The Return of Sherlock Holmes

The resounding feeling I got from this collection was that Sherlock Holmes is a dick.  He frightened poor Watson and thought nothing of it.  The only friend he has was not important enough to find and tell that he wasn't dead.

The other interesting part of this collection is that Holmes is pulling away from being the main character.  He gives many tasks to Watson and just sweeps in at the end to confirm all suspicions.  Conan Doyle really was getting tired of the character at this point but must have been getting too much money to consider not writing him anymore.

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

The short stories in this volume are all over the place.  Some happen while Holmes and Watson are living at Baker Street, some happen while Watson has left to live with his wide, some even happen before Watson ever met Sherlock Holmes.  I think that Conan Doyle is trying to build a narrative, a description of Holmes that Watson has conceived, but I'm not sure. 

The final story is supposed to be the final story.  I get the feeling that Conan Doyle was just tired of writing about this one detective.  I've seen the climatic battle between Holmes and Moriarty portrayed before but the reading was anticlimactic.  The end begins with Watson receiving a completely bogus medical emergency.  I can see it's bogus, Holmes can see it's bogus but apparently Watson didn't get the message.  When he returns he cannot find his friend.  So he pulls a Prince Humperdink and is able to reenact the entire battle between the two foes.  All that's left is for him to read the three page letter that Holmes left him.  It seems that Moriarty is a gentleman and lent Holmes pen and paper to let him friend know what befell him.

I've read that (since there are more volumes after this one) that Conan Doyle had to (eventually) write how Holmes faked his death.  If it involves the whole thing being a scam by Holmes I would not be surprise.  No one but him sees Moriarty the whole story so his greatest villain may be a figment of his imagination.  The whole flight across the continent a ruse for Watson.  Maybe Sherlock Holmes really is a giant dick.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

I have the free Kindle classic for this one and my only complaint on that is that the special symbols (French accents and the British pound symbol) don't work in this edition.  It's still readable, just a little off in a few places.

I was expecting this to be in more chronological order than it is.  One story mentions the case of another story that I hadn't read yet.  In some ways it makes the volume more organic - as if Watson were presenting his notes from each case but collected in the way he found most interesting.  In other ways it was a little jarring as I didn't know what the characters were talking about until I had read further in the volume.

The stories are all enjoyable though, some more formulaic than others and some easier solved (if only because the answers have become very cliched).

The Sign of the Four

I'm classing this one as a mystery because it's Sherlock Holmes and there is a crime committed and a case solved but it's really more of a romance.

First, I'm not really sure what the case is. Holmes and Watson are asked to accompany a young woman to a meeting where she hopes to learn more of her father. That turns into a murder.

Second, I don't know how anyone but Holmes could have solved this case. Doyle certainly doesn't lay a trail of clues for the reader to follow. Most of the detecting happens off screen while Watson moons over the lady.

And that's why it's a romance. Watson is very sweet in his affections and he's almost rooting for Holmes to fail. If they never find the murderer then she never gets her fortune and remains within his means.

A Study in Scarlet

I've been meaning to read Sherlock Holmes for a long time. I've read The Hound of the Baskervilles but when I saw the movie it reminded me that these classics have been on my "to do" list for a while.

A Study in Scarlet is the introduction of the character. While I don't usually enjoy first person perspetive I do like Watson's voice. Doyle is able to keep the story moving at a brisk pace, as well as dropping little hints to come to the same conclusions as Holmes.

The second part of the book made little sense when I first started it. They'd just captured the murderer and Holmes was about to reveal how he got the man to appear in 221b Baker Street when suddenly the narrative switches to third person and in America. However, this was Doyle building motive for the murder. I suppose it was better than having the suspect reveal all but I found it jarring.

In the end, only Holmes could have deduced the crime. Not only because of his skill, but also because Doyle chooses not to reveal a telling clue. And that seems a little unfair.