The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (#3)

By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

THE SHORT

As with all other Conan Doyle stories, Sherlock Holmes discovers his true medium in the short story, perfect for telling the stories of the world's greatest detective. Conan Doyle concocts several of the world's most famous mysteries in what is possibly his most creative collection of stories, all without using murder as a crime. The plot of each story is logical and convincing, and the solution of the crime is perfectly told and achieved by Holmes without the boring filler that was present in 'A Study in Scarlet' and 'The Sign of Four'. Using the creative database in his mind, Conan Doyle manages to hold our attention, keeping us breathless as he tells of the suspenseful night waiting in 'The Adventure of the Red-Headed League', enthralling us with his storytelling. All in all, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is perhaps the finest collection of crime stories ever told, except for the few inconsistencies that appear in his stories.

THE REVIEW

A Scandal in Bohemia

In this short story, which made Holmes's name known throughout the world, Holmes manages to prevent an uproar in Bohemia using a most ingenious solution. This story truly displays Conan Doyle's creative thinking, as well setting the tone for the rest of the Sherlock Holmes stories. The plot here is original and truly Victorian London, making this story simply fascinating and demonstrative of Conan Doyle's masterful storytelling.

Rating: 9.9/10

A Case of Identity

In solving the disappearance of a certain Hosmer Angel, it may disappoint some readers that Holmes never got to use the full extent of his deductive powers. While the plot of this story may not be original, Conan Doyle puts a creative twist on it wonderfully, and uses the dynamic duo of Holmes and Watson perfectly in this instance. Not the best Holmes story, it merely falls into the GOOD category.

Rating: 8.5/10

The Adventure of the Red-Headed League

Sherlock Holmes, for the first time, shows his powers in preventing crime on a large scale, as Conan Doyle somehow toes that thin line between letting the readers know too little and letting them know too much. The medium for this mystery is a fantastic idea out of Conan Doyle's head, thoroughly exciting. As I have stated above, the suspenseful wait in the bank is heart-pounding and gives you that sense of adrenaline which no other author has managed to copy.

Rating: 9.4/10

The Boscombe Valley Mystery

Conan Doyle presents a most singular mystery in this story, and while Holmes manages to make his trademark deductions, one can't help but feel that the veil has been too heavily placed on this story, and in the end, it is not Holmes who solves the mystery, but Turner himself has to tell Holmes the story. Nevertheless, the excellent and brilliantly conceived mystery is satisfying.

Rating: 8.1/10

The Five Orange Pips

There is not much of a mystery here, yet Conan Doyle manages to deliver a sinister tale of a deadly organisation and its murderous methods. His diction here is absolutely refined, and the stormy atmosphere adds to the amazing tale that Openshaw has to tell. The only flaw in this story is the lack of the deductions that Holmes usually makes, and its reliance on the fact that the reader is not familiar with the fact that the initials "K.K.K." stands for Ku Klux Klan. The organisation here is reminiscent of Moriarty's network of crime later on, precursor to Holmes's much larger battle with Moriarty.

Rating: 9.8/10

The Man With the Twisted Lip

This story is only remarkable for Neville St. Clair's most ingenious method of disguising himself as a beggar, a plot most familiar as the one used by Agatha Christie in the collection "Poirot Investigates". However, other than that, Conan Doyle does not explain how Holmes arrived at this most startling conclusion, and the readers are left in the dark as to how he achieved this. Perhaps the most mediocre story in this excellent collection.

Rating: 7.6/10

The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle

A brilliant and simply amazing story, Conan Doyle takes the much cliche-d story of hiding gems in animals and smuggling them and puts it within the context of Holmes. Here, Holmes displays his wonderful mind and dazzles us with his powers. Conan Doyle brought out the character of Holmes perfectly here, as a most clever detective, and yet a forgiving one as well.

Rating: 9.3/10

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

Famous in its own right, this story is excellent and beautifully thought out, crafted exceedingly well by Conan Doyle. The mystery here is chilling and absolutely fits Holmes's character. This short story's plot is logical and leads from one to another, fitting of Holmes's want of the logical and the deductive. No wonder Conan Doyle called this his favourite.

Rating: 9.7/10

The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb

Perhaps only the exciting narrative of the hydraulic engineer saves this story from absolute disaster. As it is, there is not much deduction done by Holmes here, the only feature of interest and insight that he brings to this case is the six miles out, six miles out idea to trick the engineer in to thinking he was going 12 miles away. Also there is no actual mystery here, the purpose of the machine only being to mint coins illegally. 

Rating: 6.9/10

The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor

An interesting mystery, this singular adventure perhaps repeats the disappearance of the spouse just before/after the wedding from "A Case of Identity". However Holmes makes his characteristic psychological leaps of the mind that so vexes Lestrade. Conan Doyle also puts a twist on the previous mystery, although the introduction of a heretofore unknown previous marriage can annoy some readers.

Rating: 9.2/10

The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet

Here again, Conan Doyle concocts a mystery worthy of the great Holmes, but it seems a bit too complex to achieve that perfect balance of mysterious and obvious. Leading the readers on in a direction, Conan Doyle does a sleight of hand and successfully changes the subject of the mystery, undoing the knotty problem with a flick and pleasing us all.

Rating: 9.0/10

The Adventure of the Copper Beeches

A most singular series of events keep happening to Miss Violet Hunter, and this is what Sherlock Holmes is perfect for. Perhaps relying too heavily on the narrative of Hunter, Conan Doyle repeats the problem evident in "The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb", although on a smaller scale, and the horrifying discoveries of Hunter in the Copper Beeches keeps us on the edge of our seats, not sure of what to expect next.

Rating: 8.9/10

OVERALL

In conclusion, this collection of Sherlock Holmes is the most refined and excellently thought out collection of detective stories ever published. Simply wonderful.

Overall Rating: 8.9/10

Overall Advice: Not to be missed for anything in the world.

I really, really, really enjoyed this book, and I hope that you have enjoyed my review of it as well!

Next week: As I tentatively make my way into romance, I choose the most famous vampire romance story of the 21st century: Twilight. Perhaps not the best example of romance, is Twilight simply a classic of supernatural fiction? Or is it a watered-down version of the best romance has to offer? Find out next week in my review full of blood, vampires, and pale, Albino girls!

The Sign of Four (#2)

By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

THE SHORT

Sherlock Holmes returns in this fantastic novel, where a treasure is stolen, a brutal death occurs, and a wild chase down the river Thames culminates in yet another death...The Sign of Four is an amazing novel, because of this, because Conan Doyle manages to craft another excellent plot. Sherlock Holmes displays his prowess, managing to find the missing Aurora, and successfully sorting out all the details of the case. One downfall, however, of this book is that Conan Doyle reveals almost all of the mystery in the middle, and the remaining half until the chase isn't so exciting as it should have been, what with the waiting, and time-dragging, until finally we are relieved by the invigorating writing of Conan Doyle's river chase. Despite this, however, The Sign of Four is the book that launched Conan Doyle's career, and for good reason, because it was superb.

THE REVIEW

Let's start with this novel's most interesting character, Sherlock Holmes. While it may be that this case is not so puzzling for the great detective as the one in A Study in Scarlet, he still manages to show his analytical skills and Watson's (and our) amazement at his abilities only increases the magnificence of his existence. Holmes certainly shows a bit of his feelings for Watson, though it is very subtle, coming in Chapter 10: The End of the Islander, where he warns Watson to be careful of the poison-dart-shooting Tonga. He shows his characteristic derision of Scotland Yard, and his impatience when the Aurora is nowhere to be found. His deductive abilities are all the more prominent as Conan Doyle hones his writing to make sure that it suits the detective. As a result, Holmes is more fleshed out in this novel than he was in A Study in Scarlet, and we can really relate to him, if not, then admire him.

Watson, once again, is our clueless representative, who follows Holmes along. Conan Doyle certainly had a creative mind, that allowed him to spawn this man, who would allow us to understand Holmes's reasoning as clearly as day. If there hadn't been a Watson, we would never have been able to see the leaps Holmes's mind took. Yet in this book Watson takes a larger part, falling in love with a woman he had barely met, and marrying her in the space of a few days? Sounds familiar to those strangers who marry one another, am I right? Conan Doyle perhaps couldn't have enough time for the romance to be kindled, what with the juggling act of the mystery, so maybe the romance sounds a bit unbelievable.

As all Holmes's novels are only as interesting as their villains, let's take a look at Jonathan Small, the wooden-legged man from the Andamans. At first, he may seem like a cold-hearted villain, but Conan Doyle didn't have the stomach for that, so he neuters Small the same way George Lucas did with Vader: Backstory. And Conan Doyle does it better than Lucas, too, the backstory being extremely interesting, as the reader eagerly awaits the conclusion of Small's adventures. In a small space, Conan Doyle crafts a small micro-story in this novel.

But then again, maybe the villain in this story isn't Small at all, perhaps it's the poison-dart-blowing Tonga, who uses his lethal blowpipe to shoot even more lethal poison darts at people, doing the killing in this book. First off, he kills Bartholomew Sholto, the person who discovered the treasure, and the horrifying description of his face is enough to send chills down reader's back, even if they weren't there at all. The excellent description of the atmosphere, spine-tingling night at Pondicherry Lodge, is just evidence of Conan Doyle's masterful writing.

The plot keeps readers going forward. After a slow start, where Holmes shows his deductive capability, after the arrival of Mary, things really start ramping up, where Thaddeus tells the story of the treasure, the discovery of the dead Bartholomew, and the following of the criminals to the wharf of the river Thames. Then, (Conan Doyle seems to have been sleeping through this part) they wait for news, and wait, and wait, and then wait some more!!! Finally, (Conan Doyle awakes) they start the chase down the Thames for a thrilling ending.

While there may be the boring bits, let's explore the mystery first. Holmes (or at least Watson) is puzzled by the warning 'The sign of the four', and the death of Bartholomew complicates matters even further. However, Conan Doyle might have shown his hand far too early, as Holmes reveals to Watson what Small has done, and what mystery is left is blown away, and the rest of the novel is action. Perhaps Conan Doyle had run out of ideas to prolong this mystery, but the mystery certainly is tense at the beginning.

The plot is a masterpiece (well, except for the watered down middle part). The mystery, action sequence, all combine to define Sherlock Holmes as the definitive Victorian age detective. Conan Doyle knows his readers well, and delivers excellent examples of Holmes's skills, while also serving up the mystery. The treasure, while it may seem that it is disappointing to readers that it is not found in the end, at least has an interesting story behind it, which seems to modern day readers an escape into the fantasy world of long long ago, where India was being attacked. Conan Doyle's masterful story telling brings this book together, and the result is amazing.

However, the plot also has its downfalls, what with the boring middle part as they wait for news of the Aurora, but this is made up for by the chase. Again, the mystery is solved almost halfway through, and Conan Doyle couldn't think of a better way to track the criminals than by having Tonga unluckily dip his foot in creosote. I mean, we want to see Holmes use his brain!

All in all, while The Sign of Four may not live up to the expectations we got after A Study in Scarlet, it certainly is a delightful little book that will keep you satisfied.

Rating: 8.9/10
Advice: Perfect for those who love Action/Mystery stories.

Of course, I enjoyed this book, and I hope you did too! When Holmes is in town, you don't want to commit crimes! What book would you like me to review next? Leave a comment below!

Next week: Greek gods abound in this mythical story where demigods and mortals coexist in New York, but what happens when the gods are angry? Find out if Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief lives up to its hype when I review it in my next post!

A Study in Scarlet (#1)

By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Sherlock Holmes teams up with Dr. Watson in their first ever mystery to solve the death of a man, and the curious word written in blood, 'RACHE'.

The first part describes Watson retiring from the army and meeting his old friend, Stamford. Knowing that Watson is tight on money, Stamford introduces him to a potential flatmate, Sherlock Holmes. After a surprising deduction on Holmes's part and viewing the rooms, Watson moves in. Curious about Holmes, Watson tries to discover what his work is. After yet another deduction done by Holmes, Watson is thoroughly impressed. Holmes receives a message from DI Gregson, asking him to come and help in solving a murder. 

The man killed is Enoch J. Drebber, but while there is no wound on his body, there is blood all over his body. DI Lestrade finds a ring, and also the word 'RACHE' scrawled in blood on a wall. Using a facsimile ring as bait, Holmes unfortunately loses it to 'an old woman', who must have been a young man in disguise. 

Gregson then reports to Holmes, saying that he has found the murderer, Mr. Arthur Charpentier, who wanted to kill Drebber because he had made advances on Arthur's sister. Gregson suggests that Charpentier had brought Drebber to the empty house where he killed him. Then Lestrade comes in and announces that Drebber's secretary, Stangerson, whom Lestrade had been trying to trace, has been murdered.

Finding a curious bottle of pills in Stangerson's hotel room, Lestrade brings it to Holmes, who then tests it on Watson's dying dog. The first one doesn't work, but the other one is deadly poison. Holmes smiles when his Baker Street Irregulars report that they 'have found the cab'. He then asks the cabman to come up to help. Suddenly Holmes snaps a pair of handcuffs on the man and arrests him. He then presents Mr. Jefferson Hope, murderer of Drebber and Stangerson.

The second part starts with Mr. John Ferrier and his adopted daugter, Lucy, sole survivors of twenty-one people. Then they are saved by a traveling group of Mormons, who ask them to convert. They join the Mormons, and then they find Utah before them. After many years, John becomes a rich man and Lucy a beautiful girl. Then she falls in love with Jefferson Hope, a Gentile. They plan to get married, but the leader of the Mormons, Brigham Young, warns John that in the Mormons, a girl of Mormon faith can only marry a Mormon man. Seeing that John stands fast, he gives John a month to choose between Brother Drebber and Brother Stangerson for Lucy to marry.

Then, on the last day, Hope finally arrives and whisks both John and Lucy out of Utah. After travelling a great deal, Hope goes to find food. When he returns, however, John has been killed by Stangerson and Lucy has been captured to be Drebber's wife. Soon afterwards, Lucy dies. Hope swears revenge and chases Drebber and Stangerson, finally catching up with them in London. Offering Drebber first two pills, one harmless and one poison, Drebber takes the poisonous one and dies. When Hope offers the same choice to Stangerson, Stangerson instead attacks Hope and Hope kills Stangerson.

The day after his capture, Hope dies of an aortic aneurysm. Holmes then explains how he solved the mystery, and Watson is left convinced of Holmes's skill, and promises to publish the account of the murder.

A fitting mystery for Watson and Holmes to solve, this book will delight Holmes fans and is a great introduction to the Sherlock Holmes series. There is not a dull bit of action in this fast-paced novel, that, even though it may take some time to get going in the beginning, and the Mormon flashback may put off some readers, the brilliance of Conan Doyle's writing is brilliantly dazzling.

The meeting of Holmes and Watson is truly fascinating, considering what a dynamic duo they grew up to be. The chemistry between them is immediately forged and they move in together. Watson's attempts to 'decipher' Holmes are laughable and provide humor to balance out this book of murder.

Holmes may seem an unlikable character, but the mystery around him (ironically enough, he SOLVES mysteries himself) makes him an enigmatic character that you just want to know more about.

Watson, on the other hand, is the typical Londoner. Not dumb, but then again, not smart either. He is useful to insert first-hand accounts, and is brilliantly used by Conan Doyle to 'dumb it down' so that others can understand Holmes.

The murder itself is a grotesque affair, made even more fascinating by the word, 'RACHE'. The reader is drawn into this mystery, Conan Doyle's web of intrigue spinning about you as you read on, and the very atmosphere of 'what's Holmes going to do next? I can't see a thing around this!' is thoroughly engaging and you will find yourself unable to leave it, the mystery hanging onto your every thought.

The Mormon flashback, although unnecessary, provides much needed background on Jefferson Hope and how he came to want revenge against Drebber and Stangerson. The Mormon flashback is also excellent reading, although it is not as intriguing as the mystery itself. The descriptions are a bit draggy, but as a whole the flashback is a great addition to the story.

All in all, 'A Study in Scarlet' is a classic of detective fiction. Excellent plots and great writing abound in this book, and you will not be let down.

Rating: 9.6/10

Advice: Highly recommended, for everyone.

The Reviewer thanks you for your dedication and hopes that you will bear with him.

In the next post: Looking For Alaska!

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (#4) PART FOUR OF FOUR

By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

First off, we are finally here at the end of 'The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes'. Sherlock dies (or does he?) in 'The Final Problem and finds a lost naval treaty in 'The Adventure of the Naval Treaty'. Falls! Excitement! Moriarty, or, as Sherlock dubs him, 'The Napoleon of Crime'. Second off, thank you all for sticking through this review, so read on for more!

The Adventure of the Naval Treaty

Watson's old friend contacts Holmes about the lost treat he was supposed to be copying, and the strange circumstances concerning its theft. Through his use of deduction, and an ambush, Holmes brings the thief to light and returns the treaty.

The stakes in this case are extremely high, and the puzzlement that is naturally built around it makes this fascinating. Holmes's prowess is once again shown.

Rating: 8.5/10

The Final Problem

Holmes confronts his greatest nemesis: criminal genius Professor Moriarty. In order to avoid Moriarty, Holmes goes all across Europe, coming to the Reichenbach Fall. And it is here that both of them seem to have met their death.

What seems like the final Holmes story is a grand finale. Evil villain, cat-and-mouse chase, shocking yet logical conclusion, all merge together to create a fantastic story. One word: Superb.

Rating: 9.5/10

OVERALL

This collection of stories is a mixed one indeed, changing between good and bad. If it may not be the best collection, it may have been due to Conan Doyle's annoyance at Holmes and later desire to kill him off.

Overall Rating: 8.0/10

Overall Advice: Worth reading, even if it is just to get to the last story.

The Reviewer is exploring different book review genres, and hopes that you will be able to comment on this post!

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (#4) PART THREE OF FOUR

By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Adventure of the Crooked Man

Colonel James Barclay is found dead, and his wife insensible, in a locked room. Holmes is on the case, and proves that it was the reappearance of Barclay's rival, whom Barclay had given to enemies during the war in order to win over his wife, that caused his death.

A drab story. No deduction from Holmes, the singular details entire blotted out. Conan Doyle must have had other things on his mind. An entirely forgettable case, and one wishes he could forget it indeed.

Rating: 6.0/10

The Adventure of the Resident Patient

Dr. Percy Trevelyan asks Holmes's advice about a curious incident regarding two men and the patient living with him. Then the resident patient is found dead, but Holmes proves that it was the revenge of a criminal gang whom the patient had betrayed.

A pleasing and fascinating case which truly shows the genius of Holmes through his deduction and the skill of Conan Doyle through his writing. This deserves to be ranked among the best crime stories of all time.

Rating: 9.0/10

The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter

Sherlock Holmes tells Watson about his brother, Mycroft, and on a visit to him, Mycroft tells Holmes of his neighbor's strange experience. Holmes solves the case of the man wrapped in bandages swiftly, but not fast enough to prevent his death.

Even though Holmes does not show much deduction, a tiny bit of Sherlock's history is revealed, and the combination of this and the compelling plot both make a fine story.

Rating: 8.0/10

The review of 'The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes' concludes with the epic struggle between Holmes and Moriarty in 'The Final Problem'.

The Reviewer is excited on 'The Final Problem', and wishes that you could come and visit then and spread the word!

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (#4) PART TWO OF FOUR

By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Dear all, I would like to sincerely apologize for the severe delay in this post's realization. I, however, promise to set a regular time for these posts by the next book which I will be reviewing. I would also like to thank you all for bearing with this, what must be to you a very unsatisfactory, delay.

The Adventure of the 'Gloria Scott'

The story of Holmes's first ever case is finally told, and he does nothing more than...decipher a skip code? The backstory behind his friend's father is revealed in a lengthy narrative.

Again, a story which does not showcase much of Holmes's ability. The backstory was entirely disappointing and a bore to read. One asks, who cares? more than once while reading this. A dreary story indeed.

Rating: 6.5/10

The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual

An old acquaintance of Holmes asks his advice on 'The Musgrave Ritual'. Holmes solves it and the previous case of the disappeared butler, who also had been trying to solve it as well.

A really interesting case dug up from Holmes's past with an even more fascinating ancient puzzle to boot. Conan Doyle twists and knots the string of confusion until he undoes it with a pull, leaving one satisfied and surprised.

Rating: 8.5/10

The Adventure of the Reigate Squires

Two thieves rob a house while Holmes is resting at the countryside. Soon after wards they kill the coachman of a squire. Holmes is brought on the scene and swiftly proves that the squire and his son committed the double crime.

Holmes displays his intellect once again, though the lack of confusion and suspense which we have all come to expect from a Holmes short story is a bit disappointing. It is pleasing, nonetheless, to read.

Rating: 8.0/10


The review of 'The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes' will continue in PART THREE OF FOUR.

The Reviewer has fixed the problem that had caused such a delay and hopes that there will not be any more problems in the future. If there are, however, he promises to notify you in advance.

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (#4) PART ONE OF FOUR

By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

First of all, I'd like to thank all of you who visited my blog; Thank you guys so much! Also I'd like to also say that I am arranging the Sherlock Holmes's stories in chronological order, which includes the novels and short stories. Finally I want to say that the reason I am splitting this up is in order not to make this post too long, because I am reviewing all eleven short stories.

The Adventure of Silver Blaze

A racehorse, Silver Blaze, goes missing and his trainer is found dead. Sherlock Holmes is called in to solve the case, and solve it he does, through the ingenious use of his brain and a bit a fortune.

This has to be one of the best Holmes short stories. Conan Doyle creates an interesting mystery around a horse. The absence of long narratives, and the showing of Holmes's intellect and deduction, both make this pleasing to read.

Rating: 9.0/10

The Adventure of the Yellow Face

A man asks Holmes for help regarding a yellow face he had seen at a window, and that, surprisingly, his wife has entered the house to which the window belongs! Holmes makes his way down, and finally finds that it is nothing more than the wife's previous child.

This is rather a let-down. Holmes does not do anything, the majority of the story is long narratives which are not fascinating at all. Conan Doyle may have been trying to show a case in which Holmes failed, but Conan Doyle failed here.

Rating: 6.0/10

The Adventure of the Stockbroker's Clerk

A clerk discovers something strange between his new employer and the man who had hired him: they are the same person! Holmes is called for, and they discover that it is all part of an elaborate plan to steal valuable bonds.

This adventure is a 'caught-in-the-flow' story, in which we are swept along, rather than Holmes being a detective. However, there is just enough mystery, and a rather shocking ending, that elevates this to an 'okay' story.

Rating: 7.5/10

The review of 'The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes' continues soon with three more story reviews! Keep visiting this blog!

The Reviewer currently is continuing with this unofficial work and invites you to continue posting your comments and spreading the word around.