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Mycroft Holmes  By  cover art

Mycroft Holmes

By: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,Anna Waterhouse
Narrated by: Damian Lynch
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Publisher's summary

"When I say, therefore, that [my brother] has better powers of observation than I...I am speaking the exact and literal truth." (Sherlock Holmes)

This story occurs when Mycroft, an athletic Cambridge graduate, assists the secretary of State. He becomes embroiled in a mystery in Trinidad based on actual history.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a huge Holmesian, seven-foot-two tall, basketball's all-time leading scorer, and a US cultural ambassador. Anna Waterhouse is a professional screenwriter and script consultant.

©2015 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Anna Waterhouse (P)2015 Audible, Ltd

Critic reviews

"Narrator Damian Lynch is a master of voices.... Lynch captures every voice and accent perfectly, making this an exceptional audio experience." ( AudioFile)

Featured Article: The Sherlock Holmes Universe, Explained


The world’s most famous detective almost didn’t survive the 19th century! In our shared joy of finding a new corner of the Sherlock Holmes universe, Holmes fandom appeared inextricable from the universe it helped to build. Fans encouraged keeping the Holmes narrative alive in the 19th century; fan devotion fueled the Sherlock Holmes universe of book, film, TV, streaming, audio, and more. In the 21st century, the game has never been more afoot!

What listeners say about Mycroft Holmes

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Finally a good Mycroft story!

Loved this young Mycroft and his first adventure afar that help develop him into the character he will be in the Sherlock Canon. Highly recommend to and Holmes fan. Reader is awsome and couldn't stop listening to the story.

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95 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

A Little Bit Disappointed

Don't get me wrong, there were aspects of the book that I really liked. The portrayal of Mycroft as a young man was enjoyable and believable, and much information about the locations and history (especially about slavery) was very interesting. And, although they never fully came to life for me, I found many of the secondary characters intriguing.

Yet I could not for the life of me get really involved in the story. So much information and background happened before anything really "happened" in the plot (if you know what I mean!) that I kept losing track of who people were and how they were fitting into the whole business.

Not sorry I invested a credit, but this was not one of my favorite listens.

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89 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A very good book

This story was fantastic . At first I thought it was crazy for this book to have been written by Jabbar .
However , once started I listened at every opportunity .
I am just simply impressed

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71 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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He's ALIVE...

Bravo...Bravo Karem! I was disappointed that the book ended...I need more, please. Well written and very descriptive. I, like many, had not read a lot sbout Sherlock Holmes older brother, Mycroft Holmes...thank you for giving him breath...He's ALIVE...at least in my head and heart. Thanks again for such a great read. Looking forward to THEIR next great adventure.

Bravo Damian Lynch your narrative was outstanding. ..you brought the characters ALIVE.

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70 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

More wild Wild West movie than Holmes

The first part of book is good, has a flavor of Holmes even including a 'Watson'. But the story starts having characters act unrealistically. No adequate reason is provided, worse Holmes goes through adventures that he becomes a pawn rather than prime mover. Almost stopped listening which is how bad the climax was. Being constantly beat up is not enough to carry the book.

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59 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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Has All the Hallmarks of a First Book

Mycroft Holmes is a book made up of tropes, and poorly executed ones at that. I have two theories about how this book came to be. The first is that it's a marketing driven book; find someone famous to write it (Kareem Abdul Jabar), have them write a well known, public domain character (Holmes), and put a twist on it to make it new (write about Mycroft instead of Sherlock). The second is that Mr. Jabar wanted to write a book about Mycroft Holmes and his co-writer and editor were unwilling, unable or didn't care enough to fix all of the mistakes and clunky writing he produced.

Mycroft Holmes is a public domain character, and as such, anybody can write about him. However, there is some established canon around him, and an author would do well to pay attention to the most pertinent details of such. While I'm not sure this book would actually be improved by changing the main character's name, it would at least make expectations more manageable.

The writing is clunky, the characters' motivations are nonsensical, the deductions are crude and often tenuous, and the tropes are clichéd. The only thing that is any good is the narration, and even that gets muddled up sometimes when the narrator uses the wrong voice when a character is saying something.

All in all, a disappointment.

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54 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Should not have used Holmes name.

It's hard to criticize Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, NBA legend, Jeet Kun Do student under Bruce Lee, and a Holmes fanatic. Unfortunately I felt like the character in this story was as far from canon as possible and the story offered very little mystery. The story tried to sound eloquent but often came off as desperate and some sections were so hard to tolerate I had to stop listening for an hour or two. I made it to the last 30 minutes of the book before I called it quits entirely.

It may not have been terrible if it didn't also tear down established personality and character traits.

The voice actor did a good job I thought.

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29 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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TOO GOOD TO MISS!

Any additional comments?

This is a story of a young, manly Mycroft, in love and engaged, and happily developing his skillsin detection and espionage. Locationally, it stretches from Victorian England to colonial Jamaica, where he is aided by a native detective who brings to life the delicious thrills of voodoo, strange ghostly children and stories of them, and real physical threats and concerns.The narration, accents and voices are perfect. The scenes so well described they pop out at you. You can never be bored; it's very vivid!The resolution was a surprise to me; but when it occurs, the connections make sense, without deflating their presence or subtle contribution to the flow of the story.If you love the canon, this is one you will not want to do without! I do not know if Kareem AbdulJabbar (the 7ft. tall basketball player some time back) and his co writer are planning a sequelbut I hope they are, because I will read it!!!!

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29 people found this helpful

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  • J
  • 09-30-15

Wow! What? Wow! Awesome.

I loved this novel. So much fun! What a great story-twists, turns, history, and an excellent view of the times we've come from and how there is a solid line to the times we're in. I hope this is the first of several! Or even a Cyrus Douglass spin off! I'm all in!

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27 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A surprising take on the classics

I enjoyed this story. A bit unbelievable in parts but it was an easy listen.

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26 people found this helpful