A review by kurtwombat
Mycroft Holmes by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Anna Waterhouse

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

 Mildly disappointing. Read this in small part because I’m a Kareem fan and in large part because I am generally mesmerized by all things Holmes. I knew going in Sherlock would only be tangentially involved—the disappointment comes from the inconsistent quality of the writing and because Mycroft isn’t even quite Mycroft yet. His Sherlock like deductive skills are on display but often feel like flourishes or afterthoughts versus integral to the goings on. I did enjoy the broadening of the Holmes universe to include Mycroft’s best friend being a Trinidad native (well crafted)  but the fiancé angle – the book would be better if her whole existence were excised. That time and emotion would have been better devoted to Holmes and his friend Douglas. That is a solidly created relationship that nicely reflects the unique perspective of the author. Secondary characters get very little flesh though there is some nice historical detail. I thought the central mystery perhaps a little too heavy (globally) for an intro to this character and this series—though ultimately it was interesting and dramatic (but what exactly happened to the 2 million dollars? Unclear). In the books favor,  there was one haunting image that will long linger in my imagination—the believably set up and well executed use of a human being to trigger a bomb. Despite my feelings I plan to read at least the first part of the next book in the series. We’ll see if that one frees me from my mesmeric trance or deepens it.