A group of Irish radicals has detonated a bomb at Scotland Yard. Their device also damaged Barkers home. The two enquiry agents are asked by the government in infiltrate the group calling themselves the Irish Republican Brotherhood. The ending caught me by surprise. An excellent Victorian period mystery. ( )

A delight to read. To Kingdom Come was never boring and the team of Barker and Llewelyn is equal to Holmes and Watson. I can't wait to read the next book in the series. ( )

AUTHOR: Thomas, WIll
TITLE: To Kingdom Come
DATE READ: 01/31/2016
RATING: 4.5./B+
GENRE/PUB DATE/PUBLISHER/# OF PGS Crime Fiction/ 2005/ Simon & Shuster / 275 pgs
SERIES/STAND-ALONE: #2 Barker & Llewelyn
CHARACTERS Cyrus Barker/ enquiry agent; Thomas Llewelyn/ Barker's assistant
TIME/PLACE: Victorian era London
FIRST LINES Boom. It was a sublime sound, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.
COMMENTS: Really enjoying this series. In this 2nd venture Scotland Yard has just been bombed, most likely by Irish anarchists. Barker decides the best way to find who is behind this bombing his for them to infiltrate the Irish terrorist group posing as bomb specialists. ( )

3.5 stars

It's been a month since the end of his first case with enquiry agent Cyrus Barker & Thomas Llewelyn is still recovering from an attempted crucifixion. A few days of quiet paperwork at the office along with Cyrus' regimen of rehab is just what the doctor ordered. Then the bomb goes off...literally.
With their office in tatters, they race into the smoky streets to find the Home Office has taken a direct hit. It's one in a series of explosions that has rocked the city lately, courtesy of the Irish Brotherhood, one of a growing number of factions demanding independence from England.
British intelligence has even formed the Special Irish Branch in an attempt to curtail the increasingly militant attacks but it's almost impossible to infiltrate the close knit & suspicious bands of Irishmen. Enter Barker & Llewelyn. Cyrus proposes he impersonate the (in)famous Johannes van Rhyn, a bomb maker currently being held by the British. If he can just identify the faction responsible for making things go boom, he's confidant they'll jump at the chance to hire him to create the infernal devices they need.
Prime Minister Gladstone gives the go-ahead but with conditions attached. They are to stay out of the way of the SIB investigation & if caught, no one will come to their rescue. They have 1 month. Thomas (and the reader) gets a crash course in bomb making, Irish history/politics & stick fighting. Then off they go to Liverpool, disguised as van Rhyn & his trusty assistant, Thomas Penrith.
There are many players involved in the struggle. Cyrus & Thomas will encounter Irish strongmen, american sympathizers, gangsters & a scary initiation ritual. Thomas isn't sure where the biggest threat lies: the danger of being uncovered as a spy or the damage to his heart at the hands of the lovely Maire O'Casey.
The author provides a cast of characters that includes snitches, rogues & scoundrels mixing it up with various levels of law enforcement. As with the first book, this is narrated through Thomas' eyes as he continues his steep learning curve as assistant to an enquiry agent. Barker is an interesting, enigmatic man with many secrets & his shadowy history is slowly revealed to Thomas & the reader. There is a genuine chemistry between these two, a growing friendship that goes beyond teacher/pupil.
Many characters from "Some Danger Involved" return.....Mac, Poole, the mysterious Widow & of course, Harm, the Pekinese furball from hell. The author's description of London's gritty streets is evocative & provides a colourful commentary on the victorian city's class system in all its' grandeur & poverty.
I really like these characters & their interplay. The plot is fast paced & intricate as you try to separate the good guys from the bad. The only thing missing for me was the wry & clever humour I so enjoyed in the first book. This is a more serious story.
But I've already picked up the next one & this is a testament to the author's great characterizations of a city, time & people that are entertaining & plots that are smart and well written.
( )

I guess I am going to have to create a mystery bookshelf. In the second novel of this series, Barker and Llewellyn infiltrate an Irish revolutionary cell. The mystery--who is the mastermind of the group--was obvious, but the period detail, swiftly moving story, and judicious use of historical figures make this an enjoyable read. ( )