[.ca] Some Danger Involved: A Novel (ISBN 0743256190)

Stunning Debut:
Once in a great while, a writer comes along who introduces a pair of memorable characters who deserve to live forever, such as Archie Goodwin and Nero Wolfe, Siegfried Farnon and James Herriot, or Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. It has happened again in this beautifully written debut novel by Will Thomas, who brings to life his main characters, Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn, a detective and his young assistant solving a crime in Victorian London. Barker and Llewelyn are hired to solve the murder of a rabbinical student who resembled artists' renderings of Jesus Christ. Leading us through a maze of underground London, from the early Italian mafia to the mad professor who is desperate to keep the Jews from pouring into London, the pair must investigate all manner of suspects to get at the truth behind the crime. The backdrop of this book is one of the most thoroughly detailed descriptions of London that I have read, and has obviously been impeccably researched, from the very streets of Whitehall to the customs of the day. For me, the mystery, though involving, took second place to the incredibly beautiful writing of the novel. It is as satisfying as a classic, full of wit and humor and fun, along with the pathos of Llewelyn's heart-breaking past. "Some Danger Involved" is a complete delight. Treat yourself to a helping at once.

Hard Boiled London:
Amazing, amazing novel. Well-written and impeccably researched, SOME DANGER INVOLVED is a portal into Victorian London, where a traveler is apt to meet the Prince of Wales on one street and Jack the Ripper on the next. Barker and Llewelyn are a team that can be very favorably compared to sleuthing partners created by the likes of Conan Doyle, Stout and Hillerman. Don't let the nitpickers stop you from reading SOME DANGER INVOLVED.

Desperately Needed an Editor:
Most of the Holmes pastiches -- and that's essentially what this is -- are badly written, and this is better written than most. Plus, the essential theme -- murder in London's Jewish community in the late 19th century -- is richer and offers more scope than many of the "perplexing cases" that crop up in the genre. BUT, the book desperately needed an editor, and preferably an editor who had at least basic familiarity with Jewish tradition and law. For example, one plot point has the protagonist, a Gentile, hired on to act as the "shabbas goy" for a rabbi's family. That's fine: it was (and is) common for observant Jews to employ a Gentile to light fires and do other things that Jewish law forbids on the Sabbath. But first, there is no reason for this employee to be forced to stay awake all night "tending the fires" -- the fires could simply be allowed to go out, and then relit in the morning (relighting the damn things is what the sabbath goy DOES). Furthermore, we're told that the rabbi and his family employ a houseful of Gentile servants, who would presumably be lighting the fires and so on every day. The point of a sabbath goy is to do things that the family would, on non-sabbath days, do for itself. If they've got servants, the family isn't doing those things anyway, and if the servants are not Jewish, the sabbath presents no problem. Dumb. Second, we're told that sabbath lunch at the rabbi's house consists of roast beef and trifle. Delish. But uhhh.....not kosher. An observant Jew, much less a rabbi, would never mix meat (roast beef) and dairy (trifle is made of custard and whipped cream, and Cool Whip wasn't around in the 19th century) at the same meal. Then there are small, non-Jewish details that are just...wrong. The protagonist enters a house that is described as "spartan" and "working-class"...but the furniture is upholstered (if shabby) and the pictures on the wall are framed. By the standards of the 19th century, that's hardly "working class" decor. A lot of the pleasure of historical fiction, for me, lies in the extent to which it provides a window on another world. But the window offered by "Some Danger Involved" is grimy with lousy research and streaked with sloppy plotting. Feh.

An Engrossing Debut Novel:
Will Thomas (as he tells us in an Author's Note to his engrossing debut novel, SOME DANGER INVOLVED) is a book reviewer for various organizations and a speaker on Victorian crime fiction. It should be noted that he is apparently too modest to present himself as an expert on such matters, though such a conclusion is inescapable after reading this fine work, the first of what will hopefully be a long-running series. While Victorian London has primarily been the province of cozies lately, SOME DANGER INVOLVED explores the grittier and seamier side of that place and time, with riveting results. SOME DANGER INVOLVED introduces "enquiry agent" (which is now known as a "private investigator") Cyrus Barker to the world of detective literature. The story, however, is told through the eyes of Thomas Llewelyn. As the novel begins, Llewelyn is responding to a cryptic classified advertisement in The London Times seeking an assistant enquiry agent who turns out to be the idiosyncratic, brilliant Barker. Llewelyn is hired (his job interview is worth the price of admission all by itself) and he is almost immediately swept into a world of which he had no prior knowledge. His first case with Barker begins but a few days after his hiring, when a rabbinical student bearing a strong resemblance to classical interpretations of Jesus Christ is found murdered by crucifixion in London's Jewish ghetto. Anti-Jewish sentiment is running hot in London at the time, and Barker and Llewelyn do not suffer from a lack of suspects. Barker's investigation is not limited to London's main thoroughfares; the back alleys of the city are explored, and the duo investigates both the well-heeled and the downtrodden in their natural habitats. Barker and Llewelyn encounter the early Italian Mafia, a eugenics professor who teeters on the brink of madness, and a host of other fascinating and unforgettable characters --- some of whom are also employed in various capacities by Barker. When a second murder appears, with a Jewess as the victim, the tragedy ironically and ultimately provides the break in the case that leads to the revelation of the identity --- and the motive --- of the murderer. SOME DANGER INVOLVED is more than a historical mystery, however. We also come to know through this fine first novel the fascinating backgrounds of Barker and Llewelyn. Llewelyn's background is a study in contrasts, given his attendance at Oxford College and unfortunate residency in Oxford Prison, where Barker's hardscrabble childhood and scarred appearance is at odds with his wealthy trappings. While comparisons to Holmes and Watson are inevitable, given the setting, the subject matter and the principals, SOME DANGER INVOLVED is far more than a pastiche or tribute to Conan Doyle's work. Thomas dips deeply into Victorian London, and also provides his readers with interesting and insightful knowledge and observations regarding Jewish culture. More tales of Barker and Llewelyn are apparently planned; more would be most welcomed. Recommended, regardless of whether or not you're a fan of Holmes and Watson. --- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

A Promising Debut:
Will Thomas' "Some Danger Involved" is an interesting and mildly entertaining mystery novel set in late 19th century London. In an unapologetic remake of the proven Holmes-Watson formula, Thomas' Holes, Cyrus Barker, takes on as assistant a young and downtrodden Welshman, Thomas Llewelyn. The enigmatic Barker, an English aristocrat with mystical oriental influences, and the naïve but determined Llewelyn team up to solve the murder and crucifixion of a promising young rabbinical student in London's east-end Jewish ghetto. If you enjoy a bit of history with your fiction, you'll find Thomas' Victorian London well researched and informative. The customs of life within the Jewish community add a unique flavor to the mystery, while contemporary views of race and religion - eugenics - provide a fascinating backdrop. The actual murder, however, takes a back seat to the novel's setting and culture, and also to the budding friendship between Barker and Llewelyn. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but the hardcore murder mystery fan may find the suspects more suited to the game of "Clue" than to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Nonetheless, "Some Danger Involved" is an impressive and enjoyable debut, and hopefully the first in a series featuring the Carter-Llewelyn team.