The Black Hand: A Barker & Llewelyn Novel

Will Thomas' detective series works its way through the 1880's in Victorian London, and each installment is a great treat. Characters are introduced, then revealed at deeper and deeper levels as the stories go forward, others are added, some may be allowed a leave of absence from a volume only to return with smashing effect. Though some of them can barely stand each other, they amount to a durable family-like ensemble, held together only by the rock-hard force of mysterious Cyrus Barker. "The Black Hand," like its predecessors, presents a mystery of violent crime against the backdrop of ethnic and social struggle in a way that is both faithful to history but fair-handed in its treatment. With the tender sensibilities (egos!) of the Home Office, Scotland Yard, and the River Police to balance, Inquiry Agent Cyrus Barker is the only logical weapon to deploy. Perhaps the single most enjoyable aspect of reading Will Thomas is to immerse yourself in the writings of an authentic Victorian (who happens to live in 21st century Oklahoma!). The historical detail, the turns of phrase, and most of all the atmosphere you will find in these tales is by all means authentic Victorian.

Five for Five refers not to this book alone but to the entire series. Will Thomas has created a series of extremely entertaining plots jam-packed with characters you quickly learn to care a great deal about.

I picked up the first novel in this series, "Some Danger Involved", on a second hand rack and it sat on my bookshelf for a couple of years. One day I picked it up and started to reead and I was hooked. I immediately ordered all subsequent books in the series. I've heard it compared to Sherlock Holmes but it's really quite different and only comparable in a superficial way. I highly recommend the series and can't wait for the next one.

Another action-packed adventure in this brilliant series will transport you back to Victorian England where our daring duo Barker and Llewelyn take on the Mafia in order to thwart them from securing a foothold on their turf. Llewelyn, now a year and a half in the employ of private enquiry agent, Cyrus Barker, earns his stripes in this fast-paced, fifth installment of the series. If you haven't read any of the series yet, you don't know what you're missing. Imagine Sherlock Holmes meets James Bond. If only Mr. Thomas could write as fast as we fans greedily devour each read...Until then, like Cyrus Barker, we'll have to exercise extraordinary discipline and patience as we eagerly await the next one!

Private enquiry agent Clive Barker and his twenty-two year old Welsh assistant, Thomas Llewelyn, take on the Sicilian mafia in "The Black Hand," by Will Thomas. The year is 1885. At a meeting with Inspector Poole of Scotland Yard and Inspector Dunham of the Thames Police, Barker and Llewelyn receive a piece of startling news. Two dead bodies have been found--those of Giorgio Serafini, the best assassin north of Naples, and his wife, Isabella. They were shot, stuffed in the barrel, and tossed into the river. In addition, Sir Alan Blesdoe, Director of the East and West India Docks, was killed when someone inserted a sharp object in his ear, penetrating his brain. Robert Anderson, of the Home Office, recruits Barker to look into the sudden increase in crime all over London. Barker's mission is to find the ringleader who has fomented discontent among the Sicilian dockworkers and planned all of this mayhem. Thomas, in the year and a half that he has been in Barker's employ, has learned a great deal, including various styles of hand-to-hand combat (such as Chinese boxing, Japanese wrestling, and stick-fighting), how to detonate explosives, and how to hone his powers of observation. He will need to be in top form when he and the "Guv" are pitted against a gang of fanatical and violent adversaries. Barker knows that to win this conflict he will have to call in favors and gather men as vicious and cunning as his enemies. "The Black Hand" is an exhilarating adventure, in which Will Thomas includes well-searched tidbits of Italian history. As always, the author populates his novel with a cast of colorful characters. Victor Gigliotti is an Italian restaurateur and the powerful leader of a faction known as the Camorra (the late Serafini had been his bodyguard). Gigliotti is rightfully concerned that an all-out war is about to break out between his men and the Sicilians. When someone close to Barker is stabbed and nearly killed, Cyrus is galvanized into planning his counterattack. He would love to get his hands on a shadowy figure named Marco Faldo, who may be behind the recent outbreak of violence, but no one knows what Faldo looks like or where he may be hiding. In a more romantic vein, we meet the lovely and well-to-do widow, Mrs. Philippa Ashleigh, who is Cyrus Barker's lady love. Thomas is all ears when Mrs. Ashleigh relates some fascinating anecdotes about Cyrus's exploits in China, where he grew up as the son of a missionary. The book concludes with a few clever surprises and a rousing confrontation between our heroes and their bloodthirsty foes. "The Black Hand" is another satisfying installment in this entertaining and well-written series of historical mysteries.