A cold case heats up with the discovery of a forbidden
fighting manual, mysterious beauties, and competing warlords
in London's China town.
Back in the foggy Victorian era of London, Thomas Llewelyn
manages to find himself in another pickle. This time as he
attempts to rescue his boss Cyrus Barker's special dog,
Harm, Llewelyn causes an international incident in the
Chinese section of London. Not content with throwing
Barker's ward out of a window into the mud -- not exactly
the way to get into the good graces of a beautiful woman --
Llewelyn takes on a gang of Chinese sailors, proving that
Barker is teaching the "forbidden" art of fighting, an act
punishable by death.
As Barker tries to remedy the situation and get Harm
returned safely, a Scotland Yards man is killed outside Ho's
restaurant, setting off a chain of violent deaths. Cyrus
Barker is up to his ears as he deals with a sacred Chinese
fighting manual gone missing, and clues to the murder of
Llewelyn's predecessor, Quong. Throw in rival local Chinese
warlords, competition between warring divisions of the
British Foreign Service, an angry Scotland Yards and a
couple of beautiful women to distract Llewelyn and THE
LIMEHOUSE TEXT proves to be another page-turning thrill from
Will Thomas.
Will Thomas brings the end of the 19th century London to
life with his vivid descriptions as well as a masterful
blending of historical fact with breath-taking fiction. THE
LIMEHOUSE TEXT is not to be missed by historical mystery
fans or lovers of Sherlock Holmes. If you haven't tried a
Victorian thriller recently, the Cyrus Barker series is the
place to start!
There they retrieve an innocent-looking book that proves to
be a rare and secret text stolen from a Nanking monastery.
When they take it to Ho, Barker's favorite restaurateur, for
inspection, they discover that it contains lethal martial
arts techniques forbidden to the West. With the political
situation between the British Empire and Imperial China
already precarious, the duo must safeguard the text from a
snarl of suspects with conflicting interests -- and track
down a killer intent upon gaining the secret knowledge.
Prowling through an underworld of opium dens, back-room
blood sports, and sailors' penny hangs while avoiding the
wrath of the district's powerful warlord, Mr. K'ing, Barker
and Llewelyn take readers on a perilous tour through the
mean streets of turn-of-the-century London.