Published by Minotaur Books on May 13, 2014
If you can imagine Sherlock Holmes as a bulky action hero, you might have a picture of Cyrus Barker. Fatal Enquiry, the sixth novel in the Cyrus Barker series, takes place in 1886. Barker is a private enquiry agent in London. His younger version of Watson is his assistant, Thomas Llewellyn, who narrates the story. Barker's Moriarty is Sebastian Nightwine, who made an appearance in a previous novel in the Barker series. Barker is no match for Holmes as a thinker but he is clearly a better brawler.
In Fatal Enquiry, Barker reveals how he came to know Nightwine and explains why Nightwine is his mortal enemy, a tale that has Barker fighting with and against the British in China during the middle of the nineteenth century. Early on in the novel, Barker falls victim to Nightwine's scheme to frame him for a crime. He and Llewellyn spend the first half of Fatal Enquiry prowling the alleys of London at night, trying to avoid arrest. Much of the second half belongs to Llewellyn as Barker hatches a plan behind the scenes.
Meanwhile, Llewellyn has a chance encounter with the lovely Sofia Ilyanova, who wishes to become a client of the Barker Agency. Her problem, of course, is related to Barker's, much to the smitten Llewellyn's dismay. Unlike Barker and Llewellyn and even Nightwine, Sofia does not come across as a credible character. She is the novel's only weakness.
Fortunately, the strengths of Fatal Enquiry overcome that misstep. While Barker is no Sherlock (there is very little deduction in this novel), his backstory is intriguing. Most of Fatal Enquiry centers on Llewellyn, a sympathetic character for whom it is easy to root. On the whole, this is a flavorful novel that tells a fun, engaging story in literate prose with a Victorian flair.
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