A Study in Statecraft

The Redacted Novels, Book 2

De: Orlando Pearson

Narrado por: Keith Spilsbury

Unearthed after being lost for nearly a century, at last the memoirs of Mycroft Holmes are available to the general public.

Students and followers of his brother, the Great Baker Street detective, Sherlock Holmes, have to date only been offered two stories in which Mycroft Holmes appears and two in which he is mentioned. This publication of the memoirs of Mycroft Holmes after their sensational discovery in the summer of 2023 transforms our understanding of Sherlock Holmes's more intelligent elder brother.

In this volume we see what it is when one extraordinarily talented person is the British Government as Mycroft Holmes applies his skills in statecraft to tax evasion, royal honors, Partygate, the 1918 Armistice, and the Abdication crisis of 1936.

Mycroft Holmes was at his apogee in the time covered by these memoirs.

Is it just chance that this time constituted the zenith of Britain’s powers?

©2023 Orlando Pearson (P)2024 MX Publishing

Excellent book

An interesting variety of stories from the memoirs of Mycroft Holmes. Mycroft and his powers as the British Government unravels tax, scams, pay for play honor, rules for thee, but not for me and a royal abduction. The narration by Keith Spilsbury is outstanding. He brings the characters and story to life. I received a free audiobook code for my honest review.

Mycroft Holmes Perspective; #2 in Series

Mycroft Holmes Perspective; #2 in Series

As fringe Sherlock Holmes characters find their own voices, add this one from the view of Sherlock's brother, Mycroft. But, I jumped in at this book, #2 in the series, and I found the beginning a bit confusing. An enjoyable period Holmes-esque mystery.

A fascinating listen to Mycroft Holmes' career

The second book in an ongoing series, A Study in Statecraft offers five varied and entertaining historical pastiches, all demonstrating the political and diplomatic acumen of Mycroft Holmes. Two are inspired by canonical adventures and/or modern political episodes; others involve the Holmes brothers and Dr. Watson in the most seminal events of 20th-century British and European history. Monarchs, politicians, soldiers, bankers, and explorers figure in the action. The timeline runs from 1891 to 1936, demonstrating the extraordinary length and importance of Mycroft Holmes' career. Pearson's account occasionally differs from that of W.S. Baring-Gould, and there are one or two minor lapses in research. Nonetheless, A Study in Statecraft offers a fascinating 5 1/2 hours of listening for Sherlockians who wish to move beyond what Mycroft dismisses as "the petty puzzles of the police court." It should also be noted that narrator Keith Spilsbury is excellent as always, flawlessly depicting a broad array of characters and accents.

An interesting look at history and it’s modern parallels

These chronicles of Mycroft Holmes were a fascinating look into the elder Holmes brother’s dealings and how they impacted major historical events. It’s a clever way to both explore Mycroft’s role as the key component of the British empire in the Doyle canon and to serve as allegories to today’s political world. As an American some of the real life events mentioned weren’t as well known to me, but each story’s afterword section cleared up these points. I enjoyed each one with the tale of the WWI armistice being my favorite. I was a bit surprised as just how mobile Mycroft was in these stories for a man so famous for his lethargy, as well as how often Watson was still relied upon as a narrator. As an audiobook it’s still a great choice for Sherlockians.

Nods nicely to the canon

Tales of Mycroft are few and far between. This work, although extending far beyond what might have been expected in terms of character lifespan, is nevertheless both intriguing and amusing. Good pacing and an excellent performance by the narrator. I very much enjoyed this recording.