Reviews

A Study in Scarlet and the Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle

kipcarlina's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

eonl_1's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

oliviaalice_199's review against another edition

mysterious relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

labarrec's review against another edition

3.0

I mean, maybe I just wasn’t in the mindset for this. I love me some Sherlock (on BBC) but I couldn’t seem to keep my wind from wandering while reading.

beereading90's review against another edition

3.0

3,5*

Also, ich bin froh, dass ich nun auch mal Sherlock Holmes gelesen habe.
Aber ich habe nicht das Bedürfnis auch noch die übrigen Bände zu lesen.
Den halben Extrastern gibt es für die wirklich schöne Schmuckausgabe mit allerlei Hintergrundinformationen und dem Glossar am Ende.

laurenboys's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

vessy's review against another edition

4.0

Me gusta ver a Sherlock pasarla un poco mal, que casi que llega a resolver todo pero no, me gusta también ver esa parte personal de Watson hablando, creo que es uno de los mejores que leí hasta ahora, aunque al contrario de los relatos cortos es muy difícil sacar conclusiones de que está pasando sin que Holmes te lo termine sirviendo en bandeja.
Por lo menos a mí, me queda todavía el frasco de cocaína.

dansmallhorn's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

gabilisantos'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

3.0

octavia_cade's review against another edition

mysterious fast-paced

3.0

The first two Sherlock Holmes books, collected together, and they were both surprisingly brief. I guess I'm more used to contemporary mysteries, which can run several hundred pages longer than either of these, but then I do appreciate concision in my reading!

The collection rating reflects that of each individual book, as I read and reviewed those separately (this being just for my own records). I gave both Scarlet and Sign three stars each, but on balance I prefer the latter. Not just for the romance, which introduces another side to Watson, but because it felt a tighter read. Both books have a long accounting of an adventure in another country (the USA and India) towards the end, but the Mormon interlude felt as if it made its novel a little more unbalanced when compared to the other. 

I have a vague recollection of giving a higher rating to one of the Holmes short story collections. Not surprising if so, as I do enjoy the shorts.