Title: The Brothers of Baker Street (Baker Street
Letters #2)
Author: Michael Robertson
Reader: Simon Vance
Category: Mystery
Audio published: March 1, 2011 by Blackstone Audio
Rating: 3½ out of 5 stars
Add: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon | IndieBound | Book Depository
When brothers Reggie and Nigel Heath choose 221B Baker Street as the location for their law office, they don’t expect that their new office space would come with one huge stipulation, answering the letters sent to Sherlock Holmes, the most famous resident of that address.
Reggie is distressed because the love of his life, actress Laura Rankin (whom Nigel also adores), is gallivanting around with media mogul Lord Buxton. And while Reggie is working on a new case involving one of London’s Black Cab drivers who is accused of murdering two American tourists, the letters to Sherlock Holmes are piling up. There’s even one from someone who claims to be the descendent of Professor James Moriarty.
I first met Reggie, Nigel and Laura in The Baker Street Letters, which I do suggest you listen to before this one. They are a great team and in The Brothers of Baker Street, the mystery is as interesting as the people.
A note on Black Cabs: These vehicles, and their drivers, have earned the reputation for providing the best taxi service in the world. Every driver is required to undergo a rigorous test of his/her knowledge of London which can take up to four years to learn before the coveted badge is awarded. Each individual’s character is tested and checks are made regarding any criminal records (from London Black Cabs). So a crime involving a Black Cab driver is especially notable.
Setting: I would love to visit London one day, but in the meantime I enjoy books set there. In The Brothers of Baker Street, London seems almost like a small town, rather than a big city, probably because it’s dealing with specific communities – the cabbies and the law enforcement/barristers. And the paparazzi of course, after all Laura is an actress and is dating a media mogul.
Main Characters: This time around it’s Reggie who’s in trouble and Nigel and Laura have to help get to the bottom of the mystery. I like Nigel, he comes into his own a little here. He’s more likely to trust his instincts than Reggie, which serves him well. And there’s Laura, I like her. Even though she and Reggie are not really a couple at the moment, she will do whatever she can to help him and Nigel, probably because she still loves him, but still.
Plot: So, Reggie is a barrister but hasn’t taken a criminal case in years. However, he needs money and is pretty doggone sure the Black Cab driver accused of the crimes is innocent. Of course, Reggie gets caught up in the situation and ends up accused of murder himself.
There’s one tidbit that doesn’t feel quite fair. One of the characters has a leg up on knowing who the bad guy was. Granted, they told the reader instead of holding it back for a last-minute reveal, but it still annoyed me a little.
Reader: Simon Vance is an excellent narrator. I don’t think the book would be as enjoyable in less capable hands.
Recommendation: Better than the first in the series, still not a must-read, but I did like the twist they took with “Moriarty.”
Baker Street Letters Series
- The Baker Street Letters
- The Brothers of Baker Street
- The Baker Street Translation
This series sounds really good and I suspect Vance’s narration enhanced this book. I’ve only been to London once and it didn’t feel as commercial as New York to me so it did seem cozier, if that makes sense.
It’s not really good, but it’s fun enough.
I am intrigued 😀
I need to check this series out for my Classics Project Holmes posts…though I won’t put it to the top of my list!