The new novel by NBA All-Star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, starring brothers Mycroft and Sherlock Holmes.It is 1873, and as the economies of Europe threaten to crumble, Mycroft Holmes finds himself in service to the Crown once again. A distant relative of Queen Victoria has been slain by the Fire Four Eleven killer, a serial murderer who leaves no mark upon his victims, only a mysterious calling card. … mysterious calling card. Meanwhile, Sherlock has already taken it upon himself to solve the case, as his interest in the criminal mind grows into an obsession.
Mycroft begrudgingly allows Sherlock to investigate, as Ai Lin–the woman he is still in love with–needs his aid. Her fiancé has been kidnapped, and the only man who might know his fate is a ruthless arms dealer with a reputation for killing those who cross him. Mycroft persuades his friend Cyrus Douglas to help find the young man, but Douglas himself is put in harm’s way.
As Sherlock travels the country on the hunt for the Fire Four Eleven murderer, both he and Mycroft will discover that the greed of others is at the root of the evil they are trying to unearth…
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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Anna Waterhouse’s crackling international intrigue Mycroft & Sherlock – The Empty Birdcage re-animates Conan Doyle’s world and makes it their own. Their portrait of Mycroft Holmes, his best friend Cyrus Douglas, the Trinidad born tobacco merchant whose race means he is in a kind of perennial disguise, and Mycroft’s younger brother Sherlock broadens the lens through which the world of crime is seen. Through a parallel series of mysteries that stretch from the quiet English countryside to the London docks, the landing stage for a world in violent transition, KAJ and AW bring to the foreground the voices of those whose stories have too long been footnotes and now take their place in the complex, historically vibrant page-turner.
This is the third book in the series and I have thoroughly enjoyed each and every one. There is something intensely relaxing for me in a detective fiction book where you follow the detectives step-by-step. And yet, these books combine that sleuthing with the best elements of characterization, setting, and pacing of the plot. I really wish there were more of them to read. Alas, this is the last in the series, for the moment.
In this book, we find Mycroft about to undergo a simple operation to help his heart function better. It is not as invasive a surgery as what they do nowadays but there is strong risk in it considering the time period. He insists the surgeons wash thoroughly before the undertaking because of what he had read from Pasteur, and because he has the clout and money to insist upon it. Thankfully, he comes through the surgery just fine.
After a gap of some six weeks for him to recover, the story picks up again with the thorn in Mycroft’s side, his younger brother Sherlock.
A series of murders has taken over the attention of England, The Fire Four Eleven Murders. But what does it mean? Sherlock is supposed to be at Cambridge but he has every intention of chasing down the murderer, using his brother’s money, of course.
Young Sherlock seems a bit reckless and even vain, but he doubts his abilities to bring the case to justice at times. Luckily, he has the pragmatic, thoughtful, and intelligent help of Huan, Mycroft’s driver who hails from Trinidad.
Both the brothers are accused of some form of witchcraft in their turn but it is only their tremendous intelligence and deductive reasoning.
The older and more worldly intelligence of Mycroft requires the tempering of conscience that his friend Douglas brings. Mycroft knows what he is capable of, and it’s not always good.
Mycroft is bent on revenging himself upon an old adversary. Then he is begged to take up the cause of Deshi Hai Lin, or rather the fiancé of Ai Lin, his daughter. Her fiancé has disappeared. Deshi Hai Lin begs Mycroft to find the young man. A difficult proposition because Mycroft himself is smitten with Ai Lin. However, he agrees to help in the end.
The stories intertwine and then move apart to be pursued in alternating chapters by the brothers. There is a solid, brisk pace to the story. Not a break neck speed but brisk enough to keep one entertained. The details of the time period are perfectly situated to entertain and enrich the story. The characters are beautifully brought to life through description, word, and deed.
I can’t recommend these stories enough if you enjoy the diversion of a good period detective fiction. This is among the best of the genre, in my opinion.
Each new book about the brothers Holmes provides more insight into Mycroft and Sherlock evolved into the characters written about by Arthur Conan Doyle. Kareem Abdul Jabbar & Anna Waterhouse have crafted stories about two iconic characters that not only make a great deal of sense, but offer some true hindsight that fits perfectly with the canon.
There were several passages in MYCROFT AND SHERLOCK: THE EMPTY BIRDCASE that were ‘aha’ moments when relating them to the works of Doyle. Jabbar and Waterhouse make it very clear that their books revolve mainly around Mycroft, the elder brother to Sherlock. It is Mycroft that has status, and Sherlock, although far from bumbling, has a lot to learn.
It is interesting to read the way that Mycroft and his friend Cyrus Douglas deal with the somewhat blatant bigotry of Victorian London. It is comforting to me to read that the Holmes brothers do not base their friendships on the status conferred upon being white and English.
I am definitely looking forward to a next book in this series that I sincerely hope this dynamic writing dup is writing.