Detectives Barker and Llewelyn have another murder to solve as usual but this time there is an underlying theme on the influence of family. Father on sons, sons on fathers, and father on a daughter interactions that lead to divisions that reverberate across family relationship when children follow their own path instead of a family determined one.
The British Museum and other historical mentions are pivotal as the private enquiry agents as Barker likes to be called follow dangerous leads and dead ends.
If you like a good mystery with a historical London backdrop and a Victorian slant you will enjoy the latest adventure.

3.5 stars
Another adventure for London Victorian enquiry agents Barker and Llewellyn. This long-running series features mysterious Cyrus Barker and his feisty assistant Thomas and their interesting and assorted household.

This case gives a glimpse into the strong British fascination with Egyptian antiquities. An unpaid British Museum assistant is found murdered after his wife hires the duo to find him as a missing person.

But in the last hours before his death, the victim is the possessor of an astounding historical secret and a priceless artifact.

This series is always entertaining and often comes with an exciting if over the top finale. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Heart of the Nile is the 14th Barker & Llewelyn Victorian historical mystery by Will Thomas. Released 11th April 2023 by Macmillan on their Minotaur imprint, it's 320 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a well established series and the characters are quite finely drawn in a well written whole. The background research is impressive and the descriptions really do call up Victorian London. The story is fictionalized but written around a real historical framework and intertwined so skillfully that it's not always easy to tell where real history shades over into fiction.

The denouement and resolution are well done and satisfying. My only quibble (and it's a fairly minor one) is that the dialogue feels anachronistic in some places. It isn't clunky or awkward, but there is some modern vernacular and a most egalitarian (and non-period) mixing of social classes. The mystery itself is quite convoluted and the climax and denouement were full of twists I hadn't foreseen.

I enjoyed the inclusion of archaeology, Egyptology, and the British Museum especially. The eccentric and intellectual staff and hangers-on were compassionately done and not at all sarcastically or cruelly written. There are some moderately graphic descriptions of blood and violence included, so readers who are very sensitive to bloodshed should be aware. All in all it's a very well written and engaging historical mystery.

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 9 hours 59 minutes and is superbly narrated by Antony Ferguson. He has a rich baritone voice and the quick switches in dialogue from Barker's brogue to east London Cockney thugs without a wobble is a thing of beauty. The sound and production quality is high throughout the recording.

The books are self contained stand-alones, so it's not necessary to have read the books in order to understand what's going on.

High quality historical mystery. Four and a half stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Will Thomas’s HEART OF THE NILE, the 14th novel of the superb Barker and Llewelyn series set in Victorian England, opens with a British Museum volunteer’s murder. A murder that centers around an Egyptian mummy and a unique ruby, but pulls in antique collectors’ addictions, painful family dynamics, street gangs, Barker’s ragtag network of street urchins, the long reach of politics, and so much more. Seamlessly entwining Egyptian history, Victorian mores, archaeological practices and misdeeds, the story intensifies, surprises, and fulfills right up to the end. The partnership of enigmatic Cyrus Barker and steadfast Thomas Llewelyn strengthens, especially as Llewelyn matures into a fine enquiry agent after nearly ten years working with Barker. Llewelyn’s character flourishes and stands out by this 14th novel with the weight of his past lightened and his fine, often witty and erudite first-person narrative encompasses the events, facts, and characters - transforming him into a first-rate chronicler. This splendid mystery book and series are not to be missed.

When I was granted early access to this novel, what caught my attention was the intriguing description and book-cover image. I had not read any of the series, but I knew starting at #14 was unfair to the writer and the books. So, I started at book one. The last three months my journey in Victorian times and with these well-developed characters through all fourteen books has been a marvelous, remarkable, addictive biblio-trip. Most of the first thirteen I listened to were the exceptional audiobooks I bought and savored, hour after hour, book by book, murder by murder. The talented reader is topnotch, such that when I read HEART OF THE NILE, I could hear Barker’s gruff voice and Llewelyn’s articulate replies (and thoughts) as well as a whole cast of peripheral characters’ unique voices. When I finished reading this novel, the bittersweet reality that the journey with them would be on hiatus lingered, but the hope exists that there will be many more adventures with Barker and Llewelyn.

I am grateful to St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books, NetGalley, and Will Thomas for giving me early access to this memorable and exciting book. This opinion is all my own.

Heart of the Nile
by Will Thomas
Pub Date: 11 Apr 2023


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.

In book 14 of the Barker & Llewelyn series, Cyrus and Thomas a pulled into the deadly mystery of a mummy with a giant ruby hidden in the body cavity. As always, the duo lead the reader on a wild ride through Victorian England.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Minotaur Books, for a copy of this book for review.

Victorian mystery complete with Egyptian mummies and murder!

London, 1893. Thomas Llewellyn and Cyrus Barker have their hands full with an intriguing investigation of a disappeared gentleman who was last seen at midnight, with hints of a major discovery in an unto-now looked at mummy. One of a glut of mummies the British Museum has bought or been gifted by those English travellers who’ve done their Grand Tour, and now find that so desirable artefact has lost its sheen back in England. Most find their inglorious way to the Museum basement needing to be catalogued.
Phillip Addison had taken on the task. Unpaid, a volunteer, often working through the night, as a way to further his interest in Egyptology, perhaps even to be part of a dig one day. He was an Oxford man, ancient history enthusiast by night, and a school teacher by day. He’d developed a new and applauded system for designating information about the mummies.
But now Addison’s riveted by the discovery he’s made. In rushing off (at midnight) to tell his superior he manages to lock himself out of the museum. Now he looks like a thief. His superior Clive Hennings refuses to see him, and that’s the last we see of Addison.
Missing, Elizabeth Addison hires Llewellyn and Baker to find her husband.
What they will uncover is stunning! As is the ending!
Turning my attention to the mummy. The question is whose remains are they? Possibly a cleopatra, the Cleopatra, as there were several others. A romantic guess by Llewellyn is all we have.
An absolutely startling finish to a torrid investigation, the heart cleverly played in the end by Barker.

A St. Martin’s Press ARC invitation via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Victorian Enquiry Agents Barker and Llewelyn are hired to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a British Museum volunteer…

I loved the Egyptian historical undertones set within a Victorian context, and the fast paced detective work. Though this is the 14th book in the Barker and Llewelyn series, this is the first I have read. I was able to pick up on everything very quickly and don’t think any readers would have trouble understanding the story starting with this book. Perfect for fans of Sherlock Holmes!

I really like Will Thomas’s Barker and Llewelyn series. I’ve read all of them and I wish that there were more. I guess you could read this entry without any of the earlier ones, but it will take you a long time to understand the characters and their quirks. If you enjoy Victorian-era detective novels, do yourself a favor and go start at number one.

The murder at the heart of this one was very intriguing as a volunteer at the British Museum was murdered soon after working on a mummy that might have been that of Cleopatra. And he had also found a valuable giant ruby that finds its way into Barker’s hands. That ruby is the title gem so don’t be fooled into thinking that the novel takes place in Egypt.

As the two detectives transverse London to talk to various witnesses, they don’t seem to be getting any closer to finding the murderer even though it seemed rather clear who the guilty party had to be. But I really enjoyed dipping back into this imaginary world and can’t wait for the next entry.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

It is 1893 London on the brink of a new year. Phillip Addison is a volunteer at the British Museum weighing the bodies of Egyptian mummies when he makes an amazing discovery. When he fails to return home, his wife calls upon Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn. Later, they have the sad business to inform her that her husband is dead, and now they are being followed in order to find Addison’s discovery.

I am reading Will Thomas’s Barker & Llewelyn series completely out of order. It wasn't my intention but just how it happened. I read number 12 in the series, and this is number 14. When I reviewed number 12, I said the writing was choppy. It would appear that this issue has been addressed as there was significantly less, to which I am extremely grateful as I could better focus on the plot and not the mechanics.

I found I liked Barker more in this novel than in the previous one I read. Maybe something happened between the two, but it was as if he recognized that he was aloof to his fellow man, and so he allowed Llewelyn to handle more of the interactions. When it came to the humanity portion of the novel, it was prominently dominated by Llewelyn with touches of Barker. The intellect was primarily Barker’s domain, but Llewelyn gave parts of himself. I loved that the novel started with Llewelyn going to the book stalls. A bibliophile after my own heart!

I love Egypt and am fascinated by its history. I would have liked a little more historical information, but again this doesn’t take away from the novel. The mystery is Addison, what happened to him and why. Everything that happened flowed smoothly and made absolute sense.

Overall, I rate this novel 4.5 out of 5 stars.

1893, private-investigators, Egyptology, historical-fiction, historical-places-events, historical-research, danger, threats, thriller, suspense, theft, abduction, British Museum, London, partners, snarky, banter, relics, multicultural, mummies, murder, investigation, action, greed, intrigue*****

This can't be an unbiased review because I LOVE this series!
Barker made his fortune the hard way in shipping from China. Llewelyn has been his assistant/partner for the past ten years (and recently married a young woman of the Chosen People).
The case they are called to becomes very dangerous and they spend a lot of time around the docks (and villains) in London because it involves an artifact found inside a mummy in the British Museum. The publisher's blurb is a pretty good hook and no need for spoilers. Excellent read!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

"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."

Did someone say mummy? And yes, I look like a dog who has just heard the word squirrel.

Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn are partners in a private enquiry business in London in the 1890s. This book appears to be part of a series of mystery novels featuring the pair. It's the first one I've encountered. While Cyrus seems to be a man with a very interesting and varied past, Thomas is more typical gentleman of that period. We are given hints of their earlier lives, undoubtedly covered more deeply in earlier novels. In this book, they are tasked with finding the killer of a young volunteer in Egyptology at the British Museum. This unfolds a maze of possible connections that we follow as the two investigate. One gets a detailed picture of life in urban London during Victorian times, in addition to a glimpse of the beginnings of the great era of discovery in Egypt. The book was entertaining and the killer was not completely obvious until near the end of the book--always a good sign. The characters were described in detail and were quite intriguing, making the reader want to know them better.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I must start by thanking NetGalley and the publisher for my eARC in exchange for my honest review. Back once again to old friends! Heart of the Nile, is the 14th in a series I never tier of. A fast paced Victorian mystery that has hints of Sir Arthur Doyle, with its solid character base. I await the next already.

I am a huge fan of this series and eagerly await each release. This one did not disappoint. The story was engaging and very well paced. There was a lot of mystery throughout, outside of the main mystery, and we got all our favorite cast of characters. The ending was satisfying - everything wrapped up perfectly and made sense. Llewellyn was as hilarious as ever. This may be my favorite Barker and Llewellyn yet!

I love this series and all of Thomas’s wry asides and the way Barker’s character and backstory continue to unfold. This is best for fans of the series who have at least a book or two under their belts, but the mystery stands alone.

My only complaint is wishing I had seen more of the investigation at the very end. Too much happened off page for me, and the ending felt rushed and underdeveloped. But the investigation overall was satisfying and I’m ready for book 15.

Will Thomas's latest entry in the Barker and Llewelyn series, HEART OF THE NILE, is an unfortunately weak offering that fails to live up to previous books. The first half of the novel is engaging and moves along at a nice pace; the second half is bewildering, with events becoming more convoluted and improbable as the story progresses. The resolution of the mystery is unsatisfying and rushed. Worse, many of the conversations in the book are circular and repetitive--sometimes the characters ask or say things they've asked or said only a few lines before. One can only hope that some of this will be addressed before the final version.

Heart of the Nile is an intriguing mystery/thriller novel by Will Thomas that follows a group of investigative adventurers on their mission to solve a centuries-old murder. The narrative builds tension as the characters uncover clues and face danger at every turn, while exploring themes such as trust, loyalty, and friendship. With its page-turning pace and dramatic plot twists, Heart of the Nile provides readers with an enjoyable read that will keep them engaged until the very end. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers for review.

This was a new series and new group of characters for me, and it was fine. A good story, but looped a bit. I wasn’t sucked in the way I have been with other stories. Good book, just not for me.

Loved the premise (London, turn of the century, Egyptian artifacts? Have I mentioned I'm a grandmillenial obsessed with The Mummy?) The execution was a bit lacking, though. The writing felt clunky and the detectives were patronizing to the reader. Worth an airport read, but not much beyond that.