Mycroft Holmes

By: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Anna Waterhouse

Narrated by: Damian Lynch

Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins

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)

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.

Pleasant surprise

I was dubious but curious, and my doubts are settled. This was a fresh but fitting addition to the body of literature about the Holmes family and an enjoyable story with great characters. Excellent narration!

Loved it

I am a pure Holmesian and had always enjoyed where Mycroft appeared. This book is well-written and the story well-read.
I hope the next two in the series are equally entertaining.
For my part, I will be using a couple more credits now on Mycroft & Sherlock.
If you enjoy Sherlock Holmes and are open to other stories related to Holmes then you should find Mycroft's young experiences interesting and a good story woven in and around his as well.
I can be a bit of a stickler when the story is only about Sherlock or is another Sherlock sequel and of course it is hard to be fair comparing against Doyle's original (although a few are quite good), but where Doyle didn't elaborate on characters such as Mycroft, Adler-Norton, Moriarty, or otherwise, it is nice to enjoy the expansion of my favorite author's (Doyle) creation.
Now back to a few re-reads of the original before venturing back to this series.

Fantastic

It was wonderful I'm surprised that nobody ever thought of writing a book like this and I'm very happy that Abdul-Jabbar did. The book is very much in line with the Sherlock Holmes books but it has a modern feel. I am looking forward to the next one.

Don't expect the mastery of Doyle

Don't get me wrong, this story was entertaining and the performance quite good. The entire package kept me entertained through to the end and it was enjoyable to see a character from the original series fleshed out, but it didn't "feel" like the original series.

Once I realized that and switched up my expectations, the story became more enjoyable. One issue is that the original stories were all fairly short. This story was quite long and more convoluted than the originals. As well, some of the prose and style of Doyle wasn't quite matched in this book. There are many instances where modern day views, phrases, and sentence constructs seep through.

Why does my review read so negative? Well, it's to set expectations so that you do not expect a Sherlock Holmes story as written by Doyle himself. Keep that in mind and enjoy the book on it's own, and I think you'll find this story in audible format to be worth your time.

Loved it

I became immersed not only in the plot, but in the historical framework as well. Having lived in the Caribbean myself, I was impressed by the authenticity of the characters and environment . The narration of Mr. Lynch was delightful . Well done.

complex

perhaps I selected this book because I'm always interested in Sherlock Holmes and his posse . perhaps that I selected it because I was intrigued to see the author. but I listened until the end because it was a great story.

Fantastic first effort!

The world needs more Holmes. What a terrific start to what I hope would be a new series involving the formidable mind of Mycroft, the elder Homes!

Really Sherlock

Although the protagonist is Mycroft (no doubt to get noticed), the story is quite post ACD, Sherlock Holmes. Complex, but well told. Appreciated the "new" Watson character's intelligence.

Slow at first, picks up so stick with it.

First few chapters have too much description. Action starts later and is worth the delay.