When a bomb destroys the Special Irish Branch of Scotland Yard, all eyes are on the Irish Republican Brotherhood, a group calling for the liberation from English rule. Enquiry agent Cyrus Barker offers his services to Scotland Yard to infiltrate the group and solve the matter. They accept but with the condition that it must all be handled in a month's time.
Barker is confident that his plan will work. He will pass himself off as the famous German bomb maker, Johannes Van Rhynn while Thomas Llewelyn, Barker's apprentice, will also pose as an anarchist who is also adept at bomb making. Surely the brotherhood will jump at the chance of having such extraordinary bomb makers at their disposal. Once inside the group they can expose the mastermind and members and bring peace back to Victorian london.
To be able to infiltrate the group both will have to disguise themselves and Lleweyln especially will need some more training in fighting and of course bomb making. To complicate matters for the young apprentice, once they are in the group, he'll also have to learn to keep his head and heart on the matter at hand and not be lured by the charms of Maire O'Casey, the sister of one of the radicals.
This is not the typical mystery where you have a murder and the whodunit but it's quite an entertaining story nonetheless, and one with some very tense moments as Lleweyln shows off his bomb making skills.
And, while it could be read as a standalone novel as the author gives the reader just enough background on the characters, I do think it's best if it's read in order. The novel picks up where Some Danger Involved left off and even though Lleweyln still has a lot to learn, he does seem to be making progress in becoming an enquiry agent himself. A good follow up and now I'll be eager to read the next installment in the series.
Added 12/07