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  • Some Danger Involved

  • Barker & Llewelyn Series, Book 1
  • By: Will Thomas
  • Narrated by: Antony Ferguson
  • Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (183 ratings)
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Some Danger Involved cover art

Some Danger Involved

By: Will Thomas
Narrated by: Antony Ferguson
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Summary

An atmospheric debut novel set on the gritty streets of Victorian London, Some Danger Involved introduces detective Cyrus Barker and his assistant, Thomas Llewelyn, as they work to solve the gruesome murder of a young scholar in London's Jewish ghetto. When the eccentric and enigmatic Barker takes the case, he must hire an assistant, and out of all who answer an ad for a position with "some danger involved", he chooses downtrodden Llewelyn, a gutsy young man with a murky past.

As they inch ever closer to the shocking truth behind the murder, Llewelyn is drawn deeper and deeper into Barker's peculiar world of vigilante detective work, as well as the heart of London's teeming underworld.

Brimming with wit and unforgettable characters and steeped in authentic period detail, Some Danger Involved is a captivating novel that introduces an equally captivating duo.

©2004 Will Thomas (P)2016 Tantor

What listeners say about Some Danger Involved

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Resonant Echoes of the Past

I think it's fair to say that the concept of an inscrutable detective, or as Mr Barker would remind us "Enquiry agent" seen through the eyes of an assistant in Victorian London is not exactly brand new. However, it has not often been done this well.

"Some Danger Involved" introduces us to the enigma that is Cyrus Barker seen through the eyes of his sometimes hapless but actually quite talented assistant, Thomas Llewelyn. The book moves mostly at a reasonably sedate pace successfully evoking a very atmospheric period London at both its best and worst. Will Thomas introduces us to an extremely rich cast of characters while demonstrating ably his knowledge of the times, the city and in particular the Jewish community who feature prominently.

Barker really does fit the bill and both he and Llewelyn are painted with depth and care. The interview scene I found particularly revealing and enjoyable. The rest of the cast also have genuine colour and the time taken to introduce them does slow the pace but they promise much more to come in future episodes.

Antony Ferguson's narration is very well suited and attuned to what the author is trying to portray. He is particularly good with Barker himself.

The story itself while set in Victorian London is incredibly relevant to today's Britain. The theme of prejudice around immigration really is as old as civilisation and it is quite stunning how these echoes from our past continue to resonate today. Thomas does not fall into the trap of polarising the effects, he recognises the multi-faceted nature of this particular beast.

I understand that this book was five years in the making and the result of all that effort is a top quality novel which appears to usher in a series with characters I could grow to love.

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20 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • K
  • 11-02-17

Jolly enough take on an old formulae

The story was actually very engaging.
Victorian crime novels with a sleuth and his side-kick have started to get a bit hackneyed recently. Presumably many authors are cashing in on the Sherlock Hoes revival. However, this offering is interesting and different enough to easily keep the reader's attention. The Scottish (at least I think he's meant to be) sleuth and his down-at-heel assistant are a nicely conceived characters and the peripheral characters are both diverse and complimentary to the tale.

There's nothing essentially new or inventive in this take on the classic detective novel but it is written slickly and engagingly enough to make it a worthwhile listen.

I must say, though, that the narrater is dreadful. He reads like an automated telephone answering machine and his accents are abominable - his Scottish is barely there but his Irish at one point is indistinguishable from Cockney and his French chef has surely migrated to London via Jamaica. It must really be a good book to keep me listening through this shocker care of narrator, Anthony Ferguson (with a name like Ferguson- you'd think he'd manage the Scottish accent okay).

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Shame about the narrator!

Not a bad book if it had not been for terrible narrator. Made it tedious.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

The Barker and Lewelyn Series.

A very good story well. I look forward to hearing more in this series. The main character is not unlike Holmes. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and for any Holmes fans, I'm sure that you will enjoy it too.
Review by 'The book worm'.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Not a bad book but reader terrible at accents

The story is okay, with the odd bit that throws you out of the plot when you can tell the author is American and/or didn't research enough. Most of his historical research is accurate, excellent even, but there's just the odd turn of phrase or situation that isn't right. The persistent idea that lots of people had telephones to hand when the book is set drives me mad, but that said it doesn't affect the plot that much so it's easy to skip over.

The biggest issue is the reader can't really do accents for anyone not English or Scottish. Everyone else sounds like they're from Caribbean.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Victorian murder mystery

This is a perfectly pleasant, slightly cliched, Victorian mystery. If you know the trope you know what you’re going to get and this is not a bad one by far. The characters are interesting and the plot is good. The book is only let down by the narrator. You know the AI voiceover voice? Well imagine that reading a novel and you have the narrator. I just don’t understand it. His intonation is all over the place. When he’s doing voices of characters other than the protagonist he’s ok. But the rest is bizarre. I persevered with it as the story intrigued me, yet it irritated me throughout. I may listen to the next book - but purely because they’re all currently included free on audible. If I’d have paid a credit for this I may have been less inclined to persevere! It’s a shame because with the right narrator these books could have been a really good series to get stuck in to.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Dreadful

I can only presume that the person 'Simon' who wrote the 5 stars all round review is related to the writer. The narration is difficult to believe, a half dead sheep would do a better job. The quality of the writing- well an example 'The dog barked and I remembered his name, 'Barker', I said'. The subject matter 'Jews and Pogroms' was almost some form of propaganda, with Jew or Jewish being every other word. However being captivated by its utter ridiculousness, I did listen to the end ' Dr Allcroft feared brain fever'.... No, I am sure I will recover from this experience.............

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

A Pint of Bitters ?

Aussie narrator with clear precise diction; have had several books this this reader, but this one is like English read for someone learning English. Sadly it is a very American'ized tale set in Victorian times in England, with city blocks, two-pence (should be pronounced tuppence), men in pants, and an order of a pint of bitters ! (an alcoholic preparation flavored with botanical matter ie Angustura or oranges, not hops; a drink no man orders, which is used as a spiced accompaniment to gin). Punctuating the tale with out of place words is jolting to English ears and interrupts enjoyment and flow.

Made it 2 hrs before the mis-matching of the elements over irked me once too much and I switched it off.

DISAPPOINTING

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Don’t

Sadly this is completely spoilt by the narrators terrible accents. Scottish is bearable but the Irish is terrible and the German sounds straight from the shores of the West Indies. I enjoyed the first book, but I can’t complete this one.

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2 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Didn't grab me

I couldn't find any interest in the characters and found the Australian (?) narrator rather jarring.

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2 people found this helpful