Inquiry Agent was actually human. He could be wrong. He was not so insufferably pleased with himself nor was he always drugged out.

The assistant is much more animated and has a clue unlike Watson. A very capable young man. He will be interesting to see his transformation into a first rate Inquiry Agent.

The narration was very good. The various accents were subtle rather than overdone.

I look forward to the rest of the series.

superb!

Thoroughly enjoyed this story and the wonderful characters. looking forward to more of the same.

so enjoyable.

love the story and characters. well written. looking forward to more stories of these two.