“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. ( )

With 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. ( )

Absolutely 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. ( )

All 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. ( )

Blood Is Blood
By
Will Thompson

What 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. ( )