Audiobook9 hours
Blood Is Blood
Written by Will Thomas
Narrated by Antony Ferguson
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
()
About this audiobook
In nineteenth-century London, Cyrus Barker and his associate Thomas Llewelyn are renowned private enquiry agents, successfully employed by the highest levels of Her Majesty's government as well as private citizens. Their success, however, has led to their acquiring a powerful group of enemies, many of whom are determined to have their revenge.
At least one of those enemies is responsible for a bombing of their offices that puts Cyrus Barker into the hospital and endangers Thomas Llewelyn's rapidly forthcoming nuptials. To add to the confusion, Barker's long-lost brother Caleb turns up on the rubble of their doorstep not long after the not-quite-fatal bombing.
Unsure of Caleb and warned about him by Barker, Thomas reluctantly accepts Caleb's help both with a new case that comes in as well as trying to pinpoint which of Barker's enemies is making a move against them. As Thomas works his way through their enemy list, someone else is winnowing down that list: one by one those enemies are dying.
With time running out-and his bride-to-be reconsidering their marriage-Llewelyn must (with the sick-bed bound Barker's help) uncover the killer and the plot before it's too late.
At least one of those enemies is responsible for a bombing of their offices that puts Cyrus Barker into the hospital and endangers Thomas Llewelyn's rapidly forthcoming nuptials. To add to the confusion, Barker's long-lost brother Caleb turns up on the rubble of their doorstep not long after the not-quite-fatal bombing.
Unsure of Caleb and warned about him by Barker, Thomas reluctantly accepts Caleb's help both with a new case that comes in as well as trying to pinpoint which of Barker's enemies is making a move against them. As Thomas works his way through their enemy list, someone else is winnowing down that list: one by one those enemies are dying.
With time running out-and his bride-to-be reconsidering their marriage-Llewelyn must (with the sick-bed bound Barker's help) uncover the killer and the plot before it's too late.
Author
Will Thomas
WILL THOMAS is the author of the Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn series, including The Black Hand, The Hellfire Conspiracy, The Limehouse Text, To Kingdom Come, and the Shamus and Barry award-nominated Some Danger Involved. He lives with his family in Oklahoma.
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Titles in the series (11)
Some Danger Involved Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5To Kingdom Come Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hellfire Conspiracy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fatal Enquiry Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Limehouse Text Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hell Bay Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Black Hand Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Anatomy of Evil Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Old Scores Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Blood Is Blood Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lethal Pursuit Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
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Reviews for Blood Is Blood
Rating: 4.213333274666667 out of 5 stars
4/5
75 ratings11 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Thomas Llewelyn is a young private enquiry agent who has worked for Cyrus Barker for 6 years. Thomas is to marry his fiancé Rebecca in two weeks, when an explosion destroys Barker's office and puts him in the hospital with serious injuries. Accordingly, most of the detective work in this book is done by Thomas, and I missed having more of Barker. Soon after the explosion, Barker's long lost brother Caleb suddenly appears and occasionally tags along with Thomas as he tracks down all of the people with the motive and opportunity to have attacked Barker. I didn't think that Caleb added much to this book, other than acting mysterious and adding red herrings. I've read every book in this series. My favorites were the first three, and there have been one or two that were pretty bad. This one falls somewhere in the middle - 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. It held my interest and didn't make me want to skim through it. I didn't find the explanation of how, why and by whom the crimes in this book were committed very convincing. This book also did not have any of the historical details that have made some of the previous books more interesting. In the ARC that I read there were a couple of serious editing/continuity errors that were distracting. I hope that they will be corrected in the final version of the book. I stick with very few series, but I find the Barker/Llewelyn combination entertaining enough to keep me reading. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
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- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Love everything about this book, specially the characters, including the British, the American and the French ones.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I thoroughly enjoy this series. The characters grow in each book and there is always a twist to the mystery
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5“Blood Is Blood,” the 2018 Barker & Llewelyn mystery by Will Thomas, starts with a bang — quite literally. The London office where these late-19th century "enquiry agents" work is blown to bits, leaving Cyrus Barker seriously injured. It also leaves Thomas Llewelyn, his assistant, in charge of finding who is responsible for the explosion. And it's just one week before the younger man's planned marriage to Rebecca, a beautiful Jewish widow.Just then Barker's older brother, Caleb, shows up. He's been in America for a number, working as a Pinkerton detective and now on an assignment in England. The two brothers have never gotten along, but Caleb agrees to help because, after all, blood is blood. Yet Llewelyn can never be sure if Caleb is more help than hinderance, given his habit of disappearing for hours at a time without explanation.Llewelyn decides the guilty party must be someone with a grudge against Cyrus, and so he investigates all of the likely suspects, including those still in prison. He is assaulted and threatened at every turn, although an attractive young woman who keeps appearing and disappearing seems to be his greatest threat. Llewelyn kills a man for the first time, endangering his wedding because he does so in Rebecca's presence. The fact that he may have saved her life does not seem to weigh in his favor.Will Thomas, an American, keeps these adventures lively and exciting, and “Blood Is Blood” is certainly no exception.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5With Cyrus Barker hospitalized as a result of a bomb exploding in their office and a theft by deception from Barker's bank account, it's up to Barker's assistant Thomas Llewelyn to investigate to find the person or persons responsible. There are any number of suspects to question. Can Llewelyn solve the case before there are other incidents? A nice edition to good Victorian London mystery series.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Absolutely delicious. I chuckled all the way through it, not because of the really nasty mastermind prompting Barker & Llewellyn's escapades (mostly Llewellyn), but because of the interplay between the standing cast of characters I've grown to love over the years. I suppose you could pick this up without reading its predecessors, but I personally wouldn't recommend this as the first read for people who are unfamiliar with the series. There's a lot of backstory that you need to know to fully appreciate the humor and side plots. However, for die-hard fans, this is a good 'un.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5All throughout reading this novel I kept thinking: this trundles along nicely. It's both a complement and a bit of a slight. You will get all you expect, the atmospheric Victorian setting, the well mannered and well spoken ladies and gentlemen and of course the dastardly uncatchable villain. Mind you, it's a pleasure to read. This book is exactly what it purports to be, nothing more and nothing less, which in some ways is a breath of fresh air.We have a private consulting detective's assistant and his Jewish wife-to-be. We have an immediate explosion on the first few pages, which destroys most of the offices of our protagonist and finally we have the sleuthing employer with a host of underworld types you can and want to see in a Victorian romp. Our dependable dewy eyed hero must find out who did the terrible deed and save his pending marriage at the same time. We follow a colorful cast through the usual locations such as insane asylums, the streets of Paris and your typical dark alleyways filled with ruffians.The plot is a bit predictable, although well put together. The descriptions are vivid and accessible and the whole thing steams along at an admirable pace. You might think I'm painting a terribly picture of a novel you shouldn't read. I actually quite recommend this one, it will satisfy you and keep you warm for a few evenings. I think for some reason the writing is solid enough that I expected more.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Blood Is BloodByWill ThompsonWhat it's all about...Llewelyn and Barker...they are turn of the century private detectives. This book is one of the later books in this series. In this one their office is bombed and Barker is hurt while Llewelyn is left to figure out how all of this happened. Then...out of the blue...Barker’s rough and tumble brother shows up...from America. He wants to help find the bombers, too! Why I wanted to read it...I love books like this and I immediately grew fond of Llewelyn and his fiancé...Rebecca. Llewelyn is sort of lost without his boss Barker around...at least that was my impression. He sort of stumbles along...things happen...he is not very decisive. But he is determined. What made me truly enjoy this book...The escapades of Llewelyn and the Barker Brother were what made me enjoy this book. There are gunfights, possible kidnappings, broken engagements and murders! This book is very exciting! Why you should read it, too...Readers who love these odd old adventures should enjoy this book and this series. I received an advance reader’s copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley and Amazon. It was my choice to read it and review it.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Surprisingly enough, I didn't actually listen to the audiobook of this one. I read an ARC of the upcoming hardcover, but Minotaur hasn't managed to put it up on GR yet and I just don't feel like doing it this morning, so here we are.
Not my favorite of the series—can't say I particularly cared for the insertion of Cyrus's long-lost brother—but still a fairly enjoyable mystery. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5With Barker in the hospital, this is the first time that young Thomas Llewelyn is in total charge of an investigation, and-- wouldn't you know it-- it's a case in which both their lives are in grave danger. He needs help, but the only help he can get is from Barker's brother, Caleb, who seems to have spent most of his time in the United States-- much of it as a Pinkerton agent. This could be good news, but Caleb has a nasty habit of disappearing all the time, and the U.S. Embassy is after him and Thomas doesn't know why. Blood Is Blood is a very strange and complex mystery, with danger appearing unexpectedly from any and all directions. Will Thomas knows how to make readers wish they had eyes in the backs of their heads. I did enjoy the mystery very much, and it wasn't easy to determine if Caleb Barker was a good guy or a bad one. The only small problem I had with the story is that-- even after six years and everything he's been through-- I thought Thomas Llewelyn didn't perform all that well as the one in charge of the investigation. He took too many things at face value and as a result, put those closest to him in danger.But that is a small irritation in this latest book in one of my favorite historical mystery series. Will Thomas always puts me right in the heart of Victorian London with his fast-paced, heart-thumping mysteries and strong main characters. Once again, I'm left waiting to see where he takes me next. Wherever it is, I know I will enjoy the journey.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Blood is Blood, by Will Thomas, is about the tenth in the series of books featuring a duo of private enquiry agents set in Victorian London. Cyrus Barker is the head of the firm and Thomas Llewelyn, is his agent in training for the past six years. Cyrus is a man of the world and a force of nature, who has raised his business to the heights of respectability having successfully solved a number of cases for both the upper crust and the common man. This case however is very different. The agency itself has been attacked by a bomber who blew up the agency’s building with Barker and Llewelyn still in it. Barker is badly injured and it is up to LLewelyn, who narrowly escaped any major injuries, to take the reins and find out who has targeted them. The book is very well written. The plot moves smoothly and steadily through a twisting trail of suspects. There is plenty of action and a bit of romance as Llewelyn is about to be married though every road has its rough patches. It is what I would call a light read. There is no dark cloying atmosphere nor any excessive bloodletting, as in many novels, to mire the action. This is the first Barker and Llewelyn novel I have read, but I intend to remedy that oversight. Book provided by Amazon Vine for review.