To Kingdom Come

Barker & Llewelyn Series, Book 2

By: Will Thomas

Narrated by: Antony Ferguson

Length: 9 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

When a bomb destroys the Special Irish Branch of Scotland Yard, all fingers point to the increasingly brazen factions of Irish dissidents seeking liberation from English rule. Volunteering their services to the British government, Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn set out to infiltrate a secret cell of the Irish Republican Brotherhood known as the Invisibles. Posing as a reclusive German bomb maker and his anarchist apprentice, they are recruited for the group's ultimate plan: to bring London to its knees and end the monarchy forever.

Their adventures take them from an abandoned lighthouse on the craggy coast of Wales to the City of Light, where Llewelyn goes undercover with Maire O'Casey, the alluring sister of an Irish radical. Llewelyn again finds himself put to the test by his enigmatic employer as he is schooled in the deadly science of bomb making. Fraught with explosives, secret initiations, and vicious stick fights, and featuring historical figures such as Charles Parnell and W. B. Yeats, To Kingdom Come is a riveting sequel to Some Danger Involved.

©2005 Will Thomas (P)2016 Tantor

Critic reviews

"A successful blend of fiction and fact, this is - as expected - expertly researched and skillfully plotted, with satisfying amounts of emotion (with a growing friendship between Barker and Llewelyn) and suspense." ( Library Journal)

Another good listen

Pricey, but, I loved the first book so I am treating myself to the rest for my birthday. Maybe it is the time period of the series, or the description of the characters, or the believable plats- whatever it is it just works.

Cheesy and badly done

The narration is horrible, and it emphasizes the corniest parts of the plot and story as well as the tropes of the egotistical Barker. Can’t recommend this at all.

Feel like one is in the last century

Will Thomas has a knack for capturing your imagination and you “travel” back in time in his stories. The descriptions of the mood of the story, the time of day, the sun or moon light... I became caught up in the story chapter after chapter. Really enjoyed this book with as each character disguises himself within the book as the plot thickens. Great listen!

I just loved it.

It was a good story with a narrator that has just the right tone. Give the story mood and spirit.

Loved this book

I enjoyed the different dialects and the reading. It kept me sitting on the edge of my seat. Well developed characters.

Entertaining

I was totally immersed into the story almost as soon as I started reading. The characters come alive and the story is engrossing. I felt for the Irishmen and their mistreatment, but abhorred their methods. The story was fast paced and full of excitement. If you love period pieces with timely messages you will most likely enjoy this story. The narrator is fabulously talented.

Characters with Humanity

This was a very good book with lots of locations and colorful characters. The author allowed us to see both sides of the situation and how things aren’t always black and white.

great story, good narration, marred by tech issues

great cast of characters. Barker is the same trope as always, but pleasant. I especially (continue to) like that the protagonist is quick enough not to fall into the common cliches that trap many protagonists in this genre. It keeps the story fresh, and prevented it from getting too predictable.

my only (minor) complaints are:
I struggled to differentiate between the different accents the narrator was attempting...
and that the audio was poorly edited, adding strange pauses and breaks in the middle of sentences, breaking the flow of the narrator and breaking my immersion.

Very enjoyable series.

I came upon the Barker & Llewelyn series by chance and decided to risk the credit. I’m very glad I did.

Interesting characters, well thought out progressions and storylines and a clean and clever presentation with humor in the vein of Dunne, Kinsey et.al.

More than credit worthy imo.

Does Not Disappoint - Another Great Adventure

This second installment of the Barker and Llewelyn Series is another winner from Will Thomas and great performance by Antony Ferguson.

Cyrus Barker and his assistant, Thomas Llewelyn, our two enquiry agents assume false identities and infiltrate the Irish underground to solve the case of the bombing of Scotland Yard, and unveil a tangled web of intrigue.

Seldom do books warrant 5 stars across the board, but this series is that rare exception. Splendidly and tastefully done.

I am glad I found this series and eagerly look forward to plunging in to the next adventure.