The Sign of the Four, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle are the final three of the four Sherlock Holmes novels - and they are all well worth reading.
The Hound of the Baskervilles
The Hound of the Baskervilles is my favourite of the Sherlock Holmes novels. Holmes is called in to investigate the strange death of Sir Charles Baskerville. Sir Charles appears to have died from shock, and the story of a gigantic spectral dog that haunts the Baskerville family is thought the be the cause. But is the hound real or are there more malicious forces at work?
The book is told from the perspective of Dr Watson (as usual) who is sent by Holmes to the Baskerville's Hall to look after Sir Charles heir. The Hall is set amongst the moorland, a stark and depressing landscape that is a perfect setting for this story.
What I like most about this Sherlock Holmes novel is that I found it the easiest to really consider what the solution to the mystery might be. I had read it before and remembered the solution which helped, but there are many clues in this one that make it possible to put two and two together. I also enjoy it because it sticks with Dr Watson for the entire book, unlike A Study in Scarlet and The Valley of Death.
The Sign of the Four and The Valley of Fear are both excellent reads as well.
The Sign of the Four
In The Sign of the Four you will find intrigue associated with valuable Indian treasure. This is probably the first book where Sherlock Holme's illicit drug use is very prominent (he loves cocaine) and it is in this book that Dr Watson meets and marries his wife.
The Valley of Fear
I most recently finished The Valley of Fear, which I enjoyed, but probably not as much as the others. It used a similar technique to A Study in Scarlet, that is, the first half of the book followed the investigation of a very unusual murder and the second half of the book explained how that murder had come to take place. This means that Sherlock and Dr Watson don't feature in the second half of the book. I love Sherlock and Dr Watson, so this always let me down a little bit.
Still, I am pleased that I have met my goal of reading all four of the Sherlock Holmes novels this year. Next year I will read all the short stories.
Summary
What kind of reads are these?
Quick, easy, mysterious and definitely page turners.
Do I recommend them?
Who couldn't recommend Sherlock Holmes?
Do I recommend that you buy them?
Not really. Borrow them from the library. I downloaded mine for free as eBooks on my iPhone.
Star Rating
6 / 8
Really enjoyable and well written. I would recommend them.
Originally posted 24 November 2010 Page Turners
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