Scan barcode
A review by flik
The Musgrave Ritual by Arthur Conan Doyle
4.0
On Monday evening I spent a very pleasurable hour sprinting with other participants in Sherlockathon, and read The Musgrave Ritual. I haven’t read the short story before, but have watched many times the wonderfully energetic Jeremy Brett adaptation, which is largely faithful with a few minor changes.
This is a very cosy read, starting with Watson and Holmes by the fire, and Holmes putting off the chore of tidying their rooms by regaling Watson with a case he has not yet heard. The mystery soon turns to a treasure hunt, and Conan Doyle packs in twists and turns of plot in a highly paced fourteen pages.
I enjoyed the setting of the Musgrave estate (no doubt influenced by my memories of the shooting location), and watching Holmes work through his process lost none of its charm, despite me knowing the story well. There are some charming moments between Holmes and Watson, although I felt the characterization of Rachel with her “excitable Welsh temperament” left much to be desired and was very much stuck in its time.
I enjoyed this short story and gave it 4 Stars. I would recommend it to anyone who knows a few Holmes stories and would like to go deeper, and hear Holmes explaining his deduction technique. Content warnings for death, infidelity, claustrophobia; appropriate for 12+.
This is a very cosy read, starting with Watson and Holmes by the fire, and Holmes putting off the chore of tidying their rooms by regaling Watson with a case he has not yet heard. The mystery soon turns to a treasure hunt, and Conan Doyle packs in twists and turns of plot in a highly paced fourteen pages.
I enjoyed the setting of the Musgrave estate (no doubt influenced by my memories of the shooting location), and watching Holmes work through his process lost none of its charm, despite me knowing the story well. There are some charming moments between Holmes and Watson, although I felt the characterization of Rachel with her “excitable Welsh temperament” left much to be desired and was very much stuck in its time.
I enjoyed this short story and gave it 4 Stars. I would recommend it to anyone who knows a few Holmes stories and would like to go deeper, and hear Holmes explaining his deduction technique. Content warnings for death, infidelity, claustrophobia; appropriate for 12+.