Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Series: Barker and Llewelyn
Publication Date: 5/12/15
Period: 1888 – Victorian London
Number of Pages: 304

London is in turmoil as a sadistic killer stalks the soiled doves of Whitechapel. Even the Queen is demanding a speedy resolution from Scotland Yard. Yet, the Yard is also in turmoil from some recent changes in personnel and direction. Robert Anderson, new head of Scotland Yard’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) wants to assure the real murderer is apprehended and not just a convenient scapegoat. So, Anderson approaches Cyrus Barker with a proposition and asks Barker and Llewelyn to work out of Scotland Yard to solve the case. They will have ‘special’ credentials through Scotland Yard and will also act as the liaison to the royal family.

Some of the finest investigators are stumped – and the murders keep happening. Barker has keen insights and notices things others don’t, but will he be able to solve the case before the mobs of vigilantes roaming the area take vengeance on an innocent person? How does the perpetrator just disappear into thin air? Can it be a member of the royal family? Someone has to know who is guilty because there is no way a person could hide the blood all over their clothing time and again.

Yes, this case will test Barkers much lauded skills in both detection and diplomacy – and it will put Llewelyn in grave danger. Will Barker and Llewelyn solve the case or will they fail and their reputations go down the tubes along with Scotland Yard’s.

I can definitely recommend this book and this series. I love the characters and the mysteries are always well done with villains who will tax your ability to ferret them out. I hope you’ll give the series a try and that you’ll enjoy it as much as I did. ( )

Barker and Llewelyn are temporarily assigned to Scotland Yard to help solve the White Chapel murders. Anatomy of Murder is an excellent read about what it must have been like to investigate the Ripper murders. Thomas treats the victims as women deserving of dignity despite their chosen profession. A well crafted story. ( )

It is not an easy task to put a new spin on the tale of Jack the Ripper, but Thomas does an excellent job.

His genius lies in inserting his already established and well-liked detective characters, Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn, into the fray. Barker, a private enquiry agent, and Llewelyn, his assistant, are drawn into temporarily working with Scotland Yard in an attempt to catch the fearsome Ripper.

Barker and Llewelyn are great characters, reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, and Thomas' take on the Jack the Ripper mystery is a strong one. I really appreciated and admired that Thomas did not shy away from offering his own solution to the unsolved crimes. ( )

A must read for mystery fans. A good story about Jack the Ripper. Can't wait to read the new book in Oct. Hell Bay. ( )

The one killer in all of history who simply refuses to go quietly into that good night is Jack the Ripper. Crime fiction is awash with books about his crime spree and his identity. Most of them are forgettable, but Will Thomas's Anatomy of Evil manages to put a whole new spin on the case and becomes very memorable as a result. How does Thomas do this?

First, he puts his very unconventional private enquiry agents (Barker refuses to be called a "private detective") Barker and Llewelyn right in the midst of Scotland Yard, combining their skills and contacts with all the information and man power that Scotland Yard has at its disposal. What the two men walk into is a jurisdictional nightmare of infighting and jockeying for position among the higher-ups. Thomas makes this much clearer than so many other fictional accounts have done in the past.

Another area in which Thomas excels is with the murder victims themselves. Many other writers have tended to list the women merely as drunks and prostitutes... and as so much dead meat. Will Thomas gives them a measure of dignity by Barker's and Llewelyn's attendance and behavior at a postmortem and a funeral. Very nicely done, even if some readers may complain that he's giving twenty-first century attitudes to nineteenth century men. People with "finer feelings" certainly existed in Victorian England after all.

The slower pace of Anatomy of Evil illustrates how exhausting it was to slog through thousands of clues and suspects while trying to prevent the very real threats of riots, pogroms, and more murders, and simultaneously sidestepping the well-meant meddling of Queen Victoria. Of course the book covers the same old ground (how could it not?), but Thomas manages to put a freshness to it that I haven't seen in a long time-- and his choice for the true identity of Jack the Ripper? Well, see for yourself!

If you haven't read a Barker and Llewelyn mystery before, and you love historical mysteries that bring Victorian London to life, you are in for a treat. Since these characters do grow and change, I would suggest that you begin at the beginning with Some Danger Involved. The only thing that's left to say is Enjoy! ( )