The Black Hand

Private enquiry agent Cyrus Barker and his assistant Thomas Llewelyn begin their fifth recorded case at the docks of London's East End. The bodies of an Italian assassin and his wife, who was just as deadly as her husband and never far from his side, are discovered floating in a barrel near the dock......more

I'm going to go out on a limb and give this 5 stars. It is the fifth book after all. And usually by book #5, I expect the author not to care so much, since he already has his readership hooked. But no! Barker & Llewelyn are as fresh as ever and the book is as good, if not better, than the first one.......more

Both fun and thoughtful. Real insight into what London at the dawn of Scotland Yard must have been like. And the beginnings of what we know today to be the world of the Private Investigator. This is another Barker and Llewelyn adventure. As the title suggests, they take on the Mafia as the Sicilians......more

A binge of a series in books instead of video takes a while. I'm trying not to hurry through them. Here is my review of book 5 of the Will Thomas series featuring a wonderfully mismatched set of Victorian enquiry agents in London. Yes, it is a great idea to read these in order. The characterizations o......more

I was ready to swear off this series, but when faced with a week's worth of computer upgrade work and this book for company, I gave in for one last round. I don't quite know what to think of this series, really. All the right pieces are in place - I enjoy the historical asides, the main characters an......more