Enthralling fast paced read!
Lethal Pursuit (Barker & Llewelyn #11) by Will Thomas
London 1892, a man is stabbed to death just near Whitehall. Various packs of mysterious young men dressed uniformly in blue coats and caps with swords have been seen.
Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn are led via a convoluted route to visit the Prime Minister. As part of that journey involves tunnels, Thomas is not enamored. “Down the rabbit hole,” he jokes, but it appears he has a fear of enclosed spaces and is not so sanguine about this part of things.
The mysterious man was a Foreign Office Agent. Barker and Llewelyn are not to look into his death but are to deliver a package and its mysterious contents to France. And even here Barker is very careful about the phrasing of his agreement. In the words of a well loved Bard and a famous sleuth, "The game is afoot!"
Barker's nemesis, Commissioner James Munro of the London Metropolitan Police, comes into play with a large amount of acrimony and petty antics on Munro's part. Of course in the end that particular bird comes home to roost, but not after some high jinks and awkward moments for the government.
But Munro's just one of many interested in Barker and Llewelyn's movements. The list includes the German government, various branches of the British government (talk about loose lips sink ships!), powerful and wealthy pundits, the Vatican and various other political and religious groups. Oh, and to cap it all off, the Knight Templars!
I was fascinated by the dissertation on fencing and sword play, including Mensurites, apparently, "a style of fencing in Eastern Europe, taught mostly in universities and schools ... Also known as ‘academic fencing.’" ... And yes, this becomes another important tidbit!
This was my first Barker and Llewelyn encounter, and although a reading of previous novels would be an asset, I didn't find my lack of knowledge of their history in any deterred from my reading enjoyment, which I'd first put at a four star rating but on reflection have decided to five star it. Although I must say this later novel has spurred me on to investigate their past.
A St. Martins Press ARC via NetGalley
*****
Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn are led via a convoluted route to visit the Prime Minister. As part of that journey involves tunnels, Thomas is not enamored. “Down the rabbit hole,” he jokes, but it appears he has a fear of enclosed spaces and is not so sanguine about this part of things.
The mysterious man was a Foreign Office Agent. Barker and Llewelyn are not to look into his death but are to deliver a package and its mysterious contents to France. And even here Barker is very careful about the phrasing of his agreement. In the words of a well loved Bard and a famous sleuth, "The game is afoot!"
Barker's nemesis, Commissioner James Munro of the London Metropolitan Police, comes into play with a large amount of acrimony and petty antics on Munro's part. Of course in the end that particular bird comes home to roost, but not after some high jinks and awkward moments for the government.
But Munro's just one of many interested in Barker and Llewelyn's movements. The list includes the German government, various branches of the British government (talk about loose lips sink ships!), powerful and wealthy pundits, the Vatican and various other political and religious groups. Oh, and to cap it all off, the Knight Templars!
I was fascinated by the dissertation on fencing and sword play, including Mensurites, apparently, "a style of fencing in Eastern Europe, taught mostly in universities and schools ... Also known as ‘academic fencing.’" ... And yes, this becomes another important tidbit!
This was my first Barker and Llewelyn encounter, and although a reading of previous novels would be an asset, I didn't find my lack of knowledge of their history in any deterred from my reading enjoyment, which I'd first put at a four star rating but on reflection have decided to five star it. Although I must say this later novel has spurred me on to investigate their past.
A St. Martins Press ARC via NetGalley
*****
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