Cathy C. (cathyskye) -
Helpful Score: 1
The one killer in all of history who simply refuses to go quietly into that good night is Jack the Ripper. Crime fiction is awash with books about his crime spree and his identity. Most of them are forgettable, but Will Thomas's Anatomy of Evil manages to put a whole new spin on the case and becomes very memorable as a result. How does Thomas do this?
First, he puts his very unconventional private enquiry agents (Barker refuses to be called a "private detective") Barker and Llewelyn right in the midst of Scotland Yard, combining their skills and contacts with all the information and man power that Scotland Yard has at its disposal. What the two men walk into is a jurisdictional nightmare of infighting and jockeying for position among the higher-ups. Thomas makes this much clearer than so many other fictional accounts have done in the past.
Another area in which Thomas excels is with the murder victims themselves. Many other writers have tended to list the women merely as drunks and prostitutes... and as so much dead meat. Will Thomas gives them a measure of dignity by Barker's and Llewelyn's attendance and behavior at a postmortem and a funeral. Very nicely done, even if some readers may complain that he's giving twenty-first century attitudes to nineteenth century men. People with "finer feelings" certainly existed in Victorian England after all.
The slower pace of Anatomy of Evil illustrates how exhausting it was to slog through thousands of clues and suspects while trying to prevent the very real threats of riots, pogroms, and more murders, and simultaneously sidestepping the well-meant meddling of Queen Victoria. Of course the book covers the same old ground (how could it not?), but Thomas manages to put a freshness to it that I haven't seen in a long time-- and his choice for the true identity of Jack the Ripper? Well, see for yourself!
If you haven't read a Barker and Llewelyn mystery before, and you love historical mysteries that bring Victorian London to life, you are in for a treat. Since these characters do grow and change, I would suggest that you begin at the beginning with Some Danger Involved. The only thing that's left to say is Enjoy!
First, he puts his very unconventional private enquiry agents (Barker refuses to be called a "private detective") Barker and Llewelyn right in the midst of Scotland Yard, combining their skills and contacts with all the information and man power that Scotland Yard has at its disposal. What the two men walk into is a jurisdictional nightmare of infighting and jockeying for position among the higher-ups. Thomas makes this much clearer than so many other fictional accounts have done in the past.
Another area in which Thomas excels is with the murder victims themselves. Many other writers have tended to list the women merely as drunks and prostitutes... and as so much dead meat. Will Thomas gives them a measure of dignity by Barker's and Llewelyn's attendance and behavior at a postmortem and a funeral. Very nicely done, even if some readers may complain that he's giving twenty-first century attitudes to nineteenth century men. People with "finer feelings" certainly existed in Victorian England after all.
The slower pace of Anatomy of Evil illustrates how exhausting it was to slog through thousands of clues and suspects while trying to prevent the very real threats of riots, pogroms, and more murders, and simultaneously sidestepping the well-meant meddling of Queen Victoria. Of course the book covers the same old ground (how could it not?), but Thomas manages to put a freshness to it that I haven't seen in a long time-- and his choice for the true identity of Jack the Ripper? Well, see for yourself!
If you haven't read a Barker and Llewelyn mystery before, and you love historical mysteries that bring Victorian London to life, you are in for a treat. Since these characters do grow and change, I would suggest that you begin at the beginning with Some Danger Involved. The only thing that's left to say is Enjoy!
This is Book 7 of the Barker & Llewelyn mystery series.
Will Thomas has managed to pull off two feats that, in my opinion, trip up so many other authors who try to write murder mysteries set in Victorian-Era London.
First, there are the main characters themselves. Throughout seven books, Thomas has been able to develop two characters that are obviously inspired by Holmes and Watson, but are unique enough to stand on their own merit. I have little tolerance for true Holmes pastiches, mainly because they can never truly capture the tone of the original stories, and there is always the uneasiness that comes when someone else tries to add to, alter, or edit the canon.
In this series, Thomas has taken the spirit of Holmes and Watson and given them new identities. This technique negates the need for direct comparisons between the new and the original, and makes the overall story arc more enjoyable and less distracting. Thomas has taken his time with character development, and I have thoroughly enjoyed being involved in the process.
Secondly, there is the issue of Jack the Ripper. At some point, every author who writes about crime and murder in 1880s London takes on a Ripper-inspired plot at some time or another. Some authors do for the Ripper what Thomas did for Holmes: create a new character inspired by the original. Some try to be creative and write the story from the Rippers perspective. Others create a bloody mish-mash of fact and fiction. In most cases, it is a poor plot device that quickly falls into cliché and I typically try to avoid them.
At first, I was a little put off by Thomass approach with this book. He has always borrowed from real historical people or events to flavor his novels, but in this case he truly took his fictional characters into an otherwise non-fictional world. He incorporated real-life Scotland Yard inspectors and detectives in the investigation. He quoted verbatim the three most popular Ripper Letters, and he used the canonical five victims as the basis of the plot. This bothered me at first, because the Ripper murders have technically remained unsolved for over 125 years. Would Barker succeed where so many others have failed? Would Barker fail like all the rest?
My spoiler-free assessment is that Thomas managed to pull off a convincing Ripper mystery with a sufficiently satisfying ending. It was factual without being dry, engaging without being sensational, informative but not overdone. Thomas also succeeded by making this book about so much more than the murders themselves. He managed to incorporate the political infighting that was rampant among the various arms of the London police force, the publics growing distrust of the Jewish people, the disparity of the classes, and the struggles of the working poor. This required a delicate balance, but it was very well done and struck just the right tone.
Fatal Enquiry might have been one of Thomass weakest works, but he more than redeemed himself with Anatomy of Evil. This will certainly be a tough act to follow, but I have no doubt that Thomas will deliver.
Will Thomas has managed to pull off two feats that, in my opinion, trip up so many other authors who try to write murder mysteries set in Victorian-Era London.
First, there are the main characters themselves. Throughout seven books, Thomas has been able to develop two characters that are obviously inspired by Holmes and Watson, but are unique enough to stand on their own merit. I have little tolerance for true Holmes pastiches, mainly because they can never truly capture the tone of the original stories, and there is always the uneasiness that comes when someone else tries to add to, alter, or edit the canon.
In this series, Thomas has taken the spirit of Holmes and Watson and given them new identities. This technique negates the need for direct comparisons between the new and the original, and makes the overall story arc more enjoyable and less distracting. Thomas has taken his time with character development, and I have thoroughly enjoyed being involved in the process.
Secondly, there is the issue of Jack the Ripper. At some point, every author who writes about crime and murder in 1880s London takes on a Ripper-inspired plot at some time or another. Some authors do for the Ripper what Thomas did for Holmes: create a new character inspired by the original. Some try to be creative and write the story from the Rippers perspective. Others create a bloody mish-mash of fact and fiction. In most cases, it is a poor plot device that quickly falls into cliché and I typically try to avoid them.
At first, I was a little put off by Thomass approach with this book. He has always borrowed from real historical people or events to flavor his novels, but in this case he truly took his fictional characters into an otherwise non-fictional world. He incorporated real-life Scotland Yard inspectors and detectives in the investigation. He quoted verbatim the three most popular Ripper Letters, and he used the canonical five victims as the basis of the plot. This bothered me at first, because the Ripper murders have technically remained unsolved for over 125 years. Would Barker succeed where so many others have failed? Would Barker fail like all the rest?
My spoiler-free assessment is that Thomas managed to pull off a convincing Ripper mystery with a sufficiently satisfying ending. It was factual without being dry, engaging without being sensational, informative but not overdone. Thomas also succeeded by making this book about so much more than the murders themselves. He managed to incorporate the political infighting that was rampant among the various arms of the London police force, the publics growing distrust of the Jewish people, the disparity of the classes, and the struggles of the working poor. This required a delicate balance, but it was very well done and struck just the right tone.
Fatal Enquiry might have been one of Thomass weakest works, but he more than redeemed himself with Anatomy of Evil. This will certainly be a tough act to follow, but I have no doubt that Thomas will deliver.
R E K. (bigstone) - , reviewed Anatomy of Evil (Barker & Llewelyn, Bk 7) on + 1438 more book reviews
Older women of the night are being murdered. Their throats are cut and their body opened to remove organs. It's disturbing and the women of London are frightened. Will the murderer focus only on this type of victim or move on to any woman who is alone on the streets at night? To help solve the murders Lenox is contacted to help the police of London find a murderer. The private inquiry business that Barker and Lenox operate is busy but they must put private work on hold to become special investigators with the police.
The story is complex and it takes a great deal of investigation to determine the culprit. After chasing several leads to no avail, the reader finds that it is not Lenox but Barker who uncovers the real murderer. His encounter with the murderer is a harrowing experience during which he almost loses loses his life. Yes, this is another outstanding effort by the author who puts his characters, Lenox and Barker, through their paces to solve yet another mystery and identify a murderer.
The story is complex and it takes a great deal of investigation to determine the culprit. After chasing several leads to no avail, the reader finds that it is not Lenox but Barker who uncovers the real murderer. His encounter with the murderer is a harrowing experience during which he almost loses loses his life. Yes, this is another outstanding effort by the author who puts his characters, Lenox and Barker, through their paces to solve yet another mystery and identify a murderer.
