The Brothers of Baker Street

Baker Street Letters #2

by Michael Robertson

The second in a highly original and absolutely marvelous series about two brother lawyers who lease offices on London's Baker Street--and begin receiving mail addressed to Sherlock HolmesWhen brothers Reggie and Nigel Heath choose 221B Baker Street as the location for their law office, they don't expect that their new office space would come with one huge stipulation, answering the letters sent to Sherlock Holmes, the most famous resident of that address.Reggie is distressed because the love of his life, actress Laura Rankin (whom Nigel also adores), is gallivanting around with media mogul Lord Buxton. And while Reggie is working on a new case involving one of London's Black Cab drivers who is accused of murdering two American tourists, the letters to Sherlock Holmes are piling up. There s even one from someone who claims to be the descendent of Professor James Moriarty. With a case that would have puzzled even Sherlock himself and a pair of brother sleuths more different than night and day, The Brothers of Baker Street is sure to please mystery fans whatever their address.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Crime, London, British Literature

290 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2011

About the author

MICHAEL ROBERTSON works for a large company with branches in the United States and England. His first novel in the series, The Baker Street Letters, has been optioned by Warner Bros. for television. He lives in San Clemente, California.

Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Miranda Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Baker Street Barrister Brothers are back!

I love this series - it's light, it's fun and (most importantly) I get completely sucked into the mystery!

Reggie and his younger brother (Nigel) run a semi-successful barrister business out of the fictional Sherlock Holmes's old building.

One condition from their landlord is that they must answer letters written to Holmes but neither brother wants to (and who can blame them)?

After their last misadventure - involving a forged letter to Holmes, adventures in America, shootouts and the loss of their personal fortunes - both brothers are wary. However, they stumble upon a mystery that even they could not resist.

The Black Cab Killer. Moriarty. The hunt begins.

This mystery really engaged me. It wasn't really a whodunit since the killer is revealed more to the reader than the characters but the tension and the buildup was more than enough to keep me riveted. I like how Roberston recreated the Sherlock atmosphere in the 21st century and gave it his own twist.

Also, I really, really like how Nigel and Reggie are lawyers. So many times, when I read these sort of books, I am filled with anxiety. Are the sleuths jeopardizing the criminal case? Are they unwittingly breaking the law? Is it really evidence or merely coincidence?

FINALLY, I can relax my nerves because Reggie and Nigel will never be tripped up by law technicalities - they already know just how far they can go because they're lawyers. Hallelujah!

It is worth noting, the characters aren't awe-inspiring and their motivations aren't always in sync with what I'd expect...but this book was fun and I'm definitely going to read the third!

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[Jessie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wish this series was better, because the premise is great ... terms of the lease of the second story of the 200 block of Baker Street mandate that the tenant reply with a form letter to all mail addressed to Sherlock Holmes.

Our "heros" are British brothers who are lawyers and who have various personal issues. The first book, The Baker Street Letters, takes place mostly in Los Angeles. This second book concerns a descendant of Moriarity. Both books start off promising and are pretty disappointing, to me anyway.

Too much whinging, too much running around and whinging, too much exposition and whinging, not enough mystery and too much whinging.

[David Freas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the series.

I read the first one several years ago and, while my memory of it is a little hazy, I recall I enjoyed it. This entry was much better, had me turning pages to see what happened next. I burned through it in less than a day.

The overall premise is an intersting twist on the Sherlock Holmes saga. Instead of trying to update Holmes to a modern man or crank out further 'adventures' for the great detective, Robertson has two brothers leasing law offices at 221B Baker Street with an interesting clause in their lease: They must reply to letters addressed to Holmes with a form letter. However, there's always one letter that sets them off on their own adventure.

This time, it's a letter vowing revenge on Holmes for killing Moriarty at Reichenbach Falls. At the same time, brother Reggie Heath is asked to defend the driver of one of London's iconic Black Cabs against a charge of murdering 2 American tourists. Robertson weaves the two plot lines together seamlessly, telling the story primarily from Reggie's, his brother Nigel's, and his on-off girlfriend Laura's point of view with an occasional foray into Moriarty's.

I figured out fairly early who Moriarty was but that didn't detract from my enjoyment. I would have liked to see Reggie, Nigel, and Laura put it all together piece by piece throughout the novel instead of all at once almost at the end.

I can't wait to read the next entry.

[Jill H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this series is fun and clever....two barrister brothers have their chambers at 221-B Baker Street, one of fiction's most celebrated addresses and they must deal with boxes full of letters that they receive addressed to Sherlock Holmes. They pay little or no attention to them until one catches their eye which threatens to kill one of the brothers to avenge the death of the writer's forefather, Professor Moriarity who was Holmes' most dangerous enemy, and the game is afoot.

I should have read the first book of the series since much in this one harkens back to incidents that happened in the initial book.....and these incidents have a bearing on what might be going on in this one. This is very light reading, very light, and can be finished at one sitting....not great by any means but a quick and pleasant read.

[Stefanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was so bad it's legitimately hilarious. It feels like Robertson wanted to write a noir without ever having read one. One character in this modern, cell-phone-filled book, legitimately asks another character if you can change the font before printing something out. Another gaffe is when a character can't dial the emergency number from a locked phone; as far as I know, all phones can do that for safety reasons.

The mystery was outrageous and stupid; the denouement outrageous and disappointing.

This was the second in the series. I have not and will not read the first. Thankfully, since not one of these characters has the personality that god gave a square of singly ply toilet paper, I didn't feel like I missed anything.

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second books can be a little trying. If I fall in love with the characters in the first book, I want more of them. If the story in the first book got my interest right away, had a nice pace and good ending, I want more!

I was happy to find that this second story was as good. It met my criteria to keep reading. Now, it is all about finding out what Reggie and his actress girlfriend are going to go in the next.

Nigel played a bigger part in this story, which was set three weeks after the first one.

A rather strange bad person. A little weak - but okay. I liked the new secretary/clerk now working for Reggie.

I will keep reading...

[Albert · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a big Sherlock Holmes fan and Conan Doyle was one of the first authors I ever read and then went back to read some more. So I actually enjoy seeing new and established writers of our era tackle the world of Holmes and London mysteries and the mystique that goes with Baker Street. So you see, I really wanted to like this book.
But I am afraid I cannot say that found the story or the characters of this tale the least bit entertaining or worthy the tie in, however loosely done, to Baker Street or Holmes.

[Becca · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not good. Perhaps an interesting premise (lawyer brothers whose practice is at 221b Baker street and are contractually obligated to answer mail they get addressed to Sherlock Holmes) but the plot was weak, far fetched and not really in the Holmsian tradition nor was it an interesting enough twist on it. Plus the writing was disjointed and the characters pretty weak an not likable. There you have it!

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Light read...but not as billed. I didn't find it Holmesian at all...and as a mystery too much is left out to figure it out yourself.

After I started reading, I noticed it's a "second", but too much of it refers to the first. If the reader hadn't read the first (like me) there were continuing references that made no sense...kind of like when you have a conversation with someone who thinks you already know what they are talking about.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really light and fun Sherlock Holmes-inspired series. The second book was just as enjoyable as the first and if you're looking for a fast, easy mystery series to get into, I'd definitely recommend this one.

[Mayda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barely recovered from his trip to the US and finding himself in need of clients and with dwindling resources, Reggie is glad to finally have a client. He is even more thrilled with the outcome of that case. But this just the beginning of a clever setup by a person seeking revenge. And Reggie is the scapegoat even though the real target is Sherlock Holmes. It’s a well-crafted mystery, both exciting and entertaining.

[Karen Potts · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable, light crime story without deeper issues or serious food for thought. Several people killed, a romance successfully pursued, a solving of the crime.

[Mysteryfan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the premise. Two barrister brothers have leased offices at 221B Baker Street with the proviso that they must answer letters sent to Sherlock Holmes (with a form letter). I haven't read the first book in the series. In this book, Nigel is spending his time in America and Reggie's legal practice is on the skids. There's a lot of information about London's Black Cabs and The Knowledge and someone who fancies themselves a descendant of Moriarty. There's a somewhat techie motive for the crimes. I'd read another by this author.

[Jgrace · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Brothers of Baker Street - Michael Robertson
Audio performance by Simon Vance
4 stars

This one was fun. It���s a good contemporary mystery with a bit of a Holmesian twist. It is the second book in a series about a pair of London barristers who happen to have offices with the same address as the fictional Sherlock Holmes. The lease for the office includes a clause that all mail addressed to Mr. Holmes will be answered with a dismissive form letter.

But, what should be done when someone writes to Mr. Holmes with a tip that will prove a client’s innocence? The client is a London Black Cab driver. There seems to be an evil plot designed to undermine the integrity and expertise of the Black Cab drivers. (I always did think that GPS devices were just one more way for Big Brother to watch us.)

I didn’t read the first book in this series, but I didn’t have any trouble following the story. I’ll go back and listen to the first one as soon as I can get it. Who could turn down Simon Vance?

[Joe Santoro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up at an actual, in person book store a while back when we were using up an old found gift card... it seemed like a unique way to write a Holmes pastische.

...and it is. The main characters, Reggie and Nigel Heath, defiintely aren't supposed to be Sherlock Holmes, they just rent 221B Baker Street, and part of their lease says they have to respond to mail written to Holmes by fans with a form letter. Apparently, in the first book, one of those letters results in Nigel investigated it... this book is the fallout from that caper, and has an additional conneciton that turns out to be fun (if a bit too high on the coincidence meter).

The bulk of the story is a mystery to uncover who is trying to discredit London's Black Cabs... and is just the sort of thing I like to read...I have no idea if the info about the cab drivers is correct, but it certainly seemed so.

The mystery is a bit easily solved, but it's fun and moves along nicely. I may be give the book extra love because I've had a few in a row I didn't like, but this was just what I needed. I may well go back and read the 1st one at some point :)

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I might have liked this book better if I'd read the prequel first. Robertson didn't spend a lot of time explaining the characters or what had happened before--he just plunged in and, on a number of pages, I felt pretty lost.

The idea is great. Two brothers open a legal office at 221 B Baker Street and, as part of their lease, have to answer letters addressed to Sherlock Holmes. I also liked the plot line here about the attempt to make Cabbies buy GPS tracking systems. That I haven't seen before but I wouldn't be surprised if murdering a couple of cab passengers in order to sell more GPS gizmos hasn't occurred to the psychopaths on Wall Street as a business model.

What I didn't like about the book was how confusing it was, how shallow some of the characters were (Reggie's girlfriend, Laura, was nothing more than a walking stereotype)and how easily manipulated Reggie was by the antagonist.

It's a cute idea, but it could use more substance and less whining.

[WhatShouldIRead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I enjoyed this one much more than the first entry in the series. It still holds a very loose connection to Sherlock Holmes - merely borrowed his famous address and nemesis's name - but this story was pretty good and took place in London.

Even though there were way too many coincidences to make this story plausible, I still enjoyed the journey the two brothers took to solve the mystery.

This being said, I think Reggie doesn't have the smarts his brother, Nigel, does and thereby gets pretty beat up in the process by making stupid decisions. Also, he seems to be the main character in these stories, Nigel only being pulled in to look up/track down something. They never seem to go off sleuthing together.

But all in all I'll most likely continue on with this series as this one, I felt, was much more interesting and exciting than the first.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't thrilled with the first book in this series (this is the second) but someone told me they get better. I decided to try the second because I REALLY wanted to like the first. Two brothers take up law offices at 221B Baker Street and as part of their lease they must answer letters addressed to Sherlock Holmes. I realized I didn't like the first as much because it largely took place in L.A. This made no sense in a Sherlock Holmes tribute type of novel.

The second was all Britain: black cabs, snooker tables, pubs, London tabloids, and even Professor Moriarty. Much more enjoyable.

[Ivy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is book 2 of the series and having not read the first book in the series I was not sure what to expect. I found it to be slow in spots and boring in others. It did not seem to come together at all. It took forever for anything to happen and when it did it was still not exciting enough to make me want to find the first book to read it to see what I had missed. There was more about the relationship between a couple of the main characters love life then there was about the mystery.

[Mark Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reggie reluctantly takes on a criminal case because he truly believes his client is innocent. However, his office is still getting letters to Sherlock Holmes, and the ones that start coming from Moriarty may mean trouble for this case. This was another very fun read, but it did stumble in pacing a little in the middle.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.

[Barb Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice premis--two brothers, one a solicitor, one a barrister, lease 221B Baker Street as their office. As a stipulation of their lease, they are required to send a form letter--and ONLY that form letter--in response to any letters sent to Sherlock Holmes. However, the two become embroiled in mysteries presented by those who correspond with the fictional detective. I would definitely read more in this series--I liked the characters, the relationships and the Holmes tie-in.

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought the story would focus on Reggie solving a case from one of the letters written to Sherlock Holmes. Instead, it seemed to spend most of the time focused on his ex? girlfriend and her sleazy new boyfriend. I gave up halfway through

[Lynn Kearney · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 I'm getting tired of the re-working of the Sherlock Holmes saga - except for Laurie R. King whom I like. Maybe I should get back to the originals.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I find Reggie and Nigel Heath to be most appealing and the mystery in this one I thought was well done. Can't wait to get the next one!

[David Knapp · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I've mentioned in numerous reviews, I'm a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes - both the original Arthur Conan Doyle canon and the numerous pastiches that have been written by other authors over the years. I'm also a fan of Vicki Delany's Gemma Doyle series, which is inspired by the Great Detective - but not a true pastiche series.

This series is similar. Set in modern London and definitely inspired by Sherlock Holmes, it features brothers Reggie and Nigel Heath. Their law offices now occupy 221b Baker St., which means they receive mail addressed to Sherlock Holmes. Furthermore, their lease requires them to respond to those letters, albeit through a stock response.

It's an interesting premise for a series, which is why I purchased and read the first entry in the series ("The Baker Street Letters") years ago - and just recently reread and reviewed it here on goodreads. Overall, I liked, not loved, that novel, giving it three-stars.

But as I mentioned in that review, I liked it enough to purchase the second entry in the series. In general, I thought this one was better than the first entry. And if 3.5 stars were an option, I would have increased my rating to that. However, it's not. So, I stuck with three stars - even though I was tempted to give it four.

Once again, parts of the plot were a limitation to my enjoyment of this work. As you know, I don't go deeply into plots in my reviews to avoid spoilers. But here's the jacket description:

"When brothers Reggie and Nigel Heath choose 221B Baker Street as the location for their law office, they don’t expect that their new office space would come with one huge stipulation, answering the letters sent to Sherlock Holmes, the most famous resident of that address.

Reggie is distressed because the love of his life, actress Laura Rankin (whom Nigel also adores), is gallivanting around with media mogul Lord Buxton. And while Reggie is working on a new case involving one of London’s Black Cab drivers who is accused of murdering two American tourists, the letters to Sherlock Holmes are piling up. There s even one from someone who claims to be the descendent of Professor James Moriarty.

With a case that would have puzzled even Sherlock himself and a pair of brother sleuths more different than night and day, 'The Brothers of Baker Street' is sure to please mystery fans whatever their address."

This overall plot wasn't the problem. It was a number of small plot elements that I struggled to believe that led me to lower my rating. Again, I don't want to engage in any spoilers, so I won't go deeper than that. I'll simply note that a few of the characters' actions went beyond my level of suspended disbelief.

On the other hand, I thought Mr. Robertson did a better job of presenting the protagonist (brother Reggie) as a more likeable, relatable character than he was in the first book. As I mentioned in that review, I generally don't enjoy novels that feature protagonists I struggle to like. So, I was glad Reggie was painted in a more positive light in this second entry.

Ultimately, I find the overall premise of the series intriguing. And I enjoy Mr. Robertson's writing enough to overlook the flaws in these first two entries. Consequently, I'll be purchasing and reading at least the next entry in the series, if not the next two entries. (Although I am going to take a break from them for now.)

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Following the events of "The Baker Street Letters", British barrister Reggie Heath has a lot on his plate. His landlords are unhappy with him, his law practice is sans clients and his personal wealth has been wiped out. Add in his brother Nigel off living in America and Reggie's actress lady friend Laura off being romanced by a rich tabloid publisher and you can see that things are just not going his way of late.

But when a solicitor approaches Reggie to take on the case of a cabbie accused of a double homicide it could be a way for Reggie to get back into the legal game. The first catch being that he long ago gave up working criminal cases. Overcoming that aversion, he goes about proving the man's innocence.

And that's the end of the story, right?

Well, nope not really. It seems that there's far more involved in this little case and it appears to be tied to yet another letter written to Sherlock Holmes and sent to the address where Reggie's chambers are located. Making this particular letter more interesting, or chilling as the case may be, is that it is signed by "Moriarty", the arch enemy of the master detective in the stories.

Reggie knows this isn't actually Moriarity give that person's status as a fictional character, but it does set him off on a tangent that sees him and the ones he loves in great danger of physical harm and professional ruin. There's conspiracy afoot and despite those risks, Reggie needs to confront it in order to clear his name and reputation.

The second book in the Baker Street Letter series started off a bit slow, but quickly progressed in both pacing and the intensity of the story. Reggie Heath is still a bit of a stick in the mud and you just want to shake him and tell him to wake up at times, but he's a really solid character that you do end up rooting for.

With Laura Rankin, Reggie's sometime girlfriend playing a big role in the story's A and B plots, it stands to reason that brother Nigel is a little less involved in the story. At least at the start, his presence grows stronger halfway through the book but with him living in the US, there's only so much he can do when the story is set in London.

Overall, this was a nice solid addition to the series. I would probably rank it behind the first book but that said, it still keeps your attention and you feel the story wash over you as you read it. I can't wait to see where this series goes next.

[Randal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light, quick (less than a day) read. It's a fun premise, but much depends on how you like the main characters. Two fairly annoying WASP brothers are psychiatrists in Seattle barristers in London, specifically at 221B Baker Street. I assume the first novel covers how they wound up there, but it matters not a bit.

The loosely woven plot has one of them, Niles Crane Reggie Heath, dashing urgently around Trying to Do Good and Winning the Heart of the Fair Maiden. He's down on his luck, as shown by the fact that his private practice only has one full-time assistant, so the kind of gritty despair only likely to appeal to a better sort of reader. I mean, he's so desperate he has decided to cut back on his daily espresso.

The other brother, call him Frasier Nigel, is summoned back from Boston LA to help as the crisis reaches its peak.

It's a complete fluffernutter and there is zero chance the nouveau Moriarty is going to win, or even that anything particularly bad is going to happen to any of the main characters.

As Holmesiana goes, it's not particularly egregious. Black Cab drivers stand in for the Baker Street Irregulars and there's much dropping of London place names. The plot is discovered by stumbling luck instead of incisive reasoning, so dedicated Holmes fans might leave disappointed.

Gets digs in at the media, Big Tech, and psychiatry.

Worth a somewhat tepid recommend for Conan Doyle fans looking for a cozy-ish mystery. I'm unlikely to look for other titles in the series.

3.5 stars.

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

#2 in the Baker Street Letters mystery series. This 2011 series entry by author Michael Robertson furthers the adventures of the Heath brothers as they receive letters addressed to Sherlock Holmes at their modern office address on Baker Street, London. Though they are compelled by their lease to answer all letters only with a form, once again things go awry and they are drawn into a strange mix of reality and fiction. This novel involves a plot against the famous London Black Cabs. Although the Knowledge memorized by all licensed drivers is impressive, it seemed that every cab driver in the book wanted to brag about knowing it. Enjoyable mystery.

Set in 1997, barrister Reggie Heath, whose chambers are located at Sherlock Holmes's legendary address, returns to London from California and finds underwhelming demand for his professional services as well as pressure to abide by the terms of his lease by responding to letters addressed to the fictional character. An attractive solicitor, Darla Rennie, retains Heath to represent Neil Walters, a cab driver accused of murdering a young couple. Despite having been burned in his previous criminal case, Heath dives into defending Walters, only to end up in jeopardy himself. He must rely on his brother, Nigel, for help in escaping his peril, which may be connected with a letter writer to Baker Street who signs his correspondence Moriarty.

[Suzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a much better-written and more cogent installment of the Baker Street Letters. The premise of this series is that whoever rents the offices that currently occupy the address of 121B Baker Street must answer letters written to Sherlock Holmes . . . as if he were an actual person and still alive in the 21st Century! This sucks the current occupants, barristers Reggie and Nigel Heath, into situations that need the ingenuity of Sherlock. In this installment, someone is trying to discredit the drivers of the ubiquitous black cabs of London. Passengers are murdered and it looks like the killings were committed by these drivers. Reggie and Nigel to the rescue as well as sometimes girlfriend, Laura. I liked this one well enough to try another installment!

Why I'm reading this: After reading the first book in this series, which I admit wasn't great, I thought I'd try another given the premise is so fun.

[Virginia Tican · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very creative and diverting. I believe Reggie will always be under the sinister shadow of a mad genius with an obsession and the means to indulge her misguided thirst for revenge. Until she is finally well and truly dead with the proper identification, Reggie will have to watch his back since he does not always have Nigel with his eye for details and nose for balance and order (OCD?). As for this book's main plot, the misuse and abuse of technology will always be a conundrum between privacy vis~a~vis protection, public safety and national security as well as a problem that is here to stay.

P. S. ~ I would have preferred if Reggie does not have a love interest in Laura because such would be his area of vulnerability.