A review by ebees
The Red-Headed League - a Sherlock Holmes Short Story by Arthur Conan Doyle

4.0

This wasn't featured in the contemporary BBC's Sherlock, despite a tease from one of the producers. They wanted to add it, but it didn't quite fit in their universe. However, it's an easy read, and it's a favorite for many fans. So seriously, give it a shot.

“TO THE RED-HEADED LEAGUE: On account of the bequest of the late Ezekiah Hopkins, of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., there is now another vacancy open which entitles a member of the League to a salary of £ 4 a week for purely nominal services. All red-headed men who are sound in body and mind and above the age of twenty-one years, are eligible. Apply in person on Monday, at eleven o’clock, to Duncan Ross, at the offices of the League, 7 Pope’s Court, Fleet Street.”

“What on earth does this mean?” I ejaculated after I had twice read over the extraordinary announcement.

Holmes chuckled and wriggled in his chair, as was his habit when in high spirits. “It is a little off the beaten track, isn’t it?”

See how giddy he is over the uniqueness of this case? We love that for him. And while the case ends up quite simplified, it's still a fun take on the daily life of Sherlock and the absurdity that sometimes exists in the mundane.

“As a rule,” said Holmes, “the more bizarre a thing is the less mysterious it proves to be. It is your commonplace, featureless crimes which are really puzzling, just as a commonplace face is the most difficult to identify..”