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A review by swordsandthings
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
5.0
“And for the rest, I could not wish anything better than to be associated with my friend in one of those singular adventures which were the normal condition of his existence.”
I should be flogged for not having read this sooner. Does it get any better than this, though? We’ve got train rides, murder, mystery, intrigue, hansom cabs, and Victorian England at its finest. In The Adventure of the Speckled Band (my favorite, closely followed by The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle) there’s even the two people, one bed trope?? I lost my mind.
Every story leads the reader down a winding road of infamy that will have you guessing until Holmes reveals his findings in the final pages. While they do all follow roughly the same path-Holmes and Watson talk to a distraught person at their lodgings in Baker Street, the person tells their sordid story and requests help, the duo take the case and eventually solve it with the aid of Holmes brilliant mind, and then Holmes tells Watson how he solved the mystery-the formulaic nature of The Adventures adds to their charm and lends them a familiar, comforting atmosphere. It’s nice to have that structure and the candle-lit warmth of 221B Baker Street in mind when you can feel the dense, London fog wrapping around you while conniving criminals go about their deeds.
I should be flogged for not having read this sooner. Does it get any better than this, though? We’ve got train rides, murder, mystery, intrigue, hansom cabs, and Victorian England at its finest. In The Adventure of the Speckled Band (my favorite, closely followed by The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle) there’s even the two people, one bed trope?? I lost my mind.
Every story leads the reader down a winding road of infamy that will have you guessing until Holmes reveals his findings in the final pages. While they do all follow roughly the same path-Holmes and Watson talk to a distraught person at their lodgings in Baker Street, the person tells their sordid story and requests help, the duo take the case and eventually solve it with the aid of Holmes brilliant mind, and then Holmes tells Watson how he solved the mystery-the formulaic nature of The Adventures adds to their charm and lends them a familiar, comforting atmosphere. It’s nice to have that structure and the candle-lit warmth of 221B Baker Street in mind when you can feel the dense, London fog wrapping around you while conniving criminals go about their deeds.