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The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Level 5
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Level 5
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Level 5
Audiobook (abridged)1 hour

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Level 5

Written by Arthur Conan Doyle

Narrated by Iman

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

4.5/5

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About this audiobook

Detective Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson investigate these 10 mysterious cases: "The Adventure of the Speckled Band", "The Red-Headed League", "A Case of Identity", "The Bascombe Valley Mystery", "The Man with the Twisted Lip", "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle", "The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor", "The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet", "A Scandal in Bohemia", and "The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb".


This audio classic novel has been carefully abridged and adapted into 10 short easy to understand chapters. This format enables listeners of all ages and English language abilities to understand and enjoy the story. Composition includes original custom back ground music.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateJul 1, 2011
ISBN9780848113438
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Level 5
Author

Arthur Conan Doyle

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930) was a Scottish writer and physician, most famous for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes and long-suffering sidekick Dr Watson. Conan Doyle was a prolific writer whose other works include fantasy and science fiction stories, plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction and historical novels.

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Reviews for The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Rating: 4.267857142857143 out of 5 stars
4.5/5

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I think I liked these short stories better than I liked the novels -- or novellas, or whatever you wish to call A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of Four. I think that was partially because they suffer less from what I think is a pretty off-putting structural problem with the longer stories, and instead keep things simpler. It's also nice that they represent a wider range of cases, with some that aren't specifically crimes/don't involve death, and with Irene Adler there to put Holmes in his place -- just a little.

    The stories are also amazingly easy to read. I've read modern work which is less accessible and engaging.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Fantastic collection of Sherlock Holmes Stories.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Well, what can I say? It's Sherlock Holmes. Even if you've never read any of Conan Doyle's stories (and shame on you!) you probably still know quite a bit about this figure that is one of the most iconic in literature and even know details of many of his cases. Prior to this more systematic read-through I had only actually read a few of the stories and much of my knowledge came from the (admittedly excellent) BBC TV series starring the late great Jeremy Brett (the best of all Holmes').

    These twelve stories represent the first of his continuing adventures published after the initial novels _A Study in Scarlet_ and _The Sign of Four_ (which I have yet to read). They are all uniformly entertaining and well-written, though some stood out to me, most notably "A Scandal in Bohemia" where Holmes is actually beaten, and not by a criminal nemesis like Moriarty, but by the brilliant Irene Adler; "The Boscombe Valley Mystery" which encompases unrequited love, outlaws on the frontier, and treacherous blackmailing; "The Five Orange Pips" which pits Holmes against the nefarious machinations of the KKK; "The Man with the Twisted Lip" one of the many cases which makes use of mistaken identity, and "The Adventure of the Copper Beeches" which portrays the also common theme of familial dysfunction and paternal greed.

    I was a little surprised to note a few things in my reading, one of which was the number of strong female characters Doyle made use of. From Irene Adler and Violet Hunter, who both impress Holmes with their intellignece, courage and ability, to the no nonsense Hatty Doran and Mrs. Toller. Next, I think Doyle may not have had much of a fondness for dogs given their characterisation in "The Adventure of the Copper Beeches" and (from what I gather at least) _The Hound of the Baskervilles_...maybe he was a cat guy? It was curious to see several references also made to Holmes' great physical strength...something I wasn't particularly aware of. I had mistakenly thought him to be primarily an intellectual hero. Finally it was a bit surprising to see the number of times that Holmes does not "get his man" and the criminals escape, perhaps to be punished by Fate, but this is not always the case. Somewhat tied in with this last point: Holmes seems content to let his fair share of criminals escape 'justice' so long as he sees the validity of their actions or believes in the sincerity of their contrition. He's simply interested in the puzzle (and crime merely gives it more zest), not really in meting out justice per se.

    Many plot elements seem to recur in these stories, but I don't know that this is a major detraction since the main draw of all of these tales is, of course, the unparalleled character of Holmes himself and the incredible deductive method he uses. Yes it's true, Holmes is a bit of a prick and he always likes to show off (though he'd never admit it). He is, however, nearly always right, so can you blame him for having a somewhat cool disdain for us mere mortals? He also has enough failings to make him interesting (whether it's his monomania when it comes to solving puzzles, his drug addiction, or his passive-aggressive need to be praised by his somewhat dim compatriot Dr. Watson). He was also made somewhat more sympathetic (to me at least) in his ironic disdain for many of the upper class people that become his clients (most notably the King of Bohemia and Lord Robert St. Simon who are at the receiving end a few choice bon mots) and his very real sympathy for the weak victims preyed upon by the strong and unscrupulous in his cases.

    Overall, Sherlock Holmes' adventures provide very enjoyable reading and one almost feels they are walking through the foggy streets of London, or across the blustery English countryside with him in these reminiscences of the good doctor. I should note here that I was listening to the free Librivox audio recording for this "read" as performed by Ruth Golding. She was an excellent narrator with good pace and excellent dramatic feeling. Her character of Holmes was quite good, but I must admit that I found Watson's 'voice' a little bit odd (I think this may have contributed above and beyond anything in the actual text to making him appear a bit of a simpleton), and some of the secondary characters followed suit. Overall though, a very enjoyable listen.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    My first Sherlock Holmes.. and it won't be my last!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A collection of tales from Sherlock Holmes.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I will admit I was reading this primarily to provide context for the recent movies (and... other media) so I wasn't nearly as concerned with the quality of the mysteries. I can definitely see why Holmes and Watson are such resilient characters - their relationship is delightful. The actual stories are pleasantly short, and I was satisfied that while I couldn't actually solve the mystery most of the time (the reader doesn't get enough info) I could usually see the shape of it, which made me anticipate the reveal more tan I would have otherwise.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I have read most of these stories before, but not all of them. So, I finally just sat down and read the whole volume. They are all excellent, of course, but I was particularly fond of "The Adventure of the Copper Beeches," which I found to be the most modern of them all as well as the most exciting. It's hard to go wrong with Holmes.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Summary: Everyone's favorite detective is back at work in this collection of short stories. Narrated by his companion John Watson, the twelve stories in this collection show Sherlock Holmes at his best; not always solving the crime, but always applying his unique blend of observation, deduction, and the application of an endless supply of seemingly trivial knowledge into catching criminals and solving the seemingly impossible problems that are brought to his door. The stories included are "A Scandal in Bohemia," "The Adventure of the Red-Headed League," "A Case of Identity," "The Boscombe Valley Mystery," "The Five Orange Pips," "The Man with the Twisted Lip," "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle," "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," "The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb," "The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor"," "The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet," and "The Adventure of the Copper Beeches."Review: Reading this book was a very interesting experience. I was familiar with the characters, and even with some of the stories, from their various derivative books, movies and TV incarnations, but I'd never actually read any of the original works. It was inevitable that some of my preconceptions based on those other works leaked into my experience of this book, but there were also aspects of the original that definitely surprised me. To start with, I was surprised at how short a lot of the stories were. Had I been thinking about it, I would have realized that packing 12 stories into 9 hours of audiobook necessarily means that they're going to average out to 45 minutes apiece. But I'd watched the BBC Benedict Cumberbatch version fairly recently, and each (90 minute) episode of that has, if not multiple mysteries per se, then at least multiple times when Sherlock is using his deductive powers, and typically a fair number of twists and turns. For example, the very first story, "A Scandal in Bohemia", I was enjoying drawing the connections to the episode "A Scandal in Belgravia," and listening to the original and seeing what stayed and what got updated for the TV version. But then the story just... stopped, or so it seemed to me, and I was left wondering "where's the rest?" Because of course the episode extrapolates and adds on to its source material, but I was still left feeling a little shortchanged. In several other of the stories as well, there's sort of an abrupt feeling, without the same tension or excitement or mysteriousness that I was expecting. I realize that that's not entirely fair to Doyle's work, but it's maybe an inevitable consequence of the order in which I experienced things.At the same time, however, I did find these stories on the whole quite fun, in particular some of the ones with which I was less familiar. I thought "The Adventure of the Red-Headed League" was fun, and complex enough to keep me intrigued, and "The Man with the Twisted Lip" and "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" both had an excellent flavor of different aspects of Victorian London to them. I also liked hearing Watson speak for himself, and thought the language was more modern than I was expecting (although the phrase "knock you up" for "call upon you" - e.g. "Sorry to knock you up so early in the morning" - never failed to confuse/amuse me).I did find that if I listened to more than one or two stories in a row, they quickly got to feel fairly formulaic. Holmes is presented with a crime (or a strange occurrence; not all of the cases involved crimes as such), he and Watson listen to the particulars of the case, Watson is perplexed, Holmes berates him for not observing properly, Holmes then points out the details that Watson missed and deduces the correct answer, the bad guy is caught (or occasionally not), the end. I had a much better time with this book listening to only a story at a time, then switching to something else for a few days. Even so, these aren't the kind of mysteries where all the clues are available to the reader; Holmes typically only points out the details he's noticed when he's explaining what they mean. It's left me very interested to read the novels, rather than the short stories, to see how Doyle develops the mystery over the longer scale. 3.5 out of 5 stars.Recommendation: Definitely worth reading for anyone who likes the Sherlock Holmes adaptations, or mysteries in general, but they're better when not read straight through.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Excellent. Sherlock Holmes is fascinating, and Watson's patience never ceases to astound me. The tone and plots were a little unexpected since all movie/TV adaptations of Holmes are very different, but it's an easy pace to fall into and I soon came to love the original Holmes just as much, if not more, as the various TV versions.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Gotta love Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s sense of humor. In one of the short stories in this omnibus, he has Sherlock Holmes saying to Dr. Watson, “If I claim full justice for my art, it is because it is an impersonal thing – a thing beyond myself. Crime is common. Logic is rare. Therefore it is upon the logic rather than upon the crime that you should dwell. You have degraded what should have been a course of lectures into a series of tales.”This little “series of tales” was my introduction to Sherlock Holmes; intriguing little stories with odd cases to solve, none of which was beyond Holmes’s logical mind. I thoroughly enjoyed every one of them. It was fun to follow along and listen to ‘Watson’s interpretation’ of his thinking.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I love Sherlock Holmes! The first story is definitely my favorite, but most of the short stories are great little mysteries.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I have read A Study in Scarlet and quite enjoyed it. I was hoping that I would also enjoy a collection of short stories. I am torn; it is great to dip into as each story can be read during one sitting. The plots are interesting and Holmes' arrogance is quite funny. On the flipside, I found the format of the stories somewhat repetitive. These short stories also allow little room for character development.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This set of short stories is full of interesting puzzles that seem impossible until seen from a different perspective. I quite enjoyed them.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Unlike the earlier books in A.C. Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes series, this is a collection of short stories about the famed detective rather than one over-arching mystery novel. It opens with a story involving the infamous Ms. Adler (who's from New Jersey!):To Sherlock Holmes she is always the woman. I have seldom heard him mention her under any other name. In his eyes she eclipses and predominates the whole of her sex. It was not that he felt any emotion akin to love for Irene Adler. All emotions, and that one particularly, were abhorrent to his cold, precise but admirably balanced mind. He was, I take it, the most perfect reasoning and observing machine that the world has seen, but as a lover he would have placed himself in a false position. He never spoke of the softer passions, save with a gibe and a sneer. They were admirable things for the observer—excellent for drawing the veil from men’s motives and actions. But for the trained reasoner to admit such intrusions into his own delicate and finely adjusted temperament was to introduce a distracting factor which might throw a doubt upon all his mental results. Grit in a sensitive instrument, or a crack in one of his own high-power lenses, would not be more disturbing than a strong emotion in a nature such as his. And yet there was but one woman to him, and that woman was the late Irene Adler, of dubious and questionable memory.Many of the adventures take place after Dr. Watson has married Miss Morstan, taken up his own residence, and returned to civil practice. Meanwhile, Holmes spends his time "buried among his old books, and alternating from week to week between cocaine and ambition, the drowsiness of the drug, and the fierce energy of his own keen nature."These adventures may seem pale compared to today’s often bloody and grisly murder mysteries. Many of the cases seem rather mundane at first glance, although as Holmes points out in this conversation, the blandest-appearing mysteries often turn out to be the most complex:“It seems, from what I gather, to be one of those simply cases which are so extremely difficult.” [Holmes]“That sounds a little paradoxical.”“But it is profoundly true. Singularity is almost invariably a clue. The more featureless and commonplace a crime is, the most difficult it is to bring it home.”While it was only beginning to be alluded to in earlier two books, we see Holmes here as the master of disguise. We also learn some more about Holmes’s methods from his lips (“It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important.” and "I have no data yet. It is a capital mistake to theorise before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.") as well as from Watson's observations of Holmes's work ("there was something in his masterly grasp of a situation, and his keen, incisive reasoning, which made it a pleasure to me to study his system of work, and to follow the quick, subtle methods by which he disentangled the most inextricable mysteries.")When Doyle finishes the collection with “The Adventure of the Copper Benches,” he begins that story with a reflection again on his own writing, vis-à-vis a conversation between Holmes and Watson: To the man who loves art for its own sake,” remarked Sherlock Holmes, tossing aside the advertisement sheet of the Daily Telegraph, “it is frequently in its least important and lowliest manifestations that the keenest pleasure is to be derived. It is pleasant to me to observe, Watson, that you have so far grasped this truth that in these little records of our cases which you have been good enough to draw up, and, I am bound to say, occasionally to embellish, you have given prominence not so much to the many causes célèbres and sensational trials in which I have figured but rather to those incidents which may have been trivial in themselves, but which have given room for those faculties of deduction and of logical synthesis which I have made my special province.” “And yet,” said I, smiling, “I cannot quite hold myself absolved from the charge of sensationalism which has been urged against my records.” “You have erred, perhaps,” he observed, taking up a glowing cinder with the tongs and lighting with it the long cherry-wood pipe which was wont to replace his clay when he was in a disputatious rather than a meditative mood—“you have erred perhaps in attempting to put colour and life into each of your statements instead of confining yourself to the task of placing upon record that severe reasoning from cause to effect which is really the only notable feature about the thing.” … “At the same time,” he remarked after a pause, during which he had sat puffing at his long pipe and gazing down into the fire, “you can hardly be open to a charge of sensationalism, for out of these cases which you have been so kind as to interest yourself in, a fair proportion do not treat of crime, in its legal sense, at all. The small matter in which I endeavoured to help the King of Bohemia, the singular experience of Miss Mary Sutherland, the problem connected with the man with the twisted lip, and the incident of the noble bachelor, were all matters which are outside the pale of the law. But in avoiding the sensational, I fear that you may have bordered on the trivial.” “The end may have been so,” I answered, “but the methods I hold to have been novel and of interest.”All in all, this is indeed a work “of interest” despite its perhaps “trivial” mysteries. (Although I would argue that the mysteries are not trivial but rather interesting brain teasers for the armchair sleuth.) One thing I enjoyed about this book being a collection of short stories rather than a novel was that I could take my time and stretch out the enjoyment of this book by reading only a story or two at a time and then pausing to read something else before coming back to enjoy some more Holmes with another round or two. This is definitely a must-read for any Sherlock Holmes fan as well as a good introduction to the world-famous detective for others.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Great collection of stories showcasing the master detectives talents. Thoroughably enjoyable.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Mr. Sherlock Holmes – a consulting detective with a dark side, solving crimes by the dozen with his trusty partner, Doctor John Watson; the pair of Englishmen are an unstoppable team, Watson under the training of his dubiously intelligent brother of bond, the famous detective known only by the name of Holmes. Sherlock is quite the interesting character, being emotionally unattached to his cases and his only friend, and only strives to solve the mysteries at hand – his work is his only true interest, other than the woman, Irene Adler, who makes short appearances in his life throughout the many stories. Most see him as ruthless and inconsiderate, but he is merely doing what he does best: his job. He considers his job to be his life, and even though it’s the only thing he is committed to, he manages to maintain a relationship with his Boswell, John Watson. John Watson is a loyal man, one of great medical skill, and slowly learning the way of work through his unemotional partner along the way, and is more interested in social life then Holmes. Ironically enough, the two are completely different, yet they share a bond unthinkable to most, one that can never be broken, even through the toughest of hardships. These two are unstoppably unpredictable, and I find their reign wondrous.These two men face much conflict throughout the book, seeing as though it is not one story, but twelve very interesting ones instead. From photographs, to stolen identities, to cases of a governess, the possibilities they face are endless, though not unsolvable. Holmes can solve a case by simply examining the words stated by his client, making sense of nonsense, so it seemed to most. How is it that he solves such mysteries that occur? He examines anything and everything that comes to his eyes or his mind, there’s not a thought that brushes past this claimed madman’s mind, and if there is, well, he’s certainly in for some struggle, but he won’t prevail, nonetheless. It is due to his partners help that he is successful, he admits it often. The two are like opposites, but when you put them together, they make sense of the confusion through observation.These stories take place in nineteenth century London, a time of industry and wealth for the British Empire. The city is alive; the streets are filled with people, not necessarily full of joy, but filled, nonetheless. New business, new trade, new industry, new populations arising, London is reaching its pinnacle of success and standards. The Victorian era only makes the gloomy city all the more interesting, hiding many secrets beneath its surface, having much crime, which makes it the only place where Holmes would have been successful during this certain time period. Holmes isn’t Holmes without his London, or that’s the way I see it. Complications would have been different elsewhere, and much less interesting. The United Kingdom was extremely interesting during the late eighteen hundreds, much more than any other location during this time. This book has taught me that there is always an answer. Just because it isn’t seen at first glance, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to solve it anyhow. You’d be surprised what wonders observation and solving can bring you. It can make you more intelligent and open to what life throws at you, open your eyes anew to its inviting arms. All in all, this book has inspired me endlessly, and is my all-time favorite piece of classic literature.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Since his first appearance in Beeton’s Christmas Annual in 1887, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes has been one of the most beloved fictional characters ever created. Now, in two paperback volumes, Bantam presents all fifty-six short stories and four novels featuring Conan Doyle’s classic hero--a truly complete collection of Sherlock Holmes’s adventures in crime!Volume I includes the early novel A Study in Scarlet, which introduced the eccentric genius of Sherlock Holmes to the world. This baffling murder mystery, with the cryptic word Rache written in blood, first brought Holmes together with Dr. John Watson. Next, The Sign of Four presents Holmes’s famous “seven percent solution” and the strange puzzle of Mary Morstan in the quintessential locked-room mystery.Also included are Holmes’s feats of extraordinary detection in such famous cases as the chilling “ The Adventure of the Speckled Band,” the baffling riddle of “The Musgrave Ritual,” and the ingeniously plotted “The Five Orange Pips,” tales that bring to life a Victorian England of horse-drawn cabs, fogs, and the famous lodgings at 221B Baker Street, where Sherlock Holmes earned his undisputed reputation as the greatest fictional detective of all time.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Even though I had never read any of the Sherlock Holmes books before, he is such a well known character that I knew what to expect. The book did not disappoint, with each of the twelve short stories following a mysterious case that only the ever-observant Sherlock Holmes could solve. I enjoyed Watson's narrative that seemed to make the cases feel real, even the more far fetched ones.I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be reading more Sherlock Holmes stories in the future.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Loved it, but verrrrrry long.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I decided to revisit Holmes after watching the excellent new BBC update. Still as good as I remember. I didn't notice till now however that 3 cases have the same motive.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I enjoyed immensely the first few stories about Holmes however by the end of the book some of the themes were recurring and tedious. Holmes and Watson are a wonderful team and I do enjoy Holmes deductions. I did find some of Watson's preamble a little unnecessary but overall this book was an entertaining read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I have read a few other Sherlock Holmes stories in school and was interested in reading more so this seemed like a good compendium. I like that the stories are short and you can pick them up on and off. I think they are most enjoyed once-and-a-while as opposed to straight-through, as they can became tedious and unexciting.I listened to this in audiobook format thanks to LibriVox. The reader was ok but obviously not a professional.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is one of my most favorite re-reads. I enjoy picking up this tome and running through one of Sir Arthur's stories and being taken to a time past. The words bring me to London (or elsewhere) in a time before tech. I can see Holmes and Watson talking in the sitting room, looking at evidence. The twists and turns are enjoyable, as is the vast cast of characters we are introduced to. A great read for bedtime for young readers.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is the first volume of short stories, containing the stories written after the Sign of Four and published in the Strand. Doyle's style is enhanced, I think, by the abbreviated style - The Sign of Four and A Study in Scarlet both had the same problem with dragging and tedious narrative in the second act, while the short stories simply have no room for wandering digression. They still aren't at top form, though, I think, though they are fabulous. Doyle has an excellent turn for description; "All day the wind had screamed and the rain had beaten against the windows, so that even here in the heart of great, hand-made London we were forced to raise our minds for the instant from the routine of life and to recognise the presence of those great elemental forces which shriek at mankind through the bars of his civilisation, like untamed beasts in a cage." Some of my favorites in this collection are The Adventure of the Red-Headed League (hilarious!), The Adventure of the Speckled Band, The Adventure of the Copper Beeches and The Boscombe Valley Mystery, which are all rife with an intriguing mystery and dramatic intent. We see the extent to which Holmes has come to depend on Watson, as well, and are introduced to more of the man's peculiar habits - cocaine, bending steel pokers, and loitering in opium dens which makes for a hilarious opening sequence (even in a rather lackluster story).
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    These are the first Sherlock Holmes short stories--twelve of them--that first appeared in the magazine The Strand from 1891 to 1892. This presents Doyle at the top of his game with Holmes, and it was one of the short stories in this volume, "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" that was my introduction to Holmes when it was assigned in school. I'd definitely name that story as a standout, although I think my favorite might very well be the first story, "A Scandal in Bohemia" where the famously misogynistic Holmes is impressed by Irene Adler who manages to outwit him--not something you'd often see. I'd also call "The Red-Headed League" among the most memorable Sherlock Holmes story, although there's not one story in this volume I didn't love. Even more than the Holmes novels, its these short stories that made me fall in love with Holmes--and his "Boswell" Doctor James Watson--Holmes friend and our narrator and sharper and more insightful in these stories than the reputation he gained from the films.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    These twelve adventures made for fun reading. The writing style is quaint, sometimes I found it amusing that the people who came to Sherlock with their problems told their tales as if they were novelists. Holmes is an intriguing character.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    In high school, I read a dumbed-down version of the Hound of Baskerville which I found very lacking. It wasn't until I discovered the editing of Holmes' cocaine usage and the real nature of his witty dialogue that I really became interested in his detective stories (not to mention the fact that the stereotype of Sherlock Holmes portrayed in modern culture is completely obscured). When the movie came out (in which Robert Downey Jr. was the most true and exquisite Holmes), I was convinced that I needed to take the time to sit down the the actual novels and read them through.I was not disappointed in the slightest. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a fabulous collection filled with suspense, suspicion, and supposition to the truest form and, in my opinion, been the inspiration for not only CSI but most characters and situations permeating our culture.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I had previously read Holmes in novel-length, but this is the first I've read Holmes in short form. The shorter form really seems to suit the larger-than-life character that is Sherlock Holmes. Holmes's quirks and ego, and Watson's sycophantic toadying are far more tolerable in smaller doses. Holmes's deductive reasoning is also on full display in these short tales, as attention to the details leads him to the solution, which is always "really rather simple, Watson!" It's possible for the reader who attends to the details to figure out the solution to many of these cases, generally at least, if not in all the details. The stories in this volume are just the right length to be suspenseful without being stale. It is easy to see why these detective stories have withstood the test of time.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    LibraryThing predicted (with a very high degree of confidence)that I would not like this book, but it was wrong! I had never read of any Sherlock Holmes stories before, and I found them very enjoyable, if a bit formulaic. I'm sure I will read more Holmes in the future.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Classics never die. Watson's 1st person portrayal of Holmes is brilliant & witty. There is great chemistry between two of Doyle's most famous characters.