Embassy Row (Mycroft Holmes Novels) [Mass Market Paperback]

Quinn Fawcett (Author)

Book Description

Series: Mycroft Holmes Novels | Publication Date: October 1999

Paterson Guthrie, Mycroft Holmes's secretary, is accompanying his employer to secret negotiations with the Japanese, intended to secure England's position in Japanese-controlled waters. But many highly placed Englishmen do not wish to ally themselves with a people they consider inferior, and the Japanese are wary of close ties with a society they find increasingly hostile. And why is the flirtatious Miss Gatspy, sometime spy, sometime assassin, lurking around the embassy -- is she after information, or Guthrie?

Despite misunderstandings and suspicious "accidents, " the agreement is near completion. But the night the papers are to be signed and sealed, a British diplomat firmly opposed to the negotiations is found dead with a Japanese dagger in his back. Mycroft and Guthrie must solve his murder, expose the agitators behind it, and see to the finalization of the agreement -- without finding themselves on the wrong end of the knife.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Mycroft Holmes returns for a flat and disappointing second adventure following Against the Brotherhood (1997). Sherlock's older and reputedly wiser brother is in the midst of secret and delicate naval negotiations with the Japanese at the Swiss Embassy in late-19th-century London. Many forces oppose the agreement: reactionary British elements and reactionary Japanese factions are against it; Chinese, Russian, Austro-Hungarian and German interests all have reason to sabotage the treaty; in addition, two sinister international organizations, The Brotherhood and The Golden Lodge, might also wish to thwart it. A Japanese prince's clandestine affair with a British woman, should it become known, would scuttle the treaty. Holmes is at the heart of the effort to steer the treaty through these obstacles. He is aided by his secretary, Paterson Erskine Guthrie; the actor Edmund Sutton, who plays his double; and by Philip Tyers, who is housekeeper, cook and nursemaid to them all. Amid the muddled intrigue, attacks are made on Holmes and his allies, and a British diplomat is assassinated with a Japanese dagger. Many readers will undoubtedly prove more astute than Holmes, who seems unable to get ahead of the game and provides little evidence of his reputedly great intellect.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Mycroft Holmes, on a secret mission for the British Government, is negotiating a treaty with the Japanese government. In meetings held in the Swiss Embassy, Holmes and Tochigi, the Japanese ambassador, have just about reached agreement on a treaty that would be advantageous to both countries. But, as always, there are enemies afoot. As the treaty nears completion, Holmes and his secretary, Patterson Guthrie, become the target of enemy assassins. But who is the enemy? When a British diplomat known to oppose any negotiations with the Japanese is found murdered and the weapon used was a Japanese seppuku, treaty negotiations take second stage to solving the crime. An intriguing story with plot twists as intricate as any international treaty, Embassy Row is sure to be popular with mystery lovers. Simon Prebble does an admirable job in narrating this second book in the Holmes series. Highly recommended for all public libraries. Theresa Connors, Arkansas Tech Univ., Russellville
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books (October 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812545222
• ISBN-13: 978-0812545227
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #853,644 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A rare treat for Sherlock fans, October 28, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Embassy Row: A Mycroft Holmes Novel (Hardcover)

Patterson Guthrie immensely enjoys his job as secretary to the incredibly intelligent and influential Mycroft Holmes. Currently, his employ is negotiating with the Japanese on behalf of England, who want to secure access to the oriental ports in spite of the fact that many of his countrymen oppose any pact with Japan. As the meetings wind down towards an agreement, an opponent, Lord Brackenheath is murdered.

Mycroft quickly realizes that the killing of Brackenheath could also lead to the death of the treaty that he so diligently worked at completing. Mycroft begins to investigate the murder in order to save the agreement that abruptly appears to be unraveling. As he searches for clues, Patterson takes down notes.

The second Mycroft Holmes novel continues in the great tradition of his younger sibling Sherlock and his own previous adventure (narrated by Patterson in AGAINST THE BROTHERHOOD). EMBASSY ROW contains a crisp story line that follows in the Master's tradition. The characters are wonderful and Mycroft fits the brief insights provided readers by Doyle. Any Sherlock Holmes fan will want to read Quinn Fawcett's homage to the great detective.

Harriet Klausner

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Amazingly Doyle-esque treatment..., May 3, 2000

By 

Mark Savary "moon_city" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Embassy Row (Mycroft Holmes Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

This book is written so closely to the style of Sir ArthurConan-Doyle that I hope the author will mull over the idea of writinga Sherlock Holmes book.

The "voice" of the novel is dead on. It reads very much like Doyle's writing, which helps keep the reader immersed in the time period of the story.

Finally we get to learn more of Sherlock's brother, lesser known but more important to England, Her Majesty, and the Admiralty.

The intrigue surrounding the treaty with Japan could have actually taken place, if in fact it did not. Quinn Fawcett certainly did his homework concerning the political events and who would gain or lose depending on the fate of the secret treaty.

Compare this excellent book with the writing of some of the modern Sherlock Holmes stories, like "The Ice Palace Murders" or "The Haunting of Torre Abbey". After seeing Holmes and Watson grafted and mis-cast into standard or sub-par mystery stories at the hands of modern writers, "Embassy Row" was a rare treat.

While Mycroft's game is more of espionage and intrigue than the "trifles" of Sherlock and his deductive detecting, Mycroft's brilliance is clearly shown, as are the reasons for his importance to the government of England.

Guthrie is an interesting character, somewhat Watson-like. He takes on the role of narrator as well as confidential secretary. The author has chosen well to keep the Mycroft series somewhat like the Sherlock Holmes canon in style and tone, but this has not stifled his ability to create something very new and entertaining.

This is a wonderful series, and I hope the author will one day favor us with some stories of the better-known brother who resides at 221b Baker Street. He certainly has the "voice" to make a Sherlock Holmes story quite memorable.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mycroft Holmes as he should be., March 18, 2001

By 

J. Carroll "Jack" (Island Heights,NJ) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Embassy Row: A Mycroft Holmes Novel (Hardcover)

The first book in this series (Against The Brotherhood)introduced the reader to a Mycroft Holmes who was a bit too much of an action hero to fit my personal take on the character. Although I enjoyed the 1st book , the plot of Embassy Row better fits the character of Sherlock's brother. Filled with intrigue over a treaty with Japan, The Emperor's son and a mystery woman, and a murder that may cause the events to explode; Embassy Row does an excellent job of showing the behind the scenes role of Mycroft Holmes, hinted at in the few Sherlock Holmes tales he made an appearence in. I did have some problems with Holmes' late identification of the mystery woman, which will be patently obvious to the reader, and the constant appearence of The Golden Lodge's Miss Gatspy, whose role works as "deus ex machina." I hope Mr. Fawcett can avoid falling into this trap too often. I think Mycroft should remain the puppetmaster in these tales, it lends credence to Sherlock's assertions that Mycroft was the more intelligent of the two.