The Hellfire Conspiracy

Barker & Llewelyn Series, Book 4

By: Will Thomas

Narrated by: Antony Ferguson

Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

When Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn are hired to find a girl from the upper classes who has gone missing in the East End, they assume her kidnapping is the work of white slavers. But when they discover five girls have been murdered in Bethnal Green, taunting letters begin to arrive in Craig's Court from a killer calling himself Mr. Miacca.

Barker fears that Miacca might be part of the Hellfire Club, a group of powerful, hedonistic aristocrats performing satanic rituals. He must track the fiend to his hideout, while Llewelyn confronts the man who put him in prison.

Dodging muckrakers, navigating the murky Thames under cover of darkness, and infiltrating London's most powerful secret society, The Hellfire Conspiracy is another wild ride that "brings to life a London roiling with secret leagues, deadly organizations, and hidden clubs" (Ron Bernas, Detroit Free Press).

©2007 Will Thomas (P)2017 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Thomas cleverly develops his characters' personalities while maintaining his marvelously wrought descriptions of a bygone era." ( Kirkus)

Does not disappoint!

Cyrus Barker and Thomas have another riveting mystery. This story features a pedophile. At that time, they used the word ravishing for rape. Even when saying ravishing, it is said with demurely to not offend. This is a crime that effects Barker hard.

Llewelyn find out more about Barker past. It is not shocking as much as it confirms his current character. Llewelyn is still being distracted by attractive women and have come to enjoy fine cooking.

All the action and friends that you have come to expect are there for your enjoyment.

Interesting mystery

Excellent story line and as always the whole story comes together in the most excellent way. FX

Maintains the Series Pattern

If your a fan of the Barker Llewelyn Series, you will enjoy The Hellfire Conspiracy! In addition to a good, but somber, story line, you will also be provided with additional background on Barker, Llewelyn and Mac. Entertaining

Smart, witty and compelling…

Barker and Llewelyn continue to work together to rid society of evil men, as only they can. This episode proved Llewelyn tougher than he thought himself to be, and Barker a bit more humane and softer than usual. They are excellent partners and the circumstances in this case were difficult and sensitive for both of them. Looking forward to the next book in the series eagerly.

Great Entry in The Series

Like a grittier version of Holmes and Watson. A total immersion in the history and culture of 18 th century London. Great crime drama and human drama. The first person narration of Thomas Llewellyn is like a younger more naive version of Dr Watson. And there is the whole subtext of the injustices of the British class system and being a “gentleman”. Truly engaging for all fans of historical fiction, mysteries and suspense. The narrator is spot on in his voicings of many British accents from Barker’s Brogue to Llewelyn’s Oxford to guttural Cockney to the snooty “high born” gentlemen. The game is definitely afoot in this one!!!

Great Characters and Naration

Historical characters added to an interesting story line. Especially Stead and Potter.
Combined with period language, I learned a great deal about the history of this period.

Many twists and turns

Will Thomas has produced another worthy novel with Cyrus Barker as the lead character. The descriptions of the area, the manner of interactions of the characters; all very impressive in my opinion. Anthony Ferguson as the narrator is excellent. Truly enjoyed the story, the delivery of the novel and the ending. Three Cheers!

Aaarrrhh! Ends on a cliffhanger!

Ok, let's start by saying I can't wait until the next book!
This was an exciting, but brutal plot. I like how you got to see more shades of Barker's character. You got to see him grieve, be confounded by the evils on this earth, and see him mourn for innocence lost. The writing was genuine, not contrived words to illicit tears, but words to make you think of these same injustices that are going on today and what are WE doing to stop them.....or do we even really care.
We see the caustic duplicity of the 1%. They will always be with us, for good or bad and it sickens me to see not much has changed. Remember a recent situation with Prince Andrew and an alleged sexual liaison with an underage girl. His reputation remained intact with his uber-rich friends rushing to his side to defend his honor, but what ever happened to her.......what happened to her?
I guess some things will never change....not even with time and may God have mercy on our souls for I shudder to think of the karma coming our way.

Enjoyable Historical Mystery

I'm glad I found this author. The stories are great and the characters quite quirky. Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewellyn can move easily between the upper classes and the mean streets of Victorian London. The audio books have excellent narration.

So entertaining!

Excellent story telling. Each time I begin one of these novels, I'm reminded of just how entertaining they are. If you enjoy Victorian London in all its splendor and depravity, you'll enjoy this captivating, well crafted mystery.