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poppyw116's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
adamsw216's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The Adventure of the Empty House - ★★★★★ (4.5 rounded up to 5)
As the title of this collection states, Holmes has returned. His seeming inexplicable survival of the Reichenbach Falls is explained and a mystery solved all at once. It must have been quite entertaining for fans of the series back when this first came out, knowing that Holmes was back and with a plausible explanation, too. This story even manages to fit in some action. A nice return to form and a hearty "welcome back" to beloved characters.
The Adventure of the Norwood Builder - ★★★☆☆
A man has been murdered and his body disposed of in a fire. There is a suspect, and the case against him is airtight. Even Holmes admits as much. However, his instinct tells him something is amiss and he is determined to get to the bottom of it. A fun story, if not very mysterious. The solution is very easily guessed early on, but we are treated to Holmes' magic.
The Adventure of the Dancing Men - ★★★★☆
A man comes to Holmes and Watson with a curious case. His wife with a mysterious past has been receiving strange pictographic ciphers which seem to disturb her greatly. She will not speak anything of it to her husband, but he is concerned. An interesting mystery with Holmes exhibiting his prowess for code decipherment.
The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist - ★★★★★ (4.5 rounded up to 5)
A woman is involved with some peculiar and creepy men. She suspects something strange but can't quite put her finger on it. Holmes and Watson are on the case. I thought the whole scene where Holmes was disappointedly critiquing Watson's poor attempts to gather information rather amusing. This story had more action than usual, which I thought added to the fun/tension. The solution to the mystery wasn't particularly surprising, but at least it wasn't blatantly obvious either.
The Adventure of the Priory School - ★★★☆☆
The son of a duke has disappeared and the police are no nearer to finding him. The founder and principal of the school from which the duke's son has disappeared seeks the advice of Holmes to solve this case and thus preserve his good name. A solid mystery with a small twist. I appreciate the fact that Holmes and Watson have a good deal of field work in this story.
The Adventure of Black Peter - ★★★★☆ (3.5 rounded up to 4)
A seemingly unpopular man has been violently harpooned to death in his own home. A young police inspector seeks out the advice of Holmes on this case. This is another story where Holmes and Watson have to do some field work, and I do think it adds a bit of excitement to the story. Holmes displays his penchant for a dramatic flourish at the conclusion of this story, which is fun. I also find it interesting that many of these old mystery stories focus on a morally centered justice rather than a pure reading of the law.
The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton - ★★★★★
Holmes introduces Watson to a man he considers one of the most morally reprehensible villains in London. Charles Milverton makes his living by blackmailing people, and he somehow does this within the confines of legality. Holmes has a client who is currently being blackmailed by Milverton, which is why he meets with him. This story is great. Not only does it see Holmes and Watson on the other side of the law, they also witness a crime being committed right in front of their eyes. Once again, this story centers on moral/societal justice rather than adherence to the laws of the land. Not really a mystery story, but a fun departure from the norm.
The Adventure of the Six Napoleons - ★★★☆☆
A strange string of burglaries is brought to the attention of Holmes. Someone has been stealing and destroying busts of Napoleon. Though Watson refers to this case as if it is unique, it does remind me of one of the previous cases (The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle ) in how the criminal tracking proceeds. This one has a bit more action, though. A solid story--not bad, not great.
The Adventure of the Three Students - ★★★☆☆
Honestly, I kind of enjoyed this relatively low-stakes mystery. Basically, someone is attempting to cheat on an exam for a scholarship and Holmes has to figure out who it is. It's sort of funny to me that Holmes found the case interesting enough to take on, but it also adds to his personality, I think. It doesn't necessarily matter how serious the crime is. Rather, it's more important that there is something unique or interesting about it that piques his interest. He's always down for an fascinating diversion and, when all is solved, his thoughts quickly turn towards heading home to grab a nice lunch.
The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez - ★★★★☆
A man has been murdered while in the employ of a bedridden scholar. The only clues of note are some footprints and a golden pince-nez clutched in the hand of the dead victim. This was a good mystery with a dramatic ending. Holmes' keen skills are on full display here.
The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter - ★★★★★
It's always fun to see Holmes battle with a formidable opponent, and this story gives us one in Dr. Armstrong. The story is that a star rugby player has disappeared and the team manager has come to Holmes to help find him before the big game. Holmes admits he knows very little of the world of sports, but the more he looks into it, the more curious the case becomes. Holmes is put to the test in this story with plenty of intrigue.
The Adventure of the Abbey Grange - ★★★☆☆
Holmes has a moment where he expresses his disapproval of Watson's written accounts of his adventures with more verve than he ever has in the past. He explains that Watson spends too much time focusing on the sensational rather than the minutiae and that he plans on writing a textbook when he gets older. This is also another mystery where everything seems to solve itself, and yet Holmes' own intuition nags at him that something is amiss. The mystery itself plays on a common theme in Holmes' short stories, but it was still entertaining.
The Adventure of the Second Stain - ★★★☆☆
The stakes are high when an important document goes missing which could incite international war if fallen into the wrong hands. Holmes has been brought in to locate it only to find a bit of a mystery. I found the story to be a bit silly and the mystery was also a bit quirky, but this was another opportunity for Holmes to display his skill of tact.
Overall, I think this is one of the strongest short story collections in the canon thus far. There were lots of great adventures here, and far more action than in previous stories where listening to long tales is more common than sleuthing. I will admit that some of the stories were a bit hard to rate as they could easily be 3 stars or 4 stars depending on my mood. As a collection it is also difficult to rate, as I would certainly place it above the previous two collections, but I'm not sure I can justify 5 stars. Still, a very worthwhile read.
As the title of this collection states, Holmes has returned. His seeming inexplicable survival of the Reichenbach Falls is explained and a mystery solved all at once. It must have been quite entertaining for fans of the series back when this first came out, knowing that Holmes was back and with a plausible explanation, too. This story even manages to fit in some action. A nice return to form and a hearty "welcome back" to beloved characters.
The Adventure of the Norwood Builder - ★★★☆☆
A man has been murdered and his body disposed of in a fire. There is a suspect, and the case against him is airtight. Even Holmes admits as much. However, his instinct tells him something is amiss and he is determined to get to the bottom of it. A fun story, if not very mysterious. The solution is very easily guessed early on, but we are treated to Holmes' magic.
The Adventure of the Dancing Men - ★★★★☆
A man comes to Holmes and Watson with a curious case. His wife with a mysterious past has been receiving strange pictographic ciphers which seem to disturb her greatly. She will not speak anything of it to her husband, but he is concerned. An interesting mystery with Holmes exhibiting his prowess for code decipherment.
The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist - ★★★★★ (4.5 rounded up to 5)
A woman is involved with some peculiar and creepy men. She suspects something strange but can't quite put her finger on it. Holmes and Watson are on the case. I thought the whole scene where Holmes was disappointedly critiquing Watson's poor attempts to gather information rather amusing. This story had more action than usual, which I thought added to the fun/tension. The solution to the mystery wasn't particularly surprising, but at least it wasn't blatantly obvious either.
The Adventure of the Priory School - ★★★☆☆
The son of a duke has disappeared and the police are no nearer to finding him. The founder and principal of the school from which the duke's son has disappeared seeks the advice of Holmes to solve this case and thus preserve his good name. A solid mystery with a small twist. I appreciate the fact that Holmes and Watson have a good deal of field work in this story.
The Adventure of Black Peter - ★★★★☆ (3.5 rounded up to 4)
A seemingly unpopular man has been violently harpooned to death in his own home. A young police inspector seeks out the advice of Holmes on this case. This is another story where Holmes and Watson have to do some field work, and I do think it adds a bit of excitement to the story. Holmes displays his penchant for a dramatic flourish at the conclusion of this story, which is fun. I also find it interesting that many of these old mystery stories focus on a morally centered justice rather than a pure reading of the law.
The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton - ★★★★★
Holmes introduces Watson to a man he considers one of the most morally reprehensible villains in London. Charles Milverton makes his living by blackmailing people, and he somehow does this within the confines of legality. Holmes has a client who is currently being blackmailed by Milverton, which is why he meets with him. This story is great. Not only does it see Holmes and Watson on the other side of the law, they also witness a crime being committed right in front of their eyes. Once again, this story centers on moral/societal justice rather than adherence to the laws of the land. Not really a mystery story, but a fun departure from the norm.
The Adventure of the Six Napoleons - ★★★☆☆
A strange string of burglaries is brought to the attention of Holmes. Someone has been stealing and destroying busts of Napoleon. Though Watson refers to this case as if it is unique, it does remind me of one of the previous cases (
The Adventure of the Three Students - ★★★☆☆
Honestly, I kind of enjoyed this relatively low-stakes mystery. Basically, someone is attempting to cheat on an exam for a scholarship and Holmes has to figure out who it is. It's sort of funny to me that Holmes found the case interesting enough to take on, but it also adds to his personality, I think. It doesn't necessarily matter how serious the crime is. Rather, it's more important that there is something unique or interesting about it that piques his interest. He's always down for an fascinating diversion and, when all is solved, his thoughts quickly turn towards heading home to grab a nice lunch.
The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez - ★★★★☆
A man has been murdered while in the employ of a bedridden scholar. The only clues of note are some footprints and a golden pince-nez clutched in the hand of the dead victim. This was a good mystery with a dramatic ending. Holmes' keen skills are on full display here.
The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter - ★★★★★
It's always fun to see Holmes battle with a formidable opponent, and this story gives us one in Dr. Armstrong. The story is that a star rugby player has disappeared and the team manager has come to Holmes to help find him before the big game. Holmes admits he knows very little of the world of sports, but the more he looks into it, the more curious the case becomes. Holmes is put to the test in this story with plenty of intrigue.
The Adventure of the Abbey Grange - ★★★☆☆
Holmes has a moment where he expresses his disapproval of Watson's written accounts of his adventures with more verve than he ever has in the past. He explains that Watson spends too much time focusing on the sensational rather than the minutiae and that he plans on writing a textbook when he gets older. This is also another mystery where everything seems to solve itself, and yet Holmes' own intuition nags at him that something is amiss. The mystery itself plays on a common theme in Holmes' short stories, but it was still entertaining.
The Adventure of the Second Stain - ★★★☆☆
The stakes are high when an important document goes missing which could incite international war if fallen into the wrong hands. Holmes has been brought in to locate it only to find a bit of a mystery. I found the story to be a bit silly and the mystery was also a bit quirky, but this was another opportunity for Holmes to display his skill of tact.
Overall, I think this is one of the strongest short story collections in the canon thus far. There were lots of great adventures here, and far more action than in previous stories where listening to long tales is more common than sleuthing. I will admit that some of the stories were a bit hard to rate as they could easily be 3 stars or 4 stars depending on my mood. As a collection it is also difficult to rate, as I would certainly place it above the previous two collections, but I'm not sure I can justify 5 stars. Still, a very worthwhile read.
silviaa_'s review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
marygolda's review against another edition
adventurous
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
3.0
karenclare's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
4.0
fleabook's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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
3.5
danacanterino's review against another edition
4.0
El libro es impecable, hubo relatos que me gustaron más que otros, pero sin duda el momento de la vuelta de Sherlock es lo mejor.
Me encantan estos libros, pero creo, que a medida que voy leyendo pierden un poquitín el engaño, porque voy entendiendo como se van a desarrollar los eventos. En estudio en escarlata, estaba tan sorprendida y shockeada, que ahora, con este libro, pocos momentos me sorprendieron, porque entiendo la forma en la que se desarrollan los casos.
A pesar de eso, me sigue encantando leer a Holmes y a Watson.
Me encantan estos libros, pero creo, que a medida que voy leyendo pierden un poquitín el engaño, porque voy entendiendo como se van a desarrollar los eventos. En estudio en escarlata, estaba tan sorprendida y shockeada, que ahora, con este libro, pocos momentos me sorprendieron, porque entiendo la forma en la que se desarrollan los casos.
A pesar de eso, me sigue encantando leer a Holmes y a Watson.
iamkatylees's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0