1873 and the Fire Four Eleven killer is on a rampage. A serial killer, who leaves no noticeable clues at his killings except a calling card with “The Fire Four Eleven” on it.

When a distant relative of Queen Victoria is a victim of the killer, she calls in Myford Holmes to investigate. Having performed investigations for her in the past, she knows his abilities and discreetness will keep her interest in the case and the investigation secret.

Meanwhile, Mycroft’s younger brother, Sherlock, has become obsessed over solving the mystery behind the serial murders. Sherlock has removed himself from his classes at Downing College, unbeknownst to Mycroft. Appearing, unannounced at Mycroft’s home, Sherlock convinces Mycroft to his investigation. Mycroft hopes it will keep Sherlock occupied and out of Mycroft’s secret investigation for the Queen.

This is a young Sherlock, who is still learning but who is convinced he knows it all. He does run up against dead ends and realizes he does have a lot to learn yet. These errors do not keep him from his determination to find the murderer.

This was an enjoyable read. The characters seemed a little more human than the original, but the flavour Connan Doyle’s writing is there. This is the second book I’ve read in the series. ( )

Mycroft Holmes is asked by Queen Victoria to look into the killing of a distant relative by the serial killer Fire Four Eleven. Sherlock has also begun his own investigation of these murders. At the same time the brother of the woman Mycroft loves has been kidnapped so reluctantly Mycroft agrees to let Sherlock tackle the serial killer and he will look into the kidnapping of Ai Lin's brother. A well written story of 1873 London. ( )

I was very surprised by the book, the story, the characters, and the writing. Thankfully, unlike most modern mysteries featuring Sherlock Holmes, this was not dull, presumptuous, nor pretentious. It was in fact interesting, compelling, and easy to read.

While Mycroft (Sherlock's older brother) is working for the Queen (Victoria), he allows Sherlock to investigate the murder of one of the Queen's distant relatives by a serial killer whose calling card is Fire Four Eleven.

As Sherlock investigates the murders, Mycroft investigates the kidnapping of his unrequited love's fiancée, who happens to be an arms dealer.

Well written, this actually held my interest and I liked the characters. ( )

Certainly an entertaining read, not has involving as his previous two books, but still time well spent. I'm definitely a fan of his (I know he's one of the greatest basketball players ever, but I'm much more interested in him as a writer) and I can't wait for the next book. ( )

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Anna Waterhouse’s Mycroft and Sherlock: The Empty Birdcage is the third novel in their series focusing on Mycroft Holmes. The book begins in 1873 with Mycroft undergoing an experimental procedure to fix his pericardium before he meets with Cyrus Douglas in Austria, where Mycroft worked to obfuscate an impending financial collapse in order to strike at Count Wolfgang Hohenlohe-Langenburg, who had previously run afoul of Mycroft. Meanwhile, Sherlock has departed Cambridge and is investigating a series of murders the newspapers have named the Fire Four Eleven killings after the note the killer leaves at the scene. One of the victims was a distant relation to Queen Victoria and she asks Mycroft to examine the case, so he aids Sherlock’s work while looking into Ottoman arms merchant Vizily Zaharoff, a creditor of Count Hohenlohe-Langenburg, and the employer of Bingwen Shi, the fiancé of Mycroft’s former love, Ai Lin. As Mycroft investigates, he worries about the Germans arming themselves and how Deshi Hai Lin’s shipping business is involved while hoping to help Ai Lin out of the love he once felt for her. Sherlock, still a young man and only just beginning to learn his trade as a detective, often acts rashly, going against the more circumspect methods Mycroft would prefer. The story builds upon the extensive groundwork Abdul-Jabbar and Waterhouse built in their previous two novels while being one of the stronger Sherlock Holmes pastiches, using this early period to do something unique that enhances the canon without bending it too far. ( )