Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Books In Order

Publication Order of Mycroft Books

Publication Order of Streetball Crew Books

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a six-time NBA champion, all-time leading scorer turned author that writes historical mystery. He is one of the most respected and influential black men who use their platform to share their thoughts on the politically controversial and socially relevant topics about the United States. His debut work was “Sasquatch in the Paint” that he published in 2013 and was the first of the “Streetball Crew” series that he wrote with Raymond Obstfeld. In 2012, the then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appointed Kareem as the Cultural Ambassador of the United States. He currently serves on the Skyhook Foundation that works to bring educational opportunities to underserved communities. “Kareem: Minority of One” an HBO Sports documentary was one of the highest-rated sports documentaries that Kareem produced. His historical mystery fiction debut was “Mycroft Holmes which is a novel that was the first of his “Mycroft” series that he writes alongside Anna Waterhouse. The novel was released in 2015 and follows the life and times of Mycroft Holmes, the elder brother of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s character Sherlock Holmes. Following the success of his debut, the novel was made into a series of 5 comic books.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has always been a voracious reader and read everything from politics to fiction and history. When he started out, it was a way to indulge his love for researching subjects he had an interest in. For instance, he had always been fascinated with the women and men of the Harlem Renaissance and hence he spent nearly a year conducting research on the subject before writing a book about it. The novel “Black Profiles in Courage” and “On the Shoulders of Giants” also followed the same process in the research on the all-black tank battalion that fought in the Second World War. He has always found the time to read no matter how busy his schedule was. For Abdul-Jabbar, reading is something that he finds intellectually stimulating as it keeps him connected and informs him of the social and personal struggles in society. Among his favorite authors include Walter Mosely, Isabel Wilkerson, James Baldwin, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Randy Roberts among many other writers.

Kareem was introduced to Sherlock Holmes as a child and was immediately hooked. He was fascinated by the character’s paranormal ability to think of and observe everything that was relevant to his investigation. It was as if everyone else was seeing in black and white while Holmes was seeing in color. Abdul-Jabbar wanted to see in color too and hence tried to copy the man by reading as much as he could and sharpening his observational skills. Where he was unable to reach the high levels achieved by Holmes, he made up for with his lead character in the Mycroft series of novels. In a recent interview, he said that since so many people had written pastiches of Sherlock he decided to write a story about a character that was less written about in his elder brother Mycroft. Once he started, he let his imagination run free and in fact made the character the opposite of what he is said to be in the Sherlock novels. Mycroft is described by Sherlock who may not be the most reliable source as he calls his brother an officious, bloated and brilliant bureaucrat. Kareem’s Mycroft has his moments of pettiness but is a highly intellectual character despite being damaged. The character deals with his demons by indulging himself and engaging with women and in gambling. However, he has a great sense of humor and makes for good company. Kareem approached the series as part of the conventional Holmes universe as it incorporates the characterization, style, dialogue and setting that is common in the original Sir Arthur Conan Doyle novels.

“Mycroft Holmes” the first novel of the “Mycroft Holmes and Sherlock” series introduces Mycroft Holmes, the elder brother of Sherlock Holmes. A harrowing adventure changes his life and sets the stage for him to become the hidden power behind the British government and the founder of the Diogenes Club. At the beginning of the novel, Mycroft Holmes just graduated from Cambridge University but he is already making waves working in the office of the Secretary of State for War. But Mycroft while British to the core has ties to Trinidad a tiny island in the Caribbean where Georgina Sutton his fiancé grew up and Cyrus Douglas his best friend was born. His comfortable existence is turned upside down when his best friend receives some disturbing news from Trinidad. There are reports of bodies found drained of blood, mysterious disappearances, spirits luring children to their deaths and strange footprints on the beaches. When she hears the news, Georgina leaves for home in panic mode. Mycroft manages to convince his friend to come along with him as they head to Trinidad. They are drawn into a network of dark secrets that grows more dangerous with every step.

Abdul-Jabbar’s “Mycroft and Sherlock” is a novel set in 1872, where a series of homicides has caused an uproar in London. Mycroft Holmes is a 26-year-old civil servant in the War Office and hence he is not interested in what happens on the street. But Sherlock is fascinated by the macabre which has resulted in a drop in his performances at school much to Mycroft’s chagrin. When a ship carrying Cyrus Douglas’s cargo runs aground, Mycroft goes to his brother Sherlock and convinces him to become an orphanage tutor for Douglas who manages some charity. This ensures that Douglas can go back to the sea and see what can be salvaged from the ship. Sherlock who remains in London soon finds himself in the underbelly of the city where some street urchin collapses in what is suspected to be a drug overdose. Sherlock starts investigations following the clues that include bizarre clandestine symbols that lead him to the fetid opium lairs on the London docks. In the meantime, Mycroft meets a beautiful Chinese woman who gives him clues that lead him down the same path taken by Sherlock. He is determined to investigate the opium trade and how it is enriching the British treasury. With the stakes higher than ever, the Holmes realize that they need each other’s counsel and assistance. However, they have been keeping secrets from each other for years and opening up now may not come so naturally.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s “The Empty Birdcage” is a novel set in 1873 where the economies of Europe are on the verge of collapse. Mycroft Holmes is still a civil servant working for the British government. A distant relative of Queen Victoria was killed by a serial killer nickname Fire Four Eleven. He is one of the most mysterious and narcissist killers as he only leaves a mysterious calling card and no mark on the bodies of his victims. This is something that Sherlock loves and he decides to investigate the serial killings which soon turn into an obsession. Mycroft reluctantly allows his brother to begin investigations given the woman he is still in love with needs his help. Her fiancé has been taken and the suspect is a ruthless man with a reputation for murdering anyone who wrongs him. He convinces Cyrus Douglas his best friend to help him in the investigations. As Sherlock goes around the country looking for the serial killer, he and Mycroft come to learn that some people’s actions are purely driven by greed.