Barker and Llewellyn are back with the sixteenth entry in the series. I've been reading them in order so had to jump a number of books in the series to get to Season of Death. Many of the usual characters from the earlier novels are with us although those of you who have been reading them in order already know about any births, deaths and marriages that have already occurred by 1895, the year this story unfolds. Initially, the collapse of a bridge opens up a very important opportunity for someone with a criminal mind and lots of ambition. Leaders of the major gangs were meeting in a room under the bridge and are no longer with us. There is chaos amongst criminals, to fill a leadership void. Yet, in the midst of chaos, we have a series of meticulously planned and executed jewelry store breaking.

Barker is hired to check around the neighborhood for anything that might point to the culprits when he and Llewelyn run across a woman with a teakettle and looking like a pile of filthy rags. She is what is called a “crawler” among the beggars, one of the lowest of the low who relies on pennies from better off street people. The kettle is to collect old tealeaves. Her name is “Dutch,” and there is something odd about her. When asked about whether she has seen anything that might lead to the thieves, it becomes obvious she has. After some back and forth, she acknowledges she has been made a lookout for the thieves and she shares the location of a burglary in progress. As Barker and Llewellyn break up the robbery, they find a more serious crime, burglars acting unusual and confirm which gang is involved. It is obvious to them that an unknown person is at the helm. They get Dutch to the mission where Barker is on the board. It is something of a domestic violence shelter, despised by men who think it's fine to harm their wives. Dutch should be safe, but some unknown person does not want her to be protected. She's unmarried, so who could it be? The plot twists just enough as usual to be entertaining. The characters continue to evolve but with pasts that influence their conduct. The writing is often humorous and sometimes very sad. What I particularly like about Will Thomas's writing is that I genuinely learn more about history of London and surrounds at the time and even within the back stories of characters. In this case, it meant that I learned about crawlers and understood more about the police system of the era. I love these books and Thomas has maintained the quality and interest consistently. The narrator of this audio edition, Antony Ferguson, is excellent.

Review of Season of Death

I received an early release copy of Season of Death from the publisher for review. As a long-time reader of this series, I highly recommend starting with book one if you're new to it. This allows you to truly appreciate the characters' remarkable growth and evolution throughout the narrative.

It delivers an intriguing story, skillfully weaving a mystery within a mystery. As expected in this historical London setting, the narrative is rich with political intrigue, romantic entanglements( Isn't there always?), and, of course, murder. The author crafts a compelling plot that kept me guessing until the very end.

A note on the audiobook narration: I found the narrator's pacing to be a bit slow at the default speed. To enhance the listening experience, I recommend increasing the playback speed to at least 1.25x or 1.35x. This adjustment made a significant difference, transforming what felt like a lecture into a more engaging narration. While the narrator's voice range was somewhat limited, the increased speed improved the overall flow and enjoyment of the audiobook.

Overall, is a well-written and captivating addition to the series. Though at times it seemed the main character repeated a few lines here and there. Despite the minor narration issue, which is easily remedied, the story's complexity and compelling characters make it a worthwhile read or listen for fans of historical mysteries

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A great new addition to the series, I liked this one more than the last installment I read.

The characters continue to be interesting, though if this type of book isn’t your normal genre you may find them a bit dry. The character development in this one was very well done, and I appreciated how different characters were juxtaposed.

This is a great book for fans of Andrea Pemrose.

Thank you for the ARC!

I was a tad nervous going in because I was unfamiliar with the previous novels in the series, but it was super easy to follow! I imagine that a lot of them could be read as stand alone books if you wanted. Loved the Sherlock Holmes vibes. There were enough twists and turns to keep you interested, but not so many that you'd become lost in what was the actual plot. The writing was very concise and didn't have too much fluff. Can't wait to do enmore into this series!

This review is for the audiobook narrated by Antony Ferguson. Barker and Llewellyn have been together as enquiry agents for 10 years now. I enjoy seeing Llewellyn married and with a daughter. Barker is his usual aloof, mysterious self. There's lots of domestic violence in the plot, so beware if that's a trigger. I really felt for poor Dutch, and I'm glad it ended well. Anthony Ferguson is perfect for the book. He sounds just like I imagine Barker and Llewellyn would sound.

Thank you to Macmillan for the copy of this book. Opinions are my own.

Will Thomas' Barker & Llewelyn series is one of my favorite active series being written today. Its hard to believe we are already on Book 16! Thomas's books are full of London atmosphere, interesting historical detail, and characters who continue to be engaging and surprising.

Although Season of Death could be read as a stand-alone, but reading it in series order is rewarding for the character development that has taken place.

Anthony Ferguson's narration in the Macmillan Audio production is terrific. He brings the characters to life without intruding in the story.

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

Season of Death is the 16th Barker & Llewelyn Victorian historical mystery by Will Thomas. Due out 22nd April 2025 from Macmillan on their Minotaur imprint, it's 352 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.

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 (most of which are fairly heavily foreshadowed, there weren't any *shocking* reveals).

There are some moderately graphic descriptions of blood and violence (including domestic violence and abuse), misogyny, and racism included, so readers who are very sensitive to these and similar 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 33 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 narrator's virtuosity with a staggering array of regional accents is admirable and a joy to listen to.

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, although the interpersonal developments between returning characters will be somewhat spoiled if read out of order.

High quality historical mystery. Four and a half stars.

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

Barker and Llewelyn are back in this new mystery set in Victorian London.

There are a lot of threads that weave together as the enquiry agents face a power vacuum among the criminal elements of London, as well as getting mixed up in the world of Dutch, a mysterious beggar who seems to be connected.

I always look forward to the next Barker & Llewelyn novel, as Will Thomas always manages to take on neglected aspects of Victorian life, and in this case, it’s organized crime. It’s a good solid story with some unexpected twists that keep the reader interested.

I received a free audiobook copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

This is one of my favorite series, and this title did not disappoint.



Review copy provided by publisher.

Fast-paced and as always great to listen to. There's a lot going on in this book, but all leads to one villain. A missing woman, gang wars, police corruption, so much going on, but not confusing.

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