Fierce Poison (Barker & Llewelyn Series #13)

by Will Thomas Narrated by Antony Ferguson

Overview

The next thrilling installment from the Barker and Llewelyn series, masterfully narrated by Antony Ferguson.

London, 1893, there is a poisoner loose in the city, with deaths piling up, and private enquiry agents Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn are apparently his next target in Fierce Poison by Will Thomas.

Private Enquiry agent Cyrus Barker has just about seen it all-he's been attacked by assassins, his office has been bombed, and evil-doers have even nearly killed his dog. But never before has a potential client dropped dead in his office. When Roland Fitzhugh, Member of Parliament arrives to consult Barker and his partner Thomas Llewelyn, he falls to the floor, dead, upon entering. As they soon learn, he's been poisoned with a cyanide laced raspberry tart, and the adulterated tarts also take out an entire family in the East End. Labelled the Mad Pie Man by the press, Barker and Llewelyn are hired by former Prime Minister William Gladstone to find out who has targeted the House of Commons's newest member.

But before they can even begin, they find themselves the latest target of this mad poisoner-with Barker's butler poisoned with digitalis and dozens of diabolic traps discovered at their home. On the run from their unseen adversary, Barker and Llewelyn must uncover the threads that connect these seemingly random acts and stop the killer before they and their closest friends and family become the latest casualties.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

★ 02/21/2022

Set in 1893, Thomas’s superb 13th whodunit featuring private inquiry agents Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn (after 2021’s Dance with Death) centers on multiple poisonings while riffing on Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. The PIs are shocked when a stranger appears at their London office, requests water, and then dies after having difficulty breathing. A business card on the body identifies the man as Roland Fitzhugh, a Liberal MP. After the death is reported to Scotland Yard, Barker and Llewelyn learn that Fitzhugh visited there half an hour before his demise to report that he suspected someone had tried to poison him on two occasions. Barker insists on justice for Fitzhugh and gains a paying client in the form of former prime minister William Gladstone, who funds the search for the killer. Another poisoning follows soon after, this time claiming the lives of almost an entire East End family. The leads’ friendship enriches a gripping plot that builds to a clever and satisfying resolution. Pastiche-averse Sherlockians looking for a baffling puzzle set in their favorite period will be rewarded. Agent: Maria Carvainis, Maria Carvainis Agency. (Apr.)

From the Publisher

"Stylish and entertaining." —Shelf Awareness

"Superb... a gripping plot that builds to a clever and satisfying resolution." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Intricately plotted, humorous, atmospheric, and rich in multidimensional characters." —Booklist (starred review)

Library Journal

11/01/2021

In 1893 London, Private Enquiry agent Cyrus Barker is shocked when a newly elected Member of Parliament arrives in his office and promptly drops dead, done in (it turns out) by a cyanide-laced raspberry tart. Barker and partner Thomas Llewelyn are hired by former Prime Minister William Gladstone to determine what happened but soon find themselves targeted by the press-dubbed Mad Pie Man. From the Shamus-nominated librarian author; with a 30,000-copy first printing.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940176473414
Publisher:	Macmillan Audio
Publication date:	04/12/2022
Series:	Barker & Llewelyn Series , #13
Edition description:	Unabridged

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