I’ve been a fan of the Barker & Llewellyn series for years– ever since the second book, To Kingdom Come– was published in 2005. In fact, it’s been my favorite mystery series ever since then. I’ve looked forward to new installments and read them as soon as I could, and have reread the series a few times now. Sadly, I feel like there has been a drop-off in the quality of the last few books. The characters have stagnated, and while previous books have promised changes for the characters, those changes keep not happening. Barker and Llewellyn are meant to be full partners at this point, but it still feels like Llewellyn is just following Barker around London, constantly dogging his heels and learning nothing new. I understand the desire to maintain the same dynamic that began the series, but if the characters don’t change, it starts to feel as if they- and the series- are just treading water. Unless something changes with the main and secondary characters, I foresee that my enjoyment of the series as a whole will fade away.

The Heart of the Nile is as atmospheric and as full of witty repartee as the previous books have been, but the plot has elements that have been plucked from the other books and, as mentioned earlier, Llewellyn doesn’t do as much solo investigating as his status as “full partner” in the agency would seem to indicate.

While this book was perfectly entertaining on its own, I did not find it to be a particularly satisfying installment in the series, as it did little to advance the characters in their general lives and positions, either with agency or with the other responsibilities they have.

Thank you NetGalley, Publishers, and Will Thomas for gifting me a copy of Heart of the Nile in return for my honest opinion.

3.5/5 stars

London, 1893 - deadly doings are afoot in the British Museum and private enquiry agents Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn must unravel a mystery involving a mummy, a giant ruby and a murder, in Will Thomas's Heart of the Nile .

Cyrus Barker, along with his former assistant and now partner Thomas Llewelyn, is the premier enquiry agent in all of 19th century London, and beyond. They've thwarted the designs of villains and crooks off all sorts, helped Scotland Yard crack their most challenging cases, and worked for the Her Majesty's Government at the very highest levels. But nothing has been quite as challenging and dangerous as the latest case that comes to find them.

In 1893, a volunteer at the British Museum makes a startling discovery. When examining a mummy in the museum's collection, he discovers there is a giant ruby in the shape of a heart buried in the chest of the mummy. Even more startling, the mummy might well be Cleopatra. The following morning, the volunteer is found floating in the Thames and the ruby has gone missing. Hired by the victim’s wife to learn the truth behind his death, Barker and Llewelyn find themselves in the crosshairs - now they must avoid a violent street gang, a ruthless collector, and the British Museum itself in order to find the killer and safeguard the gem.

This is the 14th book of a series that I have not read. The mystery was very interesting to read and I enjoyed following along as they tried to solve it! It was well written and loved the aspect of including the Bristish Museum and I got a chuckle about something having gone missing.

I wish it had picked an ending, it seemed that there were a million endings/conclusions that he went through before he got to the actual suspect. If you read the rest of the series you will enjoy this one. If not you will be confused at parts.

Heart of the Nile is my first read of this series and with this being book #14 in the series the author did a good job of giving some background so that I did not feel that lost with the characters that have major backstories that happened in the rest of the series. The story was intriguing trying to solve the mystery with the characters and I think if I find the time I would enjoy going back to the beginning and reading the series. 3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this story in exchange for an honest review.

Will Thomas's long running Barker and Llewelyn series continues with Heart of the Nile. Thomas Llewelyn, Barker's understudy and newly minted partner in the firm are working to find the killer of a British Museum volunteer. Before he died, he discovers a giant gemstone enclosed in a mummy's wrappings. The ruby is gone, and the volunteer is dead.

Llewelyn continues to develop his sleuthing skills along with his self-defense tactics. More of Barker's interesting back story is revealed in this book. This is another 5* entry in a 5* series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Really enjoy this historical mystery series! looking forward to getting my hands on more of this series and especially the next book!

I absolutely love this series. I’ve been through every previous adventure with Barker and Llewelyn and continue to enjoy the progression of this series. This latest book, Heart of the Nile, features B&L attempting to solve the murder of a young museum volunteer who just may have stumbled upon the mummy of the famous Cleopatra. Adding even more drama, a huge jewel was found encased in the mummy, and several distinct groups are after it.

Heart of the Nile features more of the B&L partnership, which has grown so realistically and is so much fun to read. Their banter and obvious care for each other is very well done. I enjoyed the additional characters, both old and new. One of my only gripes in previous books is Llewelyn’s wife, Rebecca, who is thankfully absent for much of this one (I find her immensely unlikable).

The story was fast paced and easy to read. There was plenty of action and intrigue, and the mystery itself was well written. The dialogue is s as standout, and several times I found myself laughing right out loud at something said or an engaging interaction.

Simply put, a great read. I’m eagerly awaiting the next installment and hope there are many more to come!

I enjoyed this book, especially the setting and time period, however there just wasn’t a spark for me.

Heart of the Nile is the first book I’ve read in this series but I will definitely be reading the rest of the series. I really enjoyed the twists and turns this story took, as well as view of Victorian London with all the different walks society at that time. I look forward to reading all the others in this series.

A propulsive mystery and cleverly crafted.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Will Thomas get Baker and Llewelyn involved in The Heart of the Nile. A volunteer discovers a mysterious object in an Egyptian mummy in the British Museum and then is murdered. His wife commissions Baker and Llewelyn first to find him and then to find the murderer. The body is found in the Thames; Baker and Llewelyn find that a huge ruby was taken from the mummy which was rumored to be the famous Cleopatra. Mayhem follows the ruby and Baker and Llewelyn; read and enjoy this excellent historical mystery.

When Elizabeth Addison braves the frigid cold of Christmas in 1893 to seek out the Barker & Llewelyn Private Enquiry Agency, she is beside herself with worry. Her husband, Phillip, went to his volunteer job at the British Museum Egyptology Department the previous evening and hasn’t been seen since. Initial enquiries reveal that, through a weight discrepancy, Addison discovered a large heart-shaped cabochon ruby inside the chest of an uncatalogued mummy. He left the museum to alert his boss and was found the following morning, floating in Limehouse Basin. Phillip Addison had indeed stumbled upon something men will kill for.

Cyrus Barker is the most dangerous person in London. He relishes danger, never smiles, is never intimidated, runs the city’s premier enquiry agency and has dubious contacts throughout the city. And he is exceedingly wealthy! During their enquiries, Barker and Thomas are threatened, hounded by the museum director, questioned by a skeptical detective, shot at and jailed. Everyone wants the ruby and the mummy (which may or may not be Cleopatra).

This isn’t just an unexplained murder―there’s a priceless jewel without provenance and a potentially significant mummy, and everyone except Cyrus and Thomas loses interest in Phillip’s death pretty quickly.

This is the fourteenth book in the series. With a sharp eye for detail, author Will Thomas adds background colour by weaving strategically placed irony through Thomas Llewelyn’s whimsical narration. The British flavour remains constant, the characters are easy to invest in, and the relationship between boss and assistant constitutes a large part of the series’ success. Although I found the unmasking of the murderer and Elizabeth Addison’s character arc a bit difficult to swallow, this is nevertheless a rewarding, fast-paced mystery where the unravelling is anything but transparent.

Book 14 of the Barker Llewelyn series is another good mystery set in 1893, the heart of the Victorian Age. Here our private Enquiry Agents (don't call them detectives!), are contacted by a woman whose wife has disappeared after he failed to come home from his nighttime volunteer job as the British Museum. This leads us to the mystery of the throw-away mummy at the museum, which on closer examination may actually be the mummy of Cleopatra. Not only that, inside the mummified body there is a large and heavy object (a massive ruby), which may even have come from the legendary King Solomon Mines. Lots to get one excited about Egyptology in this book as our intrepid enquiry agents must try and figure out multiple murders, stolen Egyptian artifacts, as well as both a gang of thugs and Scotland Yard. A rousing read, and certainly a worthy successor to the works of Sherlock Holmes. Even though it is Book 14, it is not problem to read it as a standalone mystery. Very good work by author Will Thomas.

Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn are hired to find a missing person. Philip Addison was working late at the British Museum, cataloging the mummies. He never returned home. He was a staid responsible young man who taught school and loved his wife. Barker and Llewelyn find his body almost immediately, but the reasoning behind his murder is harder to ascertain. Has Addison found the mummy of Cleopatra? All they know is that a massive ruby was found inside her body and everyone wants to know where it is. Barker has given it to someone and he refuses to tell either the police or the British Museum where it is. Between the violent street gang, a rapacious collector of Egyptian artifacts, and the British Museum itself, Barker and Llewelyn are engulfed in a very difficult case...and it's Christmas.

This is the 14th entry in the historical mystery series that features Barker and Llwelyn, a quintessential detective duo. It was a pleasure to spend time with them in this well written novel that was given a starred review by Publishers Weekly.

It is not necessary to have read the earlier books in the series to enjoy this one but readers who have the time may well want to do so in order to understand more about this duo. They are not alike but do respect one another.

Phillip Addison is a teacher by day but his true love is the volunteer work that the does in the Egyptology section of the British Museum. He might have had a promising future and a full-time job there had he not been murdered. Who did it? Why? Does it have anything to do with a discovery that he made on his last night at the museum? Barker and Llewelyn are hired by Mrs. Addison to figure things out.

This title has many strengths. I enjoyed the narrative voice and the well described settings, everywhere from the museum to the dank river where the body is found to homes and work spaces. The mystery is interesting and solid and will especially be enjoyed by Egyptologists.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this title. All opinions are my own.

The private enquiry agents the eccentric Cyrus Barker and his young partner Thomas Llewelyn try to solve the murder of an Egyptologist who has just found a huge uncut ruby hidden in the chest of a mummy, which may or may not be that of Cleopatra. Their investigations involve them with the widow, a newly formed street gang, the British Museum, a representative of an Egyptian museum and a mystery writer searching for a new plot.

This is the 14th book in the series, and I have read all of them. By now I am just really comfortable with the relationship of the characters and I know all of their backstory. The stories always include various ethnic, religious and economic components of English society that you don’t typically find in mysteries. There is definitely a sameness to these books, and I think that the earliest books were the best, but I still enjoy reading them. This book can be read as a standalone, but I suggest reading the first book, “Some Danger Involved”, which was a great introduction to the characters.

My only problem with the book is that it had about 5 endings. Every time I thought that Barker had explained the mystery there was another loose thread that he needed to address. It really began to drag on.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

I have been hooked on murder mystery lately when I came across this new to me author, Will Thomas. I am so glad to have discovered him. A little late because this is book 14 of this series, but I will be going back to read the rest. This was so exciting and had me so intrigued from the beginning. I got attached to the characters early on. Private agents Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn are called on by a missing man's wife to investigate his disappearance from the museum. He seemed to have discovered something amazing from what seems to be Cleopatra's mummy. I don't wanna give anything way you just have to read this and discover all the many twists and turns on your own. You won't be disappointed.

I enjoyed this book since I have an Egypt fascination. But I also liked the characters, Barker and Llewelyn and their interaction, they are clever and unique characters who enjoy a partnership as enquiry agents in 1894 London.

A truly engrossing historical novel by a master storyteller that is rich in it’s own lore and provided a competitor to Sherlock’s title of the Great...enquiry agent.

I absolutely love this clever and witty historical mystery series set in Victorian London.

This is the fourteenth book in the Barker and Llewelyn series and it just keeps getting better. This latest installment reminded me of a good Agatha Christie mystery involving archeology, jewels, mummies, and murder!

Barker and Llewelyn are well developed characters and make a perfect detective team. I also liked that Llewelyn’s wife was away during most of the book, so more time was spent on the detectives figuring out the mystery. The mystery plot was clever and was difficult to figure out.

I also like that Llewelyn has a book buying habit - I can relate.

4.5 rounded up

Heart of the Nile has stolen my heart!

Heart of the Nile has stolen my heart! Don’t alert the authorities, I’m more than willing to let author Will Thomas keep it, the story is just that exceptional! From the prologue…yes, you need to read it since it sets the story up and whets the reader’s appetite, to the final page I surrendered with each twist and turn of the intense plotting. Mummies, or in this case one mummy, a giant ruby, a museum and a diverse cast of characters kept me enthralled and guessing until the end. Thomas has such a deft hand at creating characters and dialogue that I was able to read the story with ease. Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn, enquiry agents in Victorian London, each possess a rich and diverse personality that makes them feel so real it is hard to believe that one person created them and that they only exist on paper. I was completely invested in their characters and relationship which kept me up reading all night. I cursed myself the next day for doing it, but I literally could not put the book down. I tried rolling over and forgetting about the story, but then my mind would start racing and I’d think about the most recent character that was introduced and how they fit into the plot and I’d try to guess whether or not they were a red herring. Then, I’d get an adrenaline surge and convince myself that I’d read one more chapter and then call it quits. I might have required more than just Earl Grey tea to get me through the following day but it was worth it. I completed the book and felt satisfied. The same satisfaction that one feels when they try a new restaurant where everything from the wine to the dessert was exceptional and you know it will become a new hot spot on your dining rotation. It was so good; you will even think about the experience the days to come and crave a repeat visit sooner that you should. I was given an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in exchange for my honest review. However, I can with confidence assure you that you will love this book and once you’ve read it, like me you will want to read the entire series. This is not a fluff piece. This is solid detection in the spirit of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.