This intriguing first novel introducing the pugnacious Cyrus Barker, whose Holmesian intellect makes him an intimidating "enquiry agent," reads like a grotesque Anne Perry mystery, sans manners. Nothing and no one are as they seem in the cobblestoned dankness of this Victorian London, including the bizarre crucifixion of a young Jewish scholar and the vile suspects who rise to the attention of Barker and his new assistant, the downtrodden Welshman Thomas Llewelyn. The author's brilliantly complex plotting sends detectives and readers chasing clues down the dark alleyways of immigrant Jewish communities and into churches harboring menacing pseudo-Christian hate groups, frantically seeking the maniacal killer whose murders take their twisted inspiration from biblical savagery. The exploration of the chasm between Christians and Jews, the details of Jewish customs, and the vivid period ambience lend philosophical depth to the action. "Some danger" is involved in the investigation, as the title suggests, but Thomas also peppers his debut with plenty of dark humor.

Donated to a toy and book swap at the church today in aid of a Congolese orphanage.