The Brothers of Baker Street

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 show more 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? show less

I have just finished reading the first two books in this new mystery series, The Baker Street Letters and The Brothers of Baker Street. I’m a fast reader and so I read the first one two days ago and the second one yesterday.

My first reaction was that I quite enjoyed them. It’s a creative idea, light and easy to read. The series involves two brothers, both lawyers, who have taken over the premises at 221B Baker Street. The lease demands that they answer all letters addressed to Sherlock Holmes that arrive at Baker St. In both books I found the plot, which obviously comes from one of the letters addressed to Holmes, satisfactorily complex.

So, why does it sound like there is a “but”? Because there is one, and it’s big enough to show more bother me.

In the second book, The Brothers of Baker Street, on page 129, the younger brother, Nigel, is returning to his office at Baker Street. He thinks, “Perhaps the difference was that the last time he was in this lobby, he had been rushing frantically for Heathrow and the next plane to Los Angeles, with the knowledge that there was a dead body in his office on the next level up.” And on page 132, “He had not been in this office since discovering the body of the previous clerk, Robert Ocher, just a month earlier.”

But in the first book, The Baker Street Letters, on page 144, Nigel is unaware of the body. In fact, he had passed the clerk in the corridor as he was leaving (or at least we have his word that this was the case) and his word is upheld at the end, on page 271, by the policeman in charge who describes how the man was killed by the murderer, after Nigel had left.

If you look at each book as a “stand alone” mystery, the mistake isn’t enough to spoil the book. But if you are reading the book as part of a series, becoming invested in the characters (which is what truly carries a series forward), then this is a BIG mistake.

When I came to that part it was like having a car traveling at 60 mph suddenly thrown into first gear. I came to a crashing halt and said out-loud, “WHAT!”. It is understandable that an editor could have missed that, especially if they had not read the first book. But the author should remember what he wrote before, I think. (Especially since this is only the 2nd book. If he was trying to remember something that happened 15 or 20 books back I might be more willing to overlook it. Who knows, I might not even notice.) Perhaps he has an explanation lined up in his third book, but it would have to be pretty good to sound true; maybe it would be best to just ignore it.

Does this mean you shouldn’t read the series? Definitely not. It’s a fun series, with a neat twist to all the Sherlock Holmes stories being currently done. I will read the next one, I am sure. show less

I picked this up because I'm a bit of a sucker for Sherlockiana. I didn't expect much from it - I'm used to such works being more "look how much cannon I referenced!" than well plotted mystery.

I've been pleasantly surprised :) While there are bits that stretch suspension of disbelief, they weren't really noticeable while I listened. The narration was outstanding. The characters were appealingly real with intriguing depth. I plan to read more in this series.

The excitement returns to London in the second Heath brothers story. Reggie defends a Black Cab driver who is accused of killing American tourists. The Black Cab company does not want anything of the sort besmirching its' stellar image, particularly among tourists. Nigel returns to Reggie's aid this time, and a foe fancying themselves as a descendant of Moriarity is quite a match for the brothers.

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.

If you haven't yet read The Baker Street Letters, you might want to do so before picking this up. It's the first in this series about a couple of barrister brothers who set up chambers at 221B Baker Street and the mayhem that ensues when they make the mistake of opening some of the letters addressed to Sherlock Holmes; and this second volume in the series makes frequent allusions to the events in the first.

Having said that, I skipped volume 1 and still managed to make it through this without too much confusion. The plot is breezy if not exactly plausible, the characters more 3-dimensional than the usual sort that show up in Sherlock Holmes pastiches, and there's nothing in the prose to slow you down.

You'll figure out what's going on show more long before the characters do: not because of your keen Sherlock Holmes-like investigative skills - sorry! - but rather because the author wants you to figure it out. Adds to the suspense of the ending but does detract from the mystery ... a compromise I have to believe Conan Doyle would never have tolerated.

In short, nothing you'll remember a year from now, but just right for a breezy beach read or popping into your purse for a long ride on the metro. show less

Book two in this fairly new series by Michael Robertson is an improvement over book one, The Baker Street Letters, which wasn't a bad book to begin with.

I found myself getting into the plot of this book more, including trying to figure out the references to things that are not familiar to Americans or others who have not lived in England.

Now I know what 'snooker' is. :)

Another plus to this book was there was more character development, and I found myself beginning to like Reggie and Laura more.

A pleasant read, overall.