A review by silverwind847
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

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? Yes

5.0

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes remains a pleasurable and insightful read.

There’s a charm, wit, structure, and routine to these short stories that likens them to modern day criminal procedurals. In that way, it feels modern and no doubt influential. But also, more importantly, it’s just vastly better than modern contemporaries. 

The collection of stories in this volume often involve the domestic disputes of either well-to-do families or ordinary ones. But that doesn’t make them boring in the slightest. Rather, as Holmes astutely observed, it’s these sorts of cases that often make for the most complex undertakings. And indeed, the construction of the cases themselves are well thought out and intricate, no matter how absurd the details of the cases themselves initially appear to be. 

These cases naturally offer a window into this particular society’s ills. Here, we see in this collection that control of money and custody over persons, particularly women, were large and looming issues. In that sense, we haven’t progressed much from the days these stories were written.

I would be remiss if I didn’t have comment on the two principal characters, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Their chemistry is what other crime-solving duos aspire to, but never reach. Unlike many crime-solving groups, Holmes doesn’t actually need Watson around. In many instances, Holmes prefers to work alone. And that’s exactly why his desire for Watson to come along in these cases makes their relationship. It’s a want for companionship, not an obligation. 

Overall, this is a superb collection of short mysteries and I would heartily recommend it to anyone!