Fierce Poison

Set in 1893, Thomas’s superb 13th whodunit featuring private inquiry agents Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn (after 2021’s Dance with Death) centers on multiple poisonings while riffing on Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. The PIs are shocked when a stranger appears at their London office, requests water, and then dies after having difficulty breathing. A business card on the body identifies the man as Roland Fitzhugh, a Liberal MP. After the death is reported to Scotland Yard, Barker and Llewelyn learn that Fitzhugh visited there half an hour before his demise to report that he suspected someone had tried to poison him on two occasions. Barker insists on justice for Fitzhugh and gains a paying client in the form of former prime minister William Gladstone, who funds the search for the killer. Another poisoning follows soon after, this time claiming the lives of almost an entire East End family. The leads’ friendship enriches a gripping plot that builds to a clever and satisfying resolution. Pastiche-averse Sherlockians looking for a baffling puzzle set in their favorite period will be rewarded. Agent: Maria Carvainis, Maria Carvainis Agency. (Apr.)