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A review by octavia_cade
A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle
mysterious
fast-paced
3.0
The first two Sherlock Holmes books, collected together, and they were both surprisingly brief. I guess I'm more used to contemporary mysteries, which can run several hundred pages longer than either of these, but then I do appreciate concision in my reading!
The collection rating reflects that of each individual book, as I read and reviewed those separately (this being just for my own records). I gave both Scarlet and Sign three stars each, but on balance I prefer the latter. Not just for the romance, which introduces another side to Watson, but because it felt a tighter read. Both books have a long accounting of an adventure in another country (the USA and India) towards the end, but the Mormon interlude felt as if it made its novel a little more unbalanced when compared to the other.
I have a vague recollection of giving a higher rating to one of the Holmes short story collections. Not surprising if so, as I do enjoy the shorts.
The collection rating reflects that of each individual book, as I read and reviewed those separately (this being just for my own records). I gave both Scarlet and Sign three stars each, but on balance I prefer the latter. Not just for the romance, which introduces another side to Watson, but because it felt a tighter read. Both books have a long accounting of an adventure in another country (the USA and India) towards the end, but the Mormon interlude felt as if it made its novel a little more unbalanced when compared to the other.
I have a vague recollection of giving a higher rating to one of the Holmes short story collections. Not surprising if so, as I do enjoy the shorts.