The Black Hand (Barker & Llewelyn Series #5)

Sarcasm, suspense, and action

I've enjoyed all of the books in this series, some of them more than this one, but in this one we learn more about Barker than we ever thought we would. There's plenty of action of the two-fisted kind and lots of sarcasm of the young Welshman kind, and enough violence to hold the attention of most mystery-suspense readers. For those unfamiliar with the series, it is an historical detective serial with one of the central characters, Inquiry Agent Cyrus Barker, being a larger than life type former-missionary-turned-ship-captain-turned-expert-in-all-things-Oriental-including/especially-martial-arts with comic relief coming in the form of the other central character, Thomas Llewelyn, a bright and much despairing young man from Wales who has suffered disgrace, been widowed, and then been accepted as assistant to the formidable Mr. Barker. The characters in these books are varied and individual, their interactions going a long way towards fleshing out the story lines.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

It's annoying that there isn't a sixth and seventh book out in the series...

Very enjoyable. Lots more stories could be told, why stop at five?

An interesting series in the Sherlock Holmes style

My husband and I have a large library of fiction books with our favorite authors but we often look for a new author to add. We found Will Thomas with his first book "Some Danger Involved" and have since collected the series. The series is set in Victorian London and is quite similar to the Sherlock Holmes genre. The main character is an "inquiry agent" Cyrus Barker who is quite like Holmes. Not in looks but in thought and action. He hires the novice apprentice Llewelyn, who is the one who writes the stories. While we could be disappointed that Barker is a take-off on Sherlock Holmes, I find we like Llewelyn and enjoy following his exploits and his growth through the series. Each novel also explores a different ethnic group, about which we learn a lot. From the first novel, about the Jewish culture, through the last novel (the Italian culture) and including the Chinese culture in between. The essence of the mystery they are out to solve is often buried in the traditions of the ethnic culture which is the subject of the book. (I just found all of that SO interesting!) And Barker, being a man of the world, knows much of this. Thomas's writing style is compelling with its action and steady forward movement and better for the first-person relationship with the character of the likeable apprentice Llewelyn. I would say this is a series where you're better off starting with the first book and following this character's growth all the way through. It's worth it.

Welcome back, Will!!

Will Thomas returns to form with the fifth installment in his Barker and Llewelyn series. The enquiry agent and assistant come up against a task of international proportions in The Black Hand, and their mettle is tested time and again in a rollicking adventure from start to finish. Familiar faces come out of London's foggy past to greet the pair and offer both obstacle and assistance, but there are a number of colorful additions to Thomas' masterfully wrought Victorian landscape. The Black Hand follows the somewhat disappointing Hellfire Conspiracy, and the author brings readers back to the marvelous heights reached with The Limehouse Text. Barker's tantalizing past finally becomes a bit clearer, the action and characters are top-notch, and Llewelyn continues to endear himself to an ever-growing fan base. Like any great spectacle, it will leave you with the sense that you underpaid for the privilege.

Thomas' characters are very endearing, unusual.

This is a great read. I do recommend a person begin at the beginning of the series and continue to this book. The series begins with "Some Danger Involved". Can't wait for the next book.

Genre mixing with the best of them

Old Red and Big Red have become two of my favorite people. This book takes a lot of the old standards of westerns, mysteries, Victorian age events, railroads, Chinatown, you name it, and makes it all fresh and new - an adventure anyone would love to be on. I can't wait to see where this journey is going to take us!

On it's Own

This book was good on it's own. I would recommend that the reader explore the previous books by this author. The whole series is worth reading, if one enjoys mysteries.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.