HIS SMARTER BROTHER

Acknowledged by Sherlock Holmes himself as being gifted with even greater powers of observation than that famous consulting detective, Mycroft Holmes appears in only four stories in the Canon and remains an enigmatic figure. As Sherlock tells Watson, his brother is more than an agent of Her Majesty’s government—for all practical purposes, Mycroft is the government. His immense mind contains all of the details and calculations of the political, scientific, and economic agenda of the British Empire.

Now, we learn of Mycroft's secrets through the eyes of his new secretary, Patterson Guthrie. Guthrie's upper-class education has not prepared him for the rough-and-tumble world of international politics, nor for his encounters with the beautiful and cunning Miss Gatspy—thief, spy, assassin—whatever the situation calls for. Mycroft is revealed to be a vigorous player at world politics and international skullduggery. Against the Brotherhood is full of attempted assassinations, secret spymasters, anarchist cabals, concealed identities, double- and triple-agents, burglary, and sabotage—all done in true Conan Doyle style!

FROM THE PERSONAL JOURNAL OF PHILIP TYERS:

M.H. has been about errands for the Bavarian treaty; he returned here in a country squire’s riding gear and the look of a man who had taken a nasty fall riding to hounds. Upon my examination of him, I discovered he was bleeding in the shoulder, whereupon he produced the weapon which had inflicted the injury—a small skinning knife with a thin, wicked blade. “Much more of this,” he told me, “and I’ll have to send for Sutton ahead of schedule.” During his absence from this flat, he has learned that there is likely to be an attempt to steal the treaty before it can be signed. No amount of coaxing on my part would persuade him to tell me more than this concerning his escapades. He hopes that G. will provide the information necessary to prevent such a theft, for it would be a disaster.