This was way more fun than I expected--I'll admit, I started it as a lark based on the author, but I found the characters to be super interesting and compelling; watching Mycroft's development was fascinating, the tone just FELT very Holmesian to me, and the plot really lent itself to exploring this rich history and the sheer diversity present in the British empire that is maybe not on everyone's mind when they think about the world of Holmes (or at least, not in a way that isn't like super racist.) I'm definitely interested in checking out the sequel, and overall like this book quite a bit!