Summary: A new story about Sherlock Holmes’ older brother Mycroft.
I have known about this series for a few years but I was reluctant to pick up a book from a celebrity who was known for things other than writing when there was a clearly marked co-author. There are more than several examples of people with big names that “collaborate” on books when in reality the book is wholly written by the other author with a few ideas thrown in from the celebrity. This is a well-known reality with Tim LaHaye’s contribution to the Left Behind series. He had a rough idea of the broad storyline, but all of the actual writing was by Jenkins.
I changed my mind about picking up the series after reading a long essay by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar last year. I thought he was a compelling writer and decided to give this a chance because the first book in the series is on sale for Kindle and then the second book in the series was on sale for audiobook. (My quick glance at reviews suggest that many people think the second book is better so I wanted to read both before I make too strong of a conclusion.)
As I glanced around the reviews I also saw people that complained that this was not a “canon” perspective on Mycroft. I have read a couple of books on the original Sherlock Holmes, but not widely within that canon and I have been more influenced by recent TV and movie portrayals and there definitely not canon, so I was not particularly concerned about that complaint.
Mycroft is a young man. He works as a secretary/assistant to the Secretary of State for War. He has all of the talents you would expect. He can read and recall instantly, he can estimate and do math in his head with the type of ability that is often shown on the screen with lots of math symbols going on around the head. He is trying to make a name for himself and earn some money because he is in love and planning to get married. His younger brother Sherlock only appears briefly in the book. Mycroft stops by to see him at school before going on a trip. Which was a good reminder that travel used to be considered pretty dangerous and Mycroft wanted to say goodbye before leaving.
The main story of the book is that Mycroft from his sources finds out that there has been a number of children killed in Trinidad. Mycroft’s best friend, a Black man who was native to the island, and his fiancee, the daughter of a plantation owner in Trinidad both decide to go to see if they can help. Mycroft talks his boss into also sending him as an official representative.
The story has good movement. It is definitely a thriller more than a mystery. The book was clearly written by Americans and there are issues with the language and some historical inaccuracies, but I am not particularly irritated by that, but it is worth noting if you are a stickler for historical accuracy in novels with a historical setting. There was awareness in the book of standard tropes, the Black sidekick, the young man on his first real international trip, etc. But they were not jokes or cynical ploys as much as acknowledging the realities of how hard it is to write about subjects that have a long history.
I have been reading way too many non-fiction books lately and so I am glad for a change of pace. This book was fine and I will definitely read the second, but it was not an earthshaking book. It was solid, engaging and enough to keep my interest for a second book (review of the second book).
Mycroft Holmes by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Anna Waterhouse Purchase Links: Paperback, Kindle Edition, Audible.com Audiobook