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. 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....

Listening Length

8 hours and 45 minutes
Author

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, see all
Narrator

Damian Lynch
Audible release date

24 September 2019
Language

English
Publisher

Audible Studios
ASIN

B07Y3V39BB
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length	8 hours and 45 minutes
Author	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Anna Waterhouse
Narrator	Damian Lynch
Whispersync for Voice	Ready
Audible.com.au Release Date	24 September 2019
Publisher	Audible Studios
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B07Y3V39BB
Best Sellers Rank	126,376 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) 1,811 in Historical Mysteries (Audible Books & Originals) 6,693 in Historical Mystery

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4.6 out of 5

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Joey California

Great historical fiction!

Reviewed in the United States on 13 September 2023

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Well written book that keeps the action and intrigue flowing, while including a vivid historical feel for Victorian England. Great read!

Amazon Customer

As advertised

Reviewed in the United States on 29 August 2023

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Arrived in fine condition.

Wiley

Very good

Reviewed in the United States on 28 April 2023

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A book worthy of Sir ACD and a fine addition to the story of Sherlock Holmes and his brother, Mycroft. Missing, of course, is the voice of Dr. Watson, as the time period predates his arrival. Also, there is an interesting perspective on the role of a black man in Victorian England.
Sherlock here is the younger version of the man we have come to know. He is unsure of himself in many respects and he has yet to fill his mind with his encyclopedic fountain of knowledge. Certainly, a book that deserves to be read.

One person found this helpful

bigheadted

Continuing a Journey I'm Not Sure I Want to Be On

Reviewed in the United States on 10 January 2020

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Mycroft & Sherlock: The Empty Birdcage is the 3rd book by Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Anna Waterhouse, following the adventures of Mycroft Holmes, his little brother Sherlock, his best friend Cyrus Douglas, and his carriage driver Huan. This newest episode follows two separate but connected cases, this time pursued by 2 pairs of sleuths: Mycroft and Cyrus help out the Lin family from the second book while Sherlock and Huan pursue a serial killer. I loved this latest offering, more than the second, and hope there is much more to come.

It's easy to fall into these books and forget the man who Mycroft Holmes becomes. Arthur Conan Doyle's Mycroft Holmes is described as a better deductionist than his brother, a portly bachelor, an antisocial who helped found the Diogenes Club where no one talks, and someone who walks the same route to work every day. Abdul-Jabbar and Waterhouse's Mycroft began as a sociable and fit young man, optimistic to the extent that he was engaged to be married, and one who pursues his work with enthusiasm and positivity. And it is in remembering Doyle's Mycroft and watching the tragedies, disappointments, and challenges that young Mycroft faces, we see, painful by painful step, how he becomes Doyle's Mycroft. We get to see him develop his hard shell and how that affects his loved ones and his behavior towards them, we see him become more disillusioned. If you're paying attention to all that, it's pretty depressing.

I'd love to dive into how Mycroft becomes more Sherlock-ish, on how he manages his relationship with his brother, on how he mismanages his friendship with Cyrus, but I want you to enjoy it for yourself. As with so many writers who have taken Doyle's work and built on it, Abdul-Jabbar and Waterhouse do justice to Doyle's books and characters, especially with regard to Sherlock's case, but take it one step further by including all the emotions that Doyle shied away from, The telling of these tales also reflects Doyle's practice of ending books when the case ends, not lingering on what happens afterwards to the characters we care for, as the case was never about them.

If you're reading this review, you probably read the first two books. If you enjoyed those, you'll enjoy this.

Two final thoughts: (1) Huan was Sherlock's first Watson. And I love that. (2) Cyrus is a black man living in a white man's world, a notable success in his original career, seeking success in a new field where success is not so easily defined, a thoughtful humanitarian, a firm believer in justice, and well-trained in martial arts. That's Kareem!

14 people found this helpful

RMWARZ

Fine Historical Mystery and Holmes Homage

Reviewed in the United States on 3 October 2019

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The third entry in this series finds Mycroft Holmes and his Trinidadian friend Cyrus Douglas investigating a kidnapping while assigning most of the responsibility for tracking down a serial killer to neophyte sleuth Sherlock. The parallel plots develop at a fast pace and keep the reader engaged. As usual in this series, the authors seamlessly fold Victorian Era historical information into the narrative. A European financial crisis, the shady world of arms dealing and Chinese culture are all explored in this novel. As they have in previous books, the authors slip real historical figures into the story as well as fictional characters closely based on real people. Ruthless arms dealer Visily Zaharoff, for instance, is clearly a fictionalized version of real-life arms dealer Basil Zaharoff, who by many accounts was almost as villainous as his imaginary counterpart. As usual in this series characterization is strong, especially as we learn more about the backstories that led Mycroft and Sherlock to become the men we know from the Conan Doyle stories. My only disappointment with this novel was the relatively small part played by Cyrus. If there are further books in this series, I hope Cyrus resumes his role as a real partner to Mycroft, not the mere sidekick he seemed to be reduced to this time around. Nevertheless, this was an enjoyable novel that should please both fans of historical mysteries and Holmesians.

3 people found this helpful

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