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ericbuscemi 's review for:
The Complete Sherlock Holmes
by Arthur Conan Doyle
A Study in Scarlet: The first novel featuring the prototypical detective, it was a page-turner that made me excited to read the rest of the Sherlock Holmes canon. I was unnecessarily concerned when the second part of the novel opened in America, and did not seem to concern the original mystery that was set in England, but it came back and tied it together successfully.
The Sign of the Four: Not only was this story's mystery on par with the Jefferson Hope case, it also fleshed out the characters of both Holmes and Watson, making them more three-dimensional and interesting.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: 'A Scandal in Bohemia' was very reminiscent of Poe's 'The Purloined Letter.' 'The Red Headed League' was especially engaging, possibly because it was the first mystery I solved before Holmes exposed his thinking to Watson at the conclusion. 'A Case of Identity' was a quick and not particularly fulfilling case. 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery' was really interesting, but was the first that seemed to end abruptly. 'The Five Orange Pips' was also quite interesting, and also ended abruptly. 'The Man with the Twisted Lip' seemed to be a darker tale, with its opium den intro, but did not maintain its macabre mood after it left that setting. 'The Adventure of the Speckled Band' was reportedly Arthur Conan Doyle's favorite Sherlock Holmes story, and with good reason. It was definitely one of my favorites so far. That story, and 'The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle', both showed interesting takes on Holmes view of legality and morality. 'The Adventures of the Copper Beeches' was a fitting conclusion to the book.
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes: I loved that the idea of unsolved cases, and cases which Holmes got wrong, was touched on in 'The Yellow Face.' I also really enjoyed the second case of Holmes foiling a bank robbery con, 'The Stockbroker's Client.' 'The Gloria Scott', told as a memory of Sherlock Holmes's first case, served as an origin story of sorts for the detective, which gave it more weight than any other stand-alone tale. 'The Musgrave Ritual' was a continuation of Holmes recantation of his earlier cases, and was interesting for that reason, as well as for being reminiscent of Poe's 'The Gold Bug.' I appreciated this collection of short stories more than the first because it delves deeper into the main characters' lives -- such as meeting Sherlock Holmes's brother Mycroft in 'The Greek Interpreter' and his nemesis Professor Moriarty in 'The Final Problem.'
The Hound of the Baskervilles: This mystery will be hard to top, and I understand completely why it is considered the greatest of the Holmes stories. I especially enjoyed Watson's more prominent role in the case.
The Return of Sherlock Holmes: I enjoyed that some of the cases in this collection involve plots beyond Holmes's deduction, which are nonetheless interesting -- such as 'The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist,' where Holmes and Watson save the day without solving the crime logically, and 'The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton,' where they witness a murder while committing a crime themselves. 'The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton' may actually be my favorite Sherlock Holmes story to date.
The Valley of Fear: This story had the same structure as A Study in Scarlett, but in this case, the reader is warned that the second half of the tale is set in America and assured that it will return to Baker Street. The second part that didn't feature Sherlock Holmes was actually more interesting than the first part, which started off slow and a little stale, but picked up as it went.
His Last Bow: 'The Adventure of the Cardboard Box', a story so dark it was taken out of The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes due to its controversial subject matter, is one of Holmes's darkest cases, one which I enjoyed reading. 'The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans' was a top-rate mystery, featuring a rare appearance by one of my favorite characters -- Mycroft Holmes. 'The Dying Detective' and 'His Last Bow,' which was told in the third person, were also unique. I am impressed that even after reading this many stories featuring the detective and his chronicler, Arthur Conan Doyle's mysteries are still both fresh and interesting.
The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes: After reading the preface by the author, I honestly felt bad for Arthur Conan Doyle. Sherlock Holmes had clearly become a monster, akin to Frankenstein's creation, for him. Reading the first story, 'The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone,' I am glad that he stopped after this collection, as it was not on the same level with his previous stories. Apparently, it was a (failed) attempt to adapt a stage play.
The Sign of the Four: Not only was this story's mystery on par with the Jefferson Hope case, it also fleshed out the characters of both Holmes and Watson, making them more three-dimensional and interesting.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: 'A Scandal in Bohemia' was very reminiscent of Poe's 'The Purloined Letter.' 'The Red Headed League' was especially engaging, possibly because it was the first mystery I solved before Holmes exposed his thinking to Watson at the conclusion. 'A Case of Identity' was a quick and not particularly fulfilling case. 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery' was really interesting, but was the first that seemed to end abruptly. 'The Five Orange Pips' was also quite interesting, and also ended abruptly. 'The Man with the Twisted Lip' seemed to be a darker tale, with its opium den intro, but did not maintain its macabre mood after it left that setting. 'The Adventure of the Speckled Band' was reportedly Arthur Conan Doyle's favorite Sherlock Holmes story, and with good reason. It was definitely one of my favorites so far. That story, and 'The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle', both showed interesting takes on Holmes view of legality and morality. 'The Adventures of the Copper Beeches' was a fitting conclusion to the book.
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes: I loved that the idea of unsolved cases, and cases which Holmes got wrong, was touched on in 'The Yellow Face.' I also really enjoyed the second case of Holmes foiling a bank robbery con, 'The Stockbroker's Client.' 'The Gloria Scott', told as a memory of Sherlock Holmes's first case, served as an origin story of sorts for the detective, which gave it more weight than any other stand-alone tale. 'The Musgrave Ritual' was a continuation of Holmes recantation of his earlier cases, and was interesting for that reason, as well as for being reminiscent of Poe's 'The Gold Bug.' I appreciated this collection of short stories more than the first because it delves deeper into the main characters' lives -- such as meeting Sherlock Holmes's brother Mycroft in 'The Greek Interpreter' and his nemesis Professor Moriarty in 'The Final Problem.'
The Hound of the Baskervilles: This mystery will be hard to top, and I understand completely why it is considered the greatest of the Holmes stories. I especially enjoyed Watson's more prominent role in the case.
The Return of Sherlock Holmes: I enjoyed that some of the cases in this collection involve plots beyond Holmes's deduction, which are nonetheless interesting -- such as 'The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist,' where Holmes and Watson save the day without solving the crime logically, and 'The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton,' where they witness a murder while committing a crime themselves. 'The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton' may actually be my favorite Sherlock Holmes story to date.
The Valley of Fear: This story had the same structure as A Study in Scarlett, but in this case, the reader is warned that the second half of the tale is set in America and assured that it will return to Baker Street. The second part that didn't feature Sherlock Holmes was actually more interesting than the first part, which started off slow and a little stale, but picked up as it went.
His Last Bow: 'The Adventure of the Cardboard Box', a story so dark it was taken out of The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes due to its controversial subject matter, is one of Holmes's darkest cases, one which I enjoyed reading. 'The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans' was a top-rate mystery, featuring a rare appearance by one of my favorite characters -- Mycroft Holmes. 'The Dying Detective' and 'His Last Bow,' which was told in the third person, were also unique. I am impressed that even after reading this many stories featuring the detective and his chronicler, Arthur Conan Doyle's mysteries are still both fresh and interesting.
The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes: After reading the preface by the author, I honestly felt bad for Arthur Conan Doyle. Sherlock Holmes had clearly become a monster, akin to Frankenstein's creation, for him. Reading the first story, 'The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone,' I am glad that he stopped after this collection, as it was not on the same level with his previous stories. Apparently, it was a (failed) attempt to adapt a stage play.