• Anatomy of Evil

  • Barker & Llewelyn Series, Book 7
  • By: Will Thomas
  • Narrated by: Antony Ferguson
  • Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (954 ratings)

Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.
Anatomy of Evil  By  cover art

Anatomy of Evil

By: Will Thomas
Narrated by: Antony Ferguson
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $17.19

Buy for $17.19

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Cyrus Barker is undoubtedly England's premiere private enquiry agent. With the help of his assistant, Thomas Llewelyn, he's developed an enviable reputation for discreetly solving some of the toughest, most consequential cases in recent history. But one evening in 1888, Robert Anderson, the head of Scotland Yard's Criminal Investigation Department (CID), appears at Barker's office with an offer. A series of murders in the Whitechapel area of London are turning the city upside down, with tremendous pressure being brought to bear on Scotland Yard and the government itself. Barker is to be named temporary envoy to the Royal Family with regard to the case while surreptitiously bringing his investigative skill to the case. With various elements of society, high and low, bringing their own agendas to increasingly shocking murders, Barker and Llewellyn must find and hunt down the century's most notorious killer.

Though the Whitechapel Killer has managed to elude the finest minds of Scotland Yard - and beyond - he's never faced a mind as nimble and a man as skilled as Cyrus Barker. But even Barker's prodigious skills may not be enough to track down a killer in time.

©2015 Will Thomas (P)2017 Tantor

Critic reviews

"A satisfying addition to a satisfying series. Thomas continues to contribute to the historical thriller genre by combining appealing characters with thoroughly researched historical detail." ( Library Journal)

What listeners say about Anatomy of Evil

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    719
  • 4 Stars
    179
  • 3 Stars
    48
  • 2 Stars
    7
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    728
  • 4 Stars
    108
  • 3 Stars
    19
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    626
  • 4 Stars
    164
  • 3 Stars
    45
  • 2 Stars
    10
  • 1 Stars
    4

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

OMG, what a ride!!!

Let me open by stating I love historical fiction. When done correctly, one can pick up an immense amount of knowledge "second hand" from a vast array of subjects. I know it sounds silly, but I feel like I'm getting something for free. While I'm listening to a fantastic story, I'm sitting there learning about the inner workings of "Buck House" during Queen Victoria's reign at the same time.Talk about bang for your buck.(A-ha, snuck that one in there.)Thomas does a great job of creating this world, this time period and submerging you in it. I feel like I'm truly along for the ride, side by side with characters I love, and fully vested in their "lives" and whatever happens to them.
Please be aware--The subject matter can be very graphic. This is not a book for the YA crowd in my opinion as describing the murder scenes in the book can be pretty rough.
I strongly recommend this series. It is VERY entertaining, action packed, and just gets better as you go along. Enjoy.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Non-stop action

Fantastic intrigue. Action and interaction between the characters dynamic. The book is well written and one of the best if not the best I've listened to thus far.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

What more can I say? Perhaps PERFECTION!

Would you listen to Anatomy of Evil again? Why?

Yes. I love all the nuances in Will Thomas's series. There are certain writers that go over board describing a scene, sentiment and internal dialog. Not Thomas, he is descriptive enough to pull you in but not drown you in boredom

What did you like best about this story?

How Barker and Llewelyn's relationship and respect for each other is growing and evolving. Barker is tough, no nonsense. Llewelyn is getting tougher but still kind of sweet and naïve.

Have you listened to any of Antony Ferguson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, just this series and although I got some minor characters confused, I could tell the difference between all the main ones. I enjoy his readings.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

What Thomas sees at the end and they just go back to life together as usual. I WAS PROUD FOR HIM!

Any additional comments?

The author's note at the end was very helpful, even though this is a work of fiction. My birthday is July 10th, Hell Bay will be available July 11th, it's my belated gift to myself.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

May be my favorite

Barker and Llewelyn plus the Whitechapel murders is an irresistible combination Here we have our heroes in a historical setting among many real people. Many of us have read about the Ripper murders therefore many of the historical characters, victims and locales are somewhat familiar but this tale casts new lights on the case. It always seems that Will Thomas enjoys writing variations exploring classical English detective genres. This is something of a departure but it is probably my favorite story so far! A very interesting and compelling story beautifully narrated.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Another winner

I have the entire series so far, but have a great fondness for this one. Characters are very believable as is the premise. If you have not read or listened to this series do so, you will not be disappointed.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good series

I do like spending time with Barker and Llewelyn. I have been enjoying the series and plan to continue it. I was excited to see where the ending would go with Jack the Ripper since I have read many books about the killings and the writer looks at clues in a clear way. Spoiler Alert: I did have problems with a suspect who did not bath or change his cloths not having any coal or blood on him. I lived 21 years where coal was used, and every person in my neighborhood would be able to tell instantly if someone was using a coal chute to come and go. Coal is not like dirt, and anyone using a chute could be identified at a glance, and the same would be of his bedding and room - there would be clear evidence everywhere. And there had to be blood from before on someone that did not wash their hands or change their cloths, especially on someone who was taking organs from the victims. Then using some old, half tool to do the crime didn't work for me either. I just can't see some half starved lunatic always wearing the same cloths being the Ripper. And if more than one person in the Yard knew the real killer, all of London would know. I guess the writer thinks a killer like this has to be visibly crazy, but I think the Ripper would be more of a Ted Bundy type. Someone who was living what looked like a normal life, but that had killing urges he could not ignore and acted on in secret. The urges escalating until the final frenzy when the killer either moved, died, or was imprisoned. You only have to watch some of the trial footage of Ted Bundy speaking to realize that a serial killer could be well spoken and intelligent, giving every appearance of being normal, and still be a cold monster inside, killing when he got the chance. And that's what the Ripper did - killed when he got the chance.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great historical mystery

As with the rest of the series, a very enjoyable Victorian mystery, and great narration

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Above average, better than expected

If you could sum up Anatomy of Evil in three words, what would they be?

Three words, not enough, as with all the books in this series, the story of Barker and Llewelyn, plus the other cast of characters contribute to an otherwise well known formula. You care about what happens to them.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Llewelyn, as the story is often in his voice

Which character – as performed by Antony Ferguson – was your favorite?

He does a fine job with everyone, male and female

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

would prefer a tv series

Any additional comments?

This is the last book currently available on audible, still two books to be recorded. I hope the sale of this series will entice audible continue with the remaining books, and hopefully more books in the future.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Always a Great Listen.

Any additional comments?

I love this series and enjoyed all of them. This particular entry is however, the weakest story presented so far. It is a unique take on the ripper based on historical facts but it is too much of a retelling and not enough of a new spin. Anthony Ferguson as always is a brilliant voice artist and it would be worth listening to this entry just for him.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • CJ
  • 01-31-24

Excellent story on many levels

I appreciate this series. I am going through them all and continue to be impressed. I appreciate both the main characters. Barker, our hero , is open to and accepting of people no matter what race, religious beliefs gender or sexual orientation they present. He is a great role model for his young and very bright assistant all the rest of us. He is also physically tough and knows how to protect himself and others. There is plenty of action as well as historical information and is intellectually stimulating I highly recommend this series

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!