dorhastings 's review for:

The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

4.5

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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How this book ended up on my TBR: Sherlock Holmes, of course. I'm making my way through the collected works.

The short stories in this collection are as follows:
-The Adventure of the Empty House (liked this)
-The Adventure of the Norwood Builder (also liked this)
-The Adventure of the Dancing Men (also liked this)
-The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist (also liked this)
-The Adventure of the Priory School (also liked this and I promise I didn't like all of them)
-The Adventure of Black Peter
-The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton (eh)
-The Adventure of the Six Napoleons
-The Adventure of the Three Students (interesting addition)
-The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez (actually liked this upon reflection)
-The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter
-The Adventure of the Abbey Grange
-The Adventure of the Second Stain

Arthur Conan Doyle returned to Sherlock Holmes after effectively killing him off in The Final Problem (in The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes), but the public would not stand for it. Plus, he was having difficulty making a living off nonfiction, so Holmes returned, and in some ways it feels like his heart wasn't quite in it. I can't blame him, and there are only so many mysteries to cover. He deviates in some interesting ways in this collection; some I appreciated, and some I didn't. But overall this was an engaging read.

PER USUAL, Stephen Fry is an absolute delight to listen to.