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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
The characters of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson seem sloppier. Less cared for. I think I need another break before continuing on with the Holmes collection.
I almost marked this as three stars, because it ended kind of abruptly, and I'm not really a fan of the way these novels are structured, where the first half tells the story of Sherlock Holmes solving a case, and then the second half is a prolonged flashback explaining the backstory. However, I actually really liked the backstory in this one, and I didn't see the twist coming. The way it tied in with Moriarty was really neat, too. I always thought it was interesting that Moriarty, the most famous of Holmes' adversaries, was only really in the one short story in which he meets his end. Here, we see that his influence had been haunting Holmes for a long time, even though Moriarty is not a big part of the story.
The first half of the book was definitely my favorite - I loved the twists.
The book ends with a shock, too, which is something I wasn't expecting. It's right there in the epilogue, and it changes the way you look at everything you've just learned. A successful novel!
The first half of the book was definitely my favorite - I loved the twists.
Spoiler
The murder victim is actually alive the whole time! For a good chunk of the book, suspicion falls on this man's "widow" and his good friend, as the two of them seem to be conspiring together. Watson, disapproving, believes the two were in on the murder together. And they were in on something together - but it was in concealing the "victim" from view, as he was actually alive the whole time! How refreshing that the wife and best friend were actually willing to go to extraordinary measures to protect somebody, instead of being the murderers all along.The book ends with a shock, too, which is something I wasn't expecting. It's right there in the epilogue, and it changes the way you look at everything you've just learned. A successful novel!
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is the first Sherlock Holmes book that I had to force myself to finish. In a way I'm glad that I pushed through because that twist at the end was very much Conan Doyle.
That said, the second part dragged on a lot. Might have been the weakest writing of the entire series. Some of the gaps make sense once you know the twist, but still it's not entertaining to read in the middle.
Also not completely happy with the ending of the book. It feels too much like Doyle tried to fix all his stories into the end of Mr Moriarty hole. It might be exciting build up for next book. I don't know.
That said, the second part dragged on a lot. Might have been the weakest writing of the entire series. Some of the gaps make sense once you know the twist, but still it's not entertaining to read in the middle.
Also not completely happy with the ending of the book. It feels too much like Doyle tried to fix all his stories into the end of Mr Moriarty hole. It might be exciting build up for next book. I don't know.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
An engaging mystery with more promises than it delivers, mainly due to re-treading the dual narrative path (more effectively explored) in Study in Scarlet.
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No