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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
2.5 stars
The first story was a cop out, the guy just fell in shock, no actual murder happened and whilst I do appreciate it in retrospect at the time of reading, it was a let down to have the first story end like that. The second story was a bit pointless since there were no suspects so we didn’t really get to see any of that deductive reasoning Sherlock and his brother possess, they were just running around like headless chickens or ‘like the faithful bloodhound’ as Poirot would put it. The last story was the best and whilst the culprit ends up being the only person Sherlock hasn’t mentioned as a potential suspect to Watson it was good, there were multiple suspects and Sherlock laid a nice little trap for them.
The first story was a cop out, the guy just fell in shock, no actual murder happened and whilst I do appreciate it in retrospect at the time of reading, it was a let down to have the first story end like that. The second story was a bit pointless since there were no suspects so we didn’t really get to see any of that deductive reasoning Sherlock and his brother possess, they were just running around like headless chickens or ‘like the faithful bloodhound’ as Poirot would put it. The last story was the best and whilst the culprit ends up being the only person Sherlock hasn’t mentioned as a potential suspect to Watson it was good, there were multiple suspects and Sherlock laid a nice little trap for them.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
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
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
relaxing
fast-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
A classic collection of Sherlock Holmes tales that kept me engaged throughout. Unlike the two preceding novels, I was able to read this over a longer period of time because of the nature of the short mysteries, as I wasn't afraid of forgetting vital information. Either I was getting used to Holmes' deductive system, or the plot was becoming less tight as it had been, but by the last story I was able to deduce the situation as the witness told it. I can't wait to continue on to the next books.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I was influenced to read this, and I’m so glad I did. I had an idea of who Holmes and Watson were as characters in a relatively public domain, but this was the first time I’ve actually read the origins. The writing was great, ACD comes up with actually crazy metaphors/similes/word plays. The first couple stories I was just kinda reading along, letting Sherlock tell me what went down, but by the end I was theorizing alongside him and trying to read between the lines myself. And it is so funny to me when the client comes in and tells their story then stands up to leave like, okay I’ll leave you to it and Sherlock’s like nah, I already solved it in the 10 minutes it took you to tell me. Totally get the hype, very much enjoyed it.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot