The Mycroft Holmes Casebook

by David Dickinson

Sherlock Holmes has retired to the country to look after bees. And Dr Watson has returned full time to his medical profession.

So when a new case comes along, Inspector Lestrade turns instead to Sherlock’s reclusive but highly intelligent older brother Mycroft.

‘The Mycroft Holmes Casebook’ collects together all six of David Dickinson's best-selling Mycroft Holmes detective adventures in one place. From the City of London, to the finest country estates, Mycroft proves every bit as ingenious as his brother.

It

‘The Case of the Silver Birches’:

Inspector Lestrade is facing the biggest case of his career. The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and the Governor of the Bank of England have learnt through a variety of sources that Britain’s enemies were trying to debase the currency. Mycroft tracks the gang through the banks and Treasuries of Europe, his brain travelling faster than the swiftest express train…

‘The Case of the Naval Engineer’:

When a corpse is found by the fire in Mycroft Holmes’s rooms in London’s Pall Mall early one morning, the brother of the country’s most famous detective is about to face the greatest mystery of his career. Within two hours, Mycroft Holmes has been arrested on a charge of murder and taken in handcuffs to Wormwood Scrubs prison. Has he been framed by his greatest enemy, the elusive master criminal the German Count Von Stoltenburg?

‘The Case of the Missing Popes’:

Mycroft Holmes is approached by a distraught young aristocrat, the son of the Home Secretary Lord Melrose. There has been a mysterious burglary at his father’s mansion. Two famous Raphael Popes have disappeared. Mycroft travels north by a special train. Did the thieves break in or was it an inside job?

‘The Case of the Bankers’ Conclave’:

A financial crisis, and a bank on the brink of ruin. The City of London, the great financial hub of the British Empire, stands on the edge of collapse. And yet, in the background, an attack on the City's lines of communication are making the matter worse. Mycroft Holmes believes dark forces are at work. And he has just a few hours to prove his theory correct …

‘The Murder at the Diogenes Club’:

Silence is golden at the Diogenes, Mycroft's Pall Mall club. You are only allowed to speak in the Stranger’s Room. But for William St John Plunkett neither silence nor speech is an option any more. He is found dead at the bottom of the great staircase, blood and brains spattered all over the marble floor. Mycroft's health is failing, but he summons all his powers to resolve the murder mystery on his own doorstep…

‘The Case of the Romanov Pearls’:

The White Pearls of the Romanovs were among the most famous jewels in the world. Won at a late night gambling session at the Pushkin Club in St Petersburg, they eventually came into the possession of the British Duchess of Alcester as part of her dazzling jewel collection. One evening they are stolen from her neck at the Majestic Hotel in Brighton. Luckily for her Mycroft Holmes is a guest at the same hotel…

Praise for the Mycroft Holmes

'The stories are atmospheric, fast-moving, ingenious and very enjoyable.' - Roger Johnson, The District Messenger

David Dickinson is the best-selling author of the Lord Powerscourt series of historical mysteries, including ‘Death of a Pilgrim’ and ‘Death of an Old Master’.

Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent digital publisher.

Genres: Mystery

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 30, 2014

About the author

David Dickinson was born in Dublin. With an honours degree in Classics from Cambridge, David Dickinson joined the BBC, where he became editor of Newsnight and Panorama, as well as series editor for Monarchy, a three-part programme on the British royal family.

Reviews

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining mystery listening 🎶🎵

This kindle e-book novel is from my Kindle Unlimited account stand alone box set.

I listened to these three stories individually. Each story is different with interesting will developed characters lots of action and misdirection leading to each conclusion.

I would recommend this novel and author to fans of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes and mystery novels. 2024

[Maryellen Lewis]

What wonderful stories!

I knew I would enjoy these, because I've sought out all the ways writers have filled out the life of Sherlock's big brother. Except for the repeated references to "piles of flakes... (yuck), the character development was smart and enjoyable. I also like the brief appearances of younger brother, always consistent with their scratchy but affectionate relationship. Bring us more!

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A few cases solved by Mycroft Holmes.

Fairly good and interesting. With some humor. Sherlock Holmes is best.

[Johanna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found these "mysteries" too full of coincidences, and I was disappointed in how some of them lack stated motives. At times, these struck me as drafts, not stories. The writing is dry, with no flavor of the period, and there are very few deductions but too many copies of Sherlock's setup, with Mrs. Hudson, a group of Irregulars, quotes from him, etc. The worst, most boring story, is one where the entire point is to rescue a bank by blackmailing other financial sources. There's no mystery to it, and it felt rather out of touch with today's society. I was also repelled by the author's insistence that Mycroft has psoriasis, which means he's described as shedding skin flakes on himself and around him at least once every story. Ick.

[Darryl A Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just ok...

Just ok at evoking the late Victorian era. There's no real heft to the stories - all atmospherics, not enough clues. A good mystery should lead the reader to think they know more about what's happening than the protagonist, then in a clever and plausible way turn the tables on us. In this work, only "Murder at the Diogenes Club" comes close.

[Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

The stories are o.k. . . . though there's a fair amount of repetition of backstory which is mildly annoying when you're reading them more or less one after the other. Mostly, though, of the 4 I've read, 2 of them just sort of ended . . . kind of a let down. I may read the others, but likely not.