Sherlock Holmes. The most famous fictional detective of all time. You most certainly know who he is, even if it's only as that old-fashioned detective with the pipe and the funny hat. Though the pipe and the hat never appear together in the story (those are thanks to stage actor William Gillete's version of the character) the man himself lives up to the legend. Steely, resolute, inscrutable genius, accompanied by his faithful (and not, as some versions would have you think, idiotic) companion Doctor Watson.
If you're reading these stories for the first time you are in for a treat. They range from the exciting, to the puzzling, to the chilling. Why does the Red Headed League pay Jabez Wilson to copy the Encyclopedia Britannica? Why is Helen Stoner's stepfather moving her into the room in which her sister died? How did a blue carbuncle end up in the neck of a Christmas goose? What are Violet Hunter's employers hiding behind a locked door? Why does Musgrave's butler disappear after reading the family's ancient (and incomprehensible) Musgrave ritual? Whose ear does Susan Cushing receive in a cardboard box? Who stole a naval treaty from Percy Phelps' desk one evening, and why has it not been sold yet? And who exactly is James Moriarty?
We highly recommend these timeless, thrilling detective stories. Transport yourself to a shadowy 1880's London where the most puzzling of cases are solved by the original consulting detective. You may have your favorite adaptation, but nothing can beat the real thing.
Review by Lauren Shearer
Lauren Shearer writes words for fun and profit. She also makes films, but everyone knows you can't make a profit doing that. Her other hobby is consistently volunteering way too much of her time. You can read more of her reviews
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