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ogrebattle's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
dantastic's review against another edition
4.0
When his arch-nemesis Sebastian Nightwine returns to town, detective Cyrus Barker and his assistant Thomas Llewellyn are on guard. But why does Nightwine have diplomatic immunity and protection from Scotland Yard? Can Barker and Llewellyn find out what Nightwine is up to without winding up in jail?
I got this from Netgalley and the fine folks at St. Martin's.
This is the sixth Barker and Llewellyn book but, as the blurb on Netgalley promised, serves to reintroduce the pair to new readers and does a fine job at that. While there were a few references to past cases, I was perfectly able to enjoy this one on its own.
When it comes to Victorian detective stories, all things start with Sherlock Holmes. While Barker and Llewellyn might be the literary great grandchildren of Holmes and Watson, they owe little to the Great Detective and his chronicler. Barker, with his keen detective skills, is the Holmes of the pair, but he's a burly world traveler known for his skill with firearms and his fists. And he's not addicted to opium or other illicit substances, which is refreshing in a Victorian era detective. Llewellyn is a young handsome former felon and widower.
Another things that separates Barker and Llewellyn from Holmes and Watson is that Holmes and Watson never took a world class shit-kicking. Barker and Llewellyn go through several wringers in this one.
The story isn't all that complex at the beginning. Sebastian Nightwine, Barker's moriarty, returns to London with a plan of conquest and some maps and gets diplomatic immunity to keep Barker off his back. Soon, Barker is framed for murder and gets a bounty put on his head. Things quickly spiral out of control with a mysterious woman thrown into the mix.
Llewellyn, idealistic young Welshman, is a great narrator since he's normally almost as in the dark as the reader. Barker is a complicated man with a complicated past, far from the Sherlock Holmes-inspired character I thought he would be before I started reading. I felt bad for poor Llewellyn, getting dragged in Barker's wake for most of the book and taking a really brutal beating for his employer.
Will Thomas's writing has a fairly serious tone but was much easier to digest than a lot of similar books. There was also a good amount of humor. I loved that there was a killer named Psmith in it, who found the need to mention the silent P, much like P.G. Wodehouse's Psmith character. Man, I really need to read another Wodehouse book sometime soon.
Anyway, despite being the sixth book in a series and the first I've read, I found Fatal Enquiry to be a very engaging mystery full of characters I want to read more about. To the bookstore! Four out of five stars.
I got this from Netgalley and the fine folks at St. Martin's.
This is the sixth Barker and Llewellyn book but, as the blurb on Netgalley promised, serves to reintroduce the pair to new readers and does a fine job at that. While there were a few references to past cases, I was perfectly able to enjoy this one on its own.
When it comes to Victorian detective stories, all things start with Sherlock Holmes. While Barker and Llewellyn might be the literary great grandchildren of Holmes and Watson, they owe little to the Great Detective and his chronicler. Barker, with his keen detective skills, is the Holmes of the pair, but he's a burly world traveler known for his skill with firearms and his fists. And he's not addicted to opium or other illicit substances, which is refreshing in a Victorian era detective. Llewellyn is a young handsome former felon and widower.
Another things that separates Barker and Llewellyn from Holmes and Watson is that Holmes and Watson never took a world class shit-kicking. Barker and Llewellyn go through several wringers in this one.
The story isn't all that complex at the beginning. Sebastian Nightwine, Barker's moriarty, returns to London with a plan of conquest and some maps and gets diplomatic immunity to keep Barker off his back. Soon, Barker is framed for murder and gets a bounty put on his head. Things quickly spiral out of control with a mysterious woman thrown into the mix.
Llewellyn, idealistic young Welshman, is a great narrator since he's normally almost as in the dark as the reader. Barker is a complicated man with a complicated past, far from the Sherlock Holmes-inspired character I thought he would be before I started reading. I felt bad for poor Llewellyn, getting dragged in Barker's wake for most of the book and taking a really brutal beating for his employer.
Will Thomas's writing has a fairly serious tone but was much easier to digest than a lot of similar books. There was also a good amount of humor. I loved that there was a killer named Psmith in it, who found the need to mention the silent P, much like P.G. Wodehouse's Psmith character. Man, I really need to read another Wodehouse book sometime soon.
Anyway, despite being the sixth book in a series and the first I've read, I found Fatal Enquiry to be a very engaging mystery full of characters I want to read more about. To the bookstore! Four out of five stars.
cotokeet's review against another edition
4.0
This is by far my favorite of the series, which is all the better because I wasn't a big fan of the previous installment. This book holds the distinction of making me laugh out loud four times in the span of about 30 minutes, which is not something I expect from this series.
I'm very impressed.
I'm very impressed.
thexgrayxlady's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.5
This book is so thoroughly unenjoyable I don't think that I want to send it back to the book box whence it came. If you want an iteration of Holmes and Watson wherein Watson is genuinely stupid and Holmes is an unrepentant jackass, and a deeply stupid mystery that gets solved off page, this is for you. If not for the fact that A Discovery of Witches is so damn long, it would be the worst thing I've read this year.
thenecessarysalamander's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
hpstrangelove's review against another edition
5.0
Audiobook review. Narrator: Antony Ferguson
I think this is my favorite book of the series, mostly because of Sebastian Nightwine. He's a smooth sociopath with a dark fixation on Barker.
My only complaint about the book is the surprise at the ending - I keep waiting for it to develop into more of a story of it's own in a later book, and maybe it will. I've read on Facebook that Antony Ferguson is going to start recording Book 10, Blood Is Blood, on October 5.
I think this is my favorite book of the series, mostly because of Sebastian Nightwine. He's a smooth sociopath with a dark fixation on Barker.
My only complaint about the book is the surprise at the ending - I keep waiting for it to develop into more of a story of it's own in a later book, and maybe it will. I've read on Facebook that Antony Ferguson is going to start recording Book 10, Blood Is Blood, on October 5.
lazygal's review against another edition
3.0
There is definite humor here, with Llewelyn acting like an early version of Archie Goodwin. Barker is no Nero Wolf, on the other hand, nor is he particularly Holmesian. It may be this particular book, but there's little detection and more running around, more fighting and more talking about Barker's past interactions with Nightwine than I'd hoped for. It didn't really feel like a historical mystery (a la Anne Perry's Pitt mysteries) but more like a modern one shoehorned into the Victorian era.
lgiegerich's review against another edition
4.0
I forgot how entertaining this series is! Great characters, though maybe the mystery wasn't of the highest order. I look forward to the next one.
patlibrary89's review against another edition
4.0
love a mystery and local author in Oklahoma. This was a bookclub book for March 2018 by Gail Morris. I own this book and will probably let someone borrow or have it.
krazyklownz's review against another edition
3.0
In the last book Thomas complained about how London did not have ambulances, stated historical facts about ambulances, and then talked about how London likely wasn't going to adopt them any time soon. What I need to understand is why he had to ask Forbes what an ambulance was in this book. How does one forget what an ambulance is when you previously had extensive knowledge on the social importance of medical care? How hard did Nightwine hit him? Did he only knock out information about ambulances? What else has Thomas forgotten? Why is this the only thing I remember from these two books?