no fictional character is more renowned for his powers of thought and observation than sherlock holmes but is his extraordinary intellect merely a gift of fiction or can we learn to cultivate these abilities ourselves to improve our lives at work and at homewe can says psychologist and journalist maria konnikova and in mastermind she shows us how beginning with the brain atticholmess metaphor for how we store information and organize knowledgekonnikova unpacks the mental strategies that lead to clearer thinking and deeper insights drawing on twentyfirstcentury neuroscience and psychology mastermind explores holmess unique methods of everpresent mindfulness astute observation and logical deduction in doing so it shows how each of us with some selfawareness and a little practice can employ these same methods to sharpen our perceptions solve difficult problems and enhance our creative powers for holmes aficionados and casual readers alike konnikova reveals how the worlds most keeneyed detective can serve as an unparalleled guide to upgrading the mind