Death and Glory by Will Thomas is the 15th book in the Barker and Llewelyn series, set in 1890s London. The audiobook is narrated by Antony Ferguson
Title: Death and Glory
Author: Will Thomas
Series: Barker and Llewelyn book 15
First Published: April 23, 2024
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Genres: historical fiction, mystery/thriller
Acquired: from the publisher via Netgalley
*** Thank you to the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with an audiobook via Netgalley for review purposes. ***
A delegation of men who fought for the Confederacy during the American Civil War 30 years ago want to revive the Confederacy with a warship promised to the Rebels from the British Government in 1865. To get it now, the group is threatening to reveal the long-secret treaty with the Confederacy & they hire Private Enquiry agent Cyrus Barker to use his connections to discreetly bring their threats to the Prime Minister.
With a web of prominent, if secret, supporters throughout England ready to support the group in their efforts to wage war anew on the US, the delegates are just waiting for the warship to begin their plans. But some of the men aren’t who they claim to be, & the American government has their own team watching, & waiting, for the right moment to take action.
As this fuse on this powder keg of a situation grows ever shorter, it’s up to Barker & his partner Thomas Llewelyn to uncover the real identities & plans of these dangerous men.
The Barker and Llewelyn partnership continues to shine
I have been a long-time fan of the Barker and Llewelyn series. It’s a bit grittier than the usual cozy mysteries I have on my reading shelves, but I love the characters and the adventures. From the first book, where Barker takes on Llewelyn as an apprentice inquiry agent, to Llewelyn becoming a full-fledged member, it’s been great to see him ‘grow up’ as a character and a detective. This book adds a new chapter to Llewelyn’s story that will make an interesting development to future instalments.
As usual, Barker continues to be an enigmatic and interesting character who I love reading. Every book seems to both add to the mystery while revealing just enough new surprises to his persona to keep me wanting to learn more.
There were A LOT of characters in this one (Ferguson’s narration skills are extremely important to differentiate everyone) but it never gets too confusing and there are some memorable characters.
As with the other books in the series, the action is pretty fast-paced and never lags. I also did not see the twist that comes and the ending was unexpected.
The audiobook is a joy to listen to
I have consumed all 15 books in this series so far via audiobook because the narrator, Antony Ferguson is amazing. He has a wonderful voice and he manages to give such liveliness to all these different characters. The shift in the voices & accents really helps to keep characters apart and each one is distinct enough that I have no trouble telling them apart instantly.
Ferguson’s talent in creating distinct voices really helps since there were a lot of characters in this book but I was never confused and enjoyed the audiobook immensely.
All in all, another fantastic story in the Barker and Llewelyn series and I’m looking forward to the next adventure.
