I was given a free e-cooy of this novel in exchange for my honest unbiased opinion.

I had not read a novel written by Will Thomas before, so these characters were brand new to me. Normally I enjoy historical mysteries, however this one did not catch my interest like I had hoped. The writing felt choppy in some areas, like the author wasn't sure of how to bring new information in. It also had a feeling like the reader should automatically know and understand what's going on in the minds of characters without an explanation.

I also had difficulty with the characters. Llewelyn seemed like a whiner, very "it's not fair." Cyrus Barker was very standoffish for my taste, too self absorbed about the agency and what his thoughts of "right and wrong" are. I just couldn't figure him out.

I'm eating this novel 2.5 out of 5 stars. I enjoyed the plot, but the writing needed to be smoothed out, and the characters need some work.

I received a copy of this novel through net galley in exchange for an honest review and feedback.

This was my first foray into a Will Thomas novel, not for lack of want, more for a lack of ever allowing myself to pick up one of the novels. I realized my mistake in waiting so long immediately as I was drawn into the story from page 1. I absolutely fell in love with the characters and their depth and stories.

The novel was fast paced and left me guessing until the end, trying to figure out who the culprit was and who had paid them.

The historical fact within the novel was captivating as well as the writing and the way the authors words flowed off of the page. This whole novel sucked me in and made me feel like I was actually witnessing the story unfold before me as if I was right there.

Completely and whole heartedly recommend.

Victorian England was an interesting era, and Will Thomas certainly knows how to capitalize on that to bring readers a historical mystery series in which the setting and situation are as interesting as the actual mystery. This book centers around a fictional attempt to kill Tsarevich (aka crown prince ) Nicholas of Russia during a real visit to London to attend the wedding of Queen Victoria’s second son, George, to Princess Mary of Teck. The private enquiry firm (Do NOT call them “private detectives”.) of Barker and Llewelyn are approached by Jim Hercules, a black American man who is part of Nicholas’ security team, because he fears such an attempt will take place and wants to hire Barker and Llewelyn to prevent it. There is no dearth of motives or suspects.
Young Thomas Llewelyn narrates the series, punctuating his narration with occasional wry comments. For example, when Llewelyn, who is Welsh, is forced to accompany Barker and Russian Ambassador de Staal on a lengthy tour of Barker’s prized garden, the bored Welshman tells the reader, “I don’t like tea, and I don’t like gardens. I’d have made a poor Englishman.” Having a sense of humor is no doubt a very helpful defense mechanism, because Barker is a prickly stubborn character and not the easiest senior partner to deal with. He is extremely adept at his job, however, perhaps at a level that mildly strains credulity, but this reader was captured enough to suspend my disbelief when necessary.
The story moves at a good pace, fast enough to keep up interest in the central mystery but just slow enough to allow for many interesting details of the era.
One of the charms of this book was the number of real historical persons in it. Of course, figures like Nicholas were real. There are other lesser-known people, though, like Karl Marx’s daughter Eleanor. It was fun to see them as people and not just as names in a history book, e.g., to see the future Tsar Nicholas as an impetuous young man. I had not realized until I read this book that Llewelyn’s friend Israel Zangwill, who has played a cameo role since the beginning of the series, was a real novelist and the author of one of the first locked room mysteries, The Big Bow Mystery. Will Thomas tries to get details as accurate as possible, and he provides a nice Afterword giving more information on some of these real people. Some of it was surprising (but I will not spoil things by revealing them now!).
Speaking of spoilers, you can enjoy this book even if you have not read others in the series, but there are some spoilers, so I would recommend starting at the beginning. If you have read one, you will want to read them all!
I received an Advance Review Copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher.

I am a huge Barker&Llewelyn fan and was so excited to read the next installment. As usual, the book didn’t disappoint!

Set in late 1800s London, Barker and Llewelyn investigate an assassination plot against Russian royalty. With plenty of twist and turns along the way, the reader enjoys plenty of action while also seeing Llewelyn further develop and mature.

My only criticism is the lack of Harm in this installment. The world needs more of the absolute best canine literary character!

What I didn't know when I started reading Dance With Death was that it is the latest in the Barker/Llewelyn series of historical fiction/detective novel. While it does stand alone with a fascinating story of an assassination attempt of Nicholas II while in London to attend the wedding of Mary of Teck to George, the future George V. Nicholas is portrayed as a man ill suited to his destiny of being the tsar. Nicholas also brings his mistress along, who seems to be unhinged and who regularly says that she will kill "Nicky" if he doesn't marry her.
It took a while for me to get in to the book. I believe had I read the beginning installments it would have made for a better story for me.

Will Thomas' 'Dance with Death' is the twelfth novel in the Bajer and LLewelyn series of historical mysteries. The protagonists are one Cyrus Barker, a Scottish enquiry agent, and his (now) partner Thomas Llewelyn.
Set in London in 1893, the story revolves around the attempted assassination of Tsesarevich Nicholas of Russia. The future Nicholas II arrives for a royal wedding, is ensconced in Kensington Palace with Prince George of England, the bridegroom to be, and a passel of security personnel from not only the professional forces of England and Russia, but the agency of Barker and Llewelyn. The two private enquiry agents were first contacted by one if Nicholas' private guards, Jim Hercules, who rejected Hercules' request that they provide additional security.

All of these measures prove inadequate when Prince George of England is attacked by an armed anarchist who mistakes him for Nicholas. As a result, Barker and Llewelyn are brought in to help track down the assassin and others who might conspire against the life of the tsesarevich. Barker and Llewelyn must solve the case of their life before the crime of the century is committed.

As admirable a work 'Dance with Death' is in weaving together historical characters into a somewhat compelling fictional historical mystery, at times I felt that I was slogging through treacle. The overwhelming amount of detail, including descriptions of journeys through London streets and locations along with the wide swath of historical minutiae served more as a burden than enlightenment. The character descriptions were drawn with a one-dimension pen; Barker, Llewelyn are more finely fleshed out but characters such as Israel and Rebecca could have been fluffed out a bit more. Sacrificing a litany of street names for more character definition would have been much appreciated! Whilst I believe that detail in setting place and time is important, but not smothering the pace of the story-telling.

Finally, and probably the most irritating of all, is the anachronistic terms, expressions, and, in some cases products and places that pop up at various points in the book. The A.B.C. teas hops are referred to as the ABC tea shops, which does not point to the fact the shops were the offspring of the Aerated Bread Company by using the abbreviation of the company's name. When a character is enjoying an ale called Old Spotted Hen, we're put in mind of Old Speckled Hen which first saw the light of day eighty-six years later.

Did I enjoy the book? In the most part, yes. Did I have problems with anachronistic speech? Definitely. Did the story move apace? There were moments when the horse was allowed to gallop, but all in all we cantered through the story. Would I give Baerker & Llewelyn another go? Yes, but I would select carefully from the prior eleven offerings and hope to find a novel with less historical minor details.

arc provided by netgalley for an honest review

This story is set in London, during Queen Victoria’s rule. Barker and Llewelyn are "private enquiry" specialists that have a wide net of contacts and not particularly loved by the Scotland Yard. It is told through the perspective of Llewelyn who along with Baker is tasked with protecting Prince Nicolas.

While this book immerses us into the Victorian society and all of the political entanglements involved (including one or two affairs), it did not personally intrigue me or motivate me to keep on reading.

SPOILERS -We finally see justice for the wrongs done to poor Thomas' earlier in his life. Though he does have to go through fire to get there and we worry about the poor man near the end of the book. Barker and Llewelyn are asked to protect Tsesarevich Nicholas from a possible assassination attempt. Barker has gone on, in length, about how he doesn't like to be a body guard in previous books so I was a bit surprised that he was willing to take this role in this book. There's regular inquiry work to find the culprits and an old foe makes an appearance. While there were some exciting scenes, I was not as drawn to this book as I was the others in the series. Though my heart bleeds for Thomas and will continue to read the series because of him.

London - 1893

The private enquiry firm of Barker and Llewelyn (they prefer not to be called detectives), has been approached by a rather unique client with a very unique offer. Jim Hercules has asked the men to take on the protection of the tsarevich of Russia, Nicholas. Hercules is a ceremonial guard, a former boxer from the United States, and a black man pretending to be an Ethiopian guard. Complicated? Yes. And both Barker and Llewelyn are confused as to why Hercules is seeking them out instead of the Russian contingent who usually guard Nicholas? That seems to be the main reason Hercules is there, because he doesn't trust the Tsar's men, or the Russian royal family who evidently don't think Nicholas should be the next ruler.

What happens next proves to Barker and Llewelyn that someone, indeed, is gunning for the tsarevich when an assassin mistakes England's Prince for the tsarevich. Luckily, he misses, but is then killed by another assassin before anyone can question him. Barker and Llewelyn witness the incident, and Llewelyn is the one who grabs the tsarevich, who came outside the palace to see what was going on, and hustles him inside.

It seems there are any number of people who fall into the category of suspects! It's up to the firm to narrow down just who has the most to win by the death of Nicholas. There are anarchists in London from every part of the globe, but the Russian ones who fled their homeland when the tsar's Cossacks attacked them seem to be prime suspects. Or there is Nicholas' ballerina mistress who has made several threats to make sure she is the only one he should marry. But then, Nicholas has a few relatives hanging around who could have a grudge. And there are rumors of the mysterious assassin, La Sylphide, has been hired to remove the tsarevich. The firm has its hands full narrowing things down.

Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn have worked together for ten years. Barker, enigmatic and brilliant, started the business, taking in Thomas as a partner. Thomas is married, trustworthy, and devoted to his wife and his partner. But this new job has them both baffled as more and more clues rise to the surface. The men find danger at every turn, but are determined to keep Nicholas safe.

Book thirteen of the Barker & Llewelyn series, DANCE WITH DEATH is a non-stop thriller. The story is told through the eyes of Thomas Llewelyn, and his observations are both serious and, at times, humorous. All in all, this is an excellent mystery and the ending is a surprise.

I've enjoyed so many of the books in this series, and yet this one was a bit of a disappointment. Too much license taken with historical personages for me.

Dance with Death: Barker & Llewelyn #12 by Will Thomas Amazon.com order for
Dance with Death
by Will Thomas
Order: USA Can
Minotaur, 2021 (2021)
Hardcover, e-Book
* * * Reviewed by Barbara Lingens

Set in 1892, during the visit of Tsarevich Nicholas to London on the occasion of Prince George's marriage, Dance with Death is a wonderful romp through the city with two detectives - enquirers, as they like to be called. They have been asked by one group to save Nicholas from an attempted assassination, and by another to do nothing of the kind, which of course perks their interest.

The chief enquirer, Barker, is larger than life — his size being equal to his exploits before settling down. His assistant Llewelyn is no less interesting, especially because he is the amusing narrator, learning the ropes from the chief. The story moves along quickly and cleverly. For example, in the beginning, everyone is reading newspapers, and what they tell each other clues us to what is going on.

Although there are many characters, Llewelyn helps us keep them straight, and they are so well described. But it is the London of that time that makes the biggest impression. We get to see everything from Kensington Palace to the East End, where no one should have to go or live. Politicians, nobles, fearless cabbies and darting messenger boys are all part of the scene.

Through the strange turns of the story we learn more about Barker and Llewelyn, which makes sense because everyone knows Nicholas survived the visit. What is really clever is how the author both makes Nicholas' fate in London seem life-or-death and entwines the enquirers' lives around this gambit.

Private enquiry agents Barker and Llewelyn are called in to protect the heir to the Russian throne, who is in London for the wedding of one of Queen Victoria's sons, Prince George. Everyone is out to get Nicky. he is not liked either in Russia or England. An assassination attempt targets George instead of Nicky because they look at lot alike. Barker and Llewelyn are convinced it is Sofia Ilyanova, who has tried to kill the agents previously. Llewelyn has gotten married and he is trying to be staid, but it is hard for a young man to keep his head when people are trying to shoot you. Will Barker and Llewelyn succeed in protecting their charge? Or will his willfulness get him killed? This is another entertaining entry in a well-researched series of historical crime fiction.

A well-written and researched historical novel about Czar Nicholas of Russia right before he came into power when he was still young, brash, inexperienced, and visiting England to woo a wife. The tale is of a highly-revered Inquiry Agency (P.I.), a brutal assassin, and Nicholas's personal guard.. It's a fast-paced complicated plot with the right hands of various government agencies not knowing what the left hands are doing. It has spies, illicit love affairs, good men with good intentions, silly men with silly actions, and bad people doing bad things. It illustrates the outrageous egos of politics. Not my favorite genre, but a decent read. The characters were a bit two-dimensional.

This is the latest installment of the Barker and Llewelyn series. They are inquiry agents working in London. I have read all the books and really enjoyed this one.
This one as usual has several real historical figures which makes the story more interesting. The future Czar of Russia is in England for the royal marriage of this cousin. The agency is hired to help protect the future Czar from being murdered. In
It could be a standalone, but I got more enjoyment from the story having read the others in the series.
I highly recommend this series. They are all good -this one I was missing some of the regular recurring characters.

I have read each and every Barker and Llewelyn book by Will Thomas. I really love the characters and the series, but I must admit that this one left me flat. The writing is solid, as always, but I just couldn't connect with the story. Barker and Llewleyn form the backbone of a firm of private enquiry agents in 1893 England. Throughout their cases, they meet several historical figures, which makes for some fun what-ifs and speculations. In this particular installment, they meet the future Tsar of Russia and his fictitious caretaker/bodyguard/confidant, and Queen Victoria is there in the background. Someone is trying to kill Nicholas. Maybe the story was too predictable or pat for me to enjoy, because the actual writing was spectacular and not at all the reason this story didn't thrill me. Part of it, too, may have been the almost absence of the rest of the band of Barker's misfits. Anyway, the plot is solid, and the action is definitely there, so I am glad that I read this book. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical mysteries with action!

It begins with a poetic description of a deep baritone voice, and the captivating Dance with Death begins. In the last decade of the 1890’s, in London, a man, born in British-owned Tortola and raised in Alabama, U.S.A., visits the enquiry agency offices of
Guv Cyrus Baker and Thomas Llewelyn and is asked what duty he would like them to perform. His cogent answer is he isn’t sure but he would like his boss not to be murdered.
This man, Jim Hercules, seems to be a bodyguard for the visiting tsarevich of Russia, Nicholas II, who has come to Britain to attend the wedding of Queen Victoria’s son George.
A supposed attempt on the life of His Highness George sets in motion a frantic search for the possible assassin. With the royal wedding only days away, class and position, plots and passions, unrequited love, and the growing socialist movement all play a part of the past, the present and the future of the Windsor and Romanov families. Historical and colorful characters such as Eleanor, the daughter of Karl Marx, William Morris known for his textiles, Grand Dukes, mistresses, and a prima ballerina are central to the narrative of the Socialist League and social history of that period. Jim Hercules himself was actually the bodyguard to Nicholas and Alexandra until the palace was overrun by Bolsheviks.
This is a beautifully written account of one imaginary event in a period of history with the engaging team of Baker and Llewelyn. Along with the twists and turns of governments, movements, social and political concerns, human desires and weaknesses, it creates a great chase in and around the pubs, parks, offices and palaces of London.
I have found there are 11 previous books for this team, and I can’t imagine how I missed them before.

This is the first Barker and Llewelyn mystery I have read and I enjoyed it tremendously. The main characters of Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn are incredibly complex and well done and the secondary characters are interesting as well. The mystery was excellent and of course, any time you have the tragic Romanov's involved it is always a plus. I will definitely have to read the previous books as there is back stories that are key to this novel that I did not understand. That said, it did not hinder my enjoyment of the book. Thank you to #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for the opportunity to read an advance copy of #DanceWith Death..

Interesting little historical mystery with Barker and Llewelyn trying to save the tsesarevich Nicholas of Russia while he is visiting England. Barker is not above trying a bit of underhandedness to get his way while poor Llewelyn is ever the honest and forthright follower. The story has several twists and turns and keeps the reader engaged. I enjoyed the book.

Another favorite book in the Barker & Llewelyn Series by Will Thomas! I have been enjoying these stories since the first book. The point of view character, Thomas Llewelyn, gives a lively and sometimes snarky description of all the action and fills us in on behind the scenes. All the foundation characters that we have gotten used to in the previous books are back in this adventure (Etiene, Ho, Israel, Jenkins, Rebecca, Philippa and of course Harm) and there are many new and interesting characters as well. The case involves protecting the young, upcoming Tzar of Russia, Nicholas II Romanov from a mysterious assassin and his own misadventures. The Tsarevich (Nicholas) is in London to attend a royal wedding. There is plenty of action and history in this story. The Tsarevich is an entitled and bored but interesting young man. The tsar entourage are full of great characters that add to the story. This is definitely one of my favorite books in the series.

DANCE WITH DEATH: A Barker & Llewelyn Novel
Will Thomas
Minotaur Books April 2021

Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn, with Thomas risen to partner in their inquiry agency, are drawn into mystery and danger when they are contacted by an American Negro. Jim Hercules is not the most common fellow one would ordinarily find in 1893 London. Intrigued by the fact Jim is a ceremonial bodyguard to Nicolas, the tsarevich of Russia, who is in London for the wedding of one of his royal relatives. The agency complies with Jim’s request to protect Nicolas from assassination. In fact, Thomas is nearly killed when an assassin shoots at the bridegroom, having mistaken him for Nicolas. The question remains. Why is the tsarevitch being targeted, and by whom? Cyrus and Thomas must discover the assassin before the scheduled wedding. And the clock is ticking.

The cast of characters in the Barker & Llewelyn novels is, as always, terrific. From Barker’s household staff, to Jeremy, the alcoholic in charge of the agency office, to the East End youngsters who run errands, to the Chinese underground restaurant, they’re all here. Each is well characterized, each important, all willing to toe the mark for “Push.”

Cyrus is as enigmatic as ever. Thomas is as humble—maybe too humble considering his new wife’s status within the Jewish community. Both men are brilliant in different ways. The story moves from the East End, to Scotland Yard, to the palaces of royalty and back again, giving the reader a good taste of the historical period. The writing, as always, is excellent, the action moves forward swiftly, the conclusion is intriguing and satisfying. Highly recommended.