Some Danger Involved

Clever writing!

I really enjoyed listening to this book. Will Thomas has written a story about a clash of cultures in Victorian London that was interesting to listen to because he is a very good story teller who includes many historical and even theological bits of information that take it well beyond a simple period mystery.

Told from the perspective of Thomas Llewelyn, the assistant to the eccentric but brilliant Cyrus Barker, the story focuses on their efforts to find the killer of a young Jewish man, and stop the possibility of there being another pogram against the Jews who inhabit this London ghetto.

I find it somewhat interesting as well, that the author has given his own name to the assistant who is initially desperate for any sort of job--indeed is contemplating suicide because he sees no way to go on living--but quickly becomes a character with a lot of fortitude and intelligence and who develops the most over the course of the book.

I nearly marked the stars down a bit because there are a few anachronisms (mostly in language that probably would not have been true to the times) that were a little pesky, but the overall story was so engaging that I decided they didn't make that much difference. A good story, a good mystery and good narration. That's worth 5 stars to me.

111 of 115 people found this review helpful

Introduction to a great historical mystery series

Would you consider the audio edition of Some Danger Involved to be better than the print version?

Yes, though the print version was excellent, too. I have waited a long time for this to come out in an audio version. I hope more of the series will become avialable on audio.

What other book might you compare Some Danger Involved to and why?

It is pretty unique. The closest I can think of is Alex Grecian's "Murder Squad".

What about Antony Ferguson’s performance did you like?

Wonderful performance! He really had the accents and characterizations down perfectly. You really feel as if there are many different people speaking.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Well, no, because I like to savor it.

Any additional comments?

This initial book, written some years ago, is actually an introduction to the variety of characters that appear again and again in the series. They are unique, mysterious, enigmatic and interesting. Though this first story may have disappointed some in its outcome, they get better and better as the series goes on. I particularly liked Will Thomas' obvious research into the details of the problems of this historical period that are not unlike what goes on in our world today with its religious and racial prejudices and its economic woes. The story is told from the point of view of a new young assistant to the enigmatic Cyrus Barker. Though he has never been a detective's assistant, he learns the business from a unique character who works his way through his cases with an intuitive thought process and an understanding of human nature and the criminal mind. Don't give up on this series based on your opinion of the first book. They just get more intriguing. I hope that Audible will be able to provide more than just the first two in the series, in the future.

57 of 60 people found this review helpful

NOT TERRIBLE, BUT...

This one fell sort of the mark for me. The first few chapters introducing the two main characters were the best. The writing was crisp, and both characters were unique in there own way. Also the book showed glimpses of humor that was very promising. My knowledge of the Jewish community is limited so I appreciated the insight he imparted. However, half way through, I came to feel that it occupied too much of the book. The author seemed to become preoccupied with the topic and went off on long tangents. Then there was all the diatribe about religion. I purposely avoid books with regards to religion as my views on that subject are very personal. Some content on religion is okay but there was quite a bit, and my mind began to wander.

The mystery was half-baked at best. Don't bother trying to figure this one out , because there weren't any viable clues left for us readers. However, I did very much enjoy the developing relationship between Barker and Llewelyn, and if the mystery was tighter I feel this series would have had more potential. Some reviewers said the series got better and better with each book. With that in mind, I won't be opposed to trying another book in the future.

90 of 96 people found this review helpful

Great New Series

This is the beginning of a what I hope to be a great new series. The narrator does a great job with my only complaint being the narration of Irish characters which to be truthful is a quirk with me. DO NOT LET THAT DISSUADE YOU FROM A GREAT BOOK!

24 of 28 people found this review helpful

derivative but original

In the Holmes tradition, but with enough variation to make it interesting. An interesting story that taught me about race relations I hadn't thought about before, with characters both predictable and surprising. Pleasant ambiance, more like Nero Wolfe than Holmes . . .

14 of 16 people found this review helpful

Exciting, interesting, humorous, my new favorite.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I will recommend this books to everyone I know.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Thomas Llewellyn, he was humorous, easily identified with, and very likable.

What about Antony Ferguson’s performance did you like?

He was very at Scottish accents, in fact all of the various accents, and portrayed the verbal expressions of the characters very well.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I can't think of one.

18 of 21 people found this review helpful

Very interesting story

I've enjoyed listening to this mystery and will be watching for more titles by Will Thomas. The characters are very well rounded and believable. The loss of one star for performance is that I felt Mr Barker's voice should be deeper and gruffer, but the accents were spot on. I liked the variety of people throughout the story, their various areas of expertise, quirks and how they handle unexpected events.

13 of 15 people found this review helpful

Sherlock fans will love this series

Great mystery novel! I've read the whole series - so glad I can listen to them now!
They're very well researched and every book focuses on a minority community in Victorian London - this book is the Jewish community.

26 of 31 people found this review helpful

Didn't do it for this mystery fan.

I listen to a lot of mysteries including classics, more contemporary ones, cozy ones, etc.
This just didn't do it for me. I made it through a little more than half and ended up returning. As others have mentioned, the mystery seemed secondary to the relationship between the apprentice and the old hand. And while this works in some, it didn't here. Seemed forced.

11 of 13 people found this review helpful

REALLY overrated

Has Some Danger Involved turned you off from other books in this genre?

I really like this genre - historical mysteries and I loved the concept of the down-on-his-luck assistant detective but the author did not do the mystery justice. The author got bogged down in educating the reader about Jewish history that he forgot to challenge the reader to a good mystery.

Any additional comments?

My issue with the mystery portion of the book is that the plot+clues were extremely flimsy. Good mysteries tie all the pieces together at the end in a satisfactory way. But Mr. Thomas petered out at the end and just typed out any old ending to complete his book.

There were so many holes at the end of the book that it was jarring to listen to and disappointing to waste one credit.

**** SPOILER ALERT *****

1) Barker and Llewellyn drive around London for several days talking to possible suspects. Other than political beliefs, none of the people they talk to is a good suspect. All of the talking and posturing was boring and did not seem to advance the mystery. There was no connecting the dots as there is in most mysteries. These men just walked around and talked to religious people and waited for things to happen.

3) If Racket was driving the cab, how could he shoot into the cab? Did I miss that they were stopped?

2) The end is the most frustrating: When Llewellyn gets in the cab with Racket, supposedly Barker sees him leaving and fights his way through the mob to follow him. He later says that he was only a few seconds behind the cab. However, logistically, the amount of time that it would have taken for Racket to hitch Llewellyn onto the post is much more than a few seconds. Combine that with the "confession" that Racket gave to Llewellyn after Llewellyn was tied up upside down - another 2-3 minutes. Where was Barker? Surely the author could have come up with another solution to be 5 minutes behind.

3) The author tries to make it appear that Barker is omniscient and perfect. If he was so suspicious of Racket, why didn't he tell Llewellyn? That seems so irresponsible for such a perfect detective and out of character.

34 of 42 people found this review helpful