As a fan of Sherlock Holmes who enjoys many of the pastiche stories written by others, I am also open to seeing stories that make use of various secondary characters in the canon. There have been a few stories written focused on Holmes’s older brother Mycroft, and one I recently picked up is S.F. Bennett‘s The Secret Diary of Mycroft Holmes.
This volume covers 1880 to 1888, though most of it covers 1880, which is the first year of Holmes’s career as a consulting detective before he moved to Baker Street and roomed with Dr. John Watson. It’s published by Belanger Books.
Things start off in 1880. Mycroft is 33 years old, turning 34. Holmes is seven years his junior. Mycroft is a bit frustrated with Holmes, as he doesn’t see that what he does is a good use of time. And it’s hinted that Mycroft is helping Holmes with his rent.
We see scenes of Mycroft at his work in Whitehall and at the Diogenes Club, which we are told he is a founding member. We also learn more about the extended Holmes family, mainly the many cousins, which neither Holmes nor Mycroft wants to deal with. I was also surprised by the level of humor in this work, most being of acerbic wit by both brothers. I was also surprised that Mycroft’s position in government was not as secure as I would have expected.
The bulk of the diary covers the year 1880. After that, we get just a little that covers the other years, finishing in 1888, which is the year Watson got the first Sherlock Holmes story, A Study in Scarlet, published.
Overall, I found this an interesting work. As the author appears to be a Holmes scholar, how much of what we are told is her own invention vs. based on the work of others is unknown to me. But it doesn’t distract from the overall work.
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