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 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

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!!!!

Plot is slow

The story is well written and the characters are well developed but the plot moved along slowly. I think there was so much effort to interweave the story into an actual historical timeline and setting, it lost its focus on the what fans like most about a Sherlock story - the incredible ability to deduce information from minute details and solve the mystery.

A Worth Entry In The Holmes Genre

I bought this book mostly from curiosity, because the author is a basketball star, and I didn't think he had the chops to do any writing of any kind! And, as a Holmes devotee, I was also curious to see how Mycroft was handled.

The book is delightful! The star is Mycroft, not Sherlock, and it's a welcome look at the tangential character. For a change, the role of Sherlock's older brother takes center stage. Mycroft's portrayal is absolutely believable within the Holmes' canon, and a worthy edition to it too. He's portrayed as a much more conventional individual than his famous brother, but more interested in interpersonal relationships and sports. He's courageous, intelligent, and even has a love interest!

Sherlock plays a supporting role, to be sure, but it's a small one. He's a college student, a role we've not seen in the canon. It too, is welcome, and insightful.

Damian Lynch is one of the best narrators I've ever listened to. He does voices, both male and female, deftly and naturally, so that it's easy to know who is saying what to whom. Pacing and emphasis are spot on. I hope he does more.

Well done, Kareem Adbul Jabbar! I highly recommend this book.

Solid story; great narration

Well researched story with a fairly good plot line and great narration. I would enjoy reading more about Mycroft through Kareem's imagination, and I will absolutely look into more of Lynch's narrated stories.

Thoroughly enjoyable.

Bravo to Kareem and Anna and hats off to Damian, too. What a fun book! Couldn't stop listening until I was done. All I can say is .... MORE!

Great Original Story For the Other Holmes Brother

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, If you like the Sherlock Holmes stories, this book has many of the elements that make those stories great but there is more action and this Holmes is very different than Sherlock.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Both Mycroft and his friend Cyril, were great characters

Have you listened to any of Damian Lynch’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not listened to any of the narrator's other books

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Another Holmes, Another Adventure

Any additional comments?

This is a good book, It expands the Holmes universe in an unexpected direction

Very enjoyable in a comfortable kind of way

I bought this book because I enjoy the character of Mycroft Holmes from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original Sherlock work, as well as the modern screen interpretations I've seen. So I thought it would be intriguing to explore a youthful Mycroft and the experiences that might have shaped him. And I wasn't disappointed at all! The character is recognizably Mycroft, but a young, inexperienced, slightly naive Mycroft, who doesn't have the jaded outlook or the high level connections just yet. Sherlock makes a couple token appearances, and there is a Watson character in the voice of Douglas, a wizened, older friend of Mycroft who tempers and complements Mycroft much as Watson does later for Sherlock. A lot of attention is devoted to fleshing out those two characters, and it really shows in the story.

The story itself is a mystery, but it's not exactly head scratcher, once all the pieces are put in place. (I am Not A Mystery Person, but even I had a good idea of what was happening well before the denouement.) It's pleasantly paced and has a satisfying conclusion. The performance is very well done, especially for Douglas but also for Mycroft. I appreciated the narrator's ability to capture both the maturity of the one and the naivete of the other, not to mention the Caribbean dialect of Douglas other Caribbean characters.

I truly enjoyed this book, and I would buy a sequel. No, it wasn't the best book I've read all year, no, it's not my new favorite, and that's fine! Not everything can be a 5 star listen, but this is a solid 3.8 stars in my view.

Endearing characters and entertaining mystery.

What did you like best about this story?

5/5 for Narrator who adeptly executed the various of personalities and accents.

5/5 for the characters. I loved the authors' concept of young Mycroft Holmes, burgeoning bureaucrat and romantic. I feel that characterization is believable as the younger version of the older brother we know from A.C. Doyle. I absolutely loved the character Douglas, his partner in crime-solving and much needed balance for the genius but sometimes out-of-touch Mycroft. The partnership of characters just works! Other compatriots of Holmes were also richly developed and fascinating.

5/5 for the story's setting. Don't want to give anything away but I'll just say that the setting outside of victorian London was truly rich.

4/5 for the mystery. I guess I prefer Sherlock's style of going about the task (and explaining) of deduction. So this is merely a personal preference. That said, Mycroft's own quirky style of crime-solving is still entertaining and his style kept me entertained to the end.

Which scene was your favorite?

Any scene between Mycroft and Douglas.

DELIGHTFUL!!!!

Please, please, please do a sequel!!! I loved this book and the insight into Mycroft!