Sherlock Holmes Codexery

Mycroft Holmes Intelligence Brother

Sherlock's elder brother, with a unique position in the British government.

Mycroft Holmes is the elder brother, by seven years, of Sherlock Holmes, a government official and a founding member of the Diogenes Club. His powers of deduction and his knowledge are described as exceeding even his brother's, though his dislike of fieldwork limits their practical use.

Lore & Background

Sherlock tells Watson in "The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter" that Mycroft's powers of observation and deduction are superior to his own, but that he is not energetic or ambitious. In that story Holmes and Watson visit Mycroft at the Diogenes Club, which he co-founded. Sherlock first says that Mycroft audits books for the British government; in "The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans" he reveals that the role is more substantial, a unique position that the stories never name. Sherlock calls him the most indispensable man in the country, although Mycroft remains a subordinate and will receive neither honour nor title.

Reader's Guide

Mycroft appears mainly in two stories, "The Greek Interpreter" and "The Bruce-Partington Plans"; he appears briefly in "The Final Problem" and is mentioned in "The Adventure of the Empty House". In "The Final Problem" he is the cloaked driver of the brougham that carries Watson on his way out of London. After Sherlock fakes his death, Mycroft is his only confidant, sends him the money he needs and keeps his Baker Street rooms exactly as they were. He lives in rooms in Pall Mall, walks to Whitehall each morning and spends the early evening at the Diogenes Club.

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