The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes

The first instalment of short fiction following the intrigueing vocation of one of literature's foremost sleuths and heros, Sherlock Holmes. Conan-Doyle's decision to view these baffling who/what/how-dunnits through the eyes of the 'ordinary' character (albeit veering to the side of extraordinary in places) of Dr John Watson, Afghan veteran, is a common literary conceit that works perfectly for the genre and content here. As with most far-fetched creations, disbelief has to be suspended within the reader and Watson is the tool with which to do so. It also aids in the mystique of the character of Holmes and raises his genius almost to the level of superhuman. And that's a hook needed if you want people to read your work.To the stories themselves. They fit the medium of short stories like a glove. The Holmes' novels were all very good indeed but there's nothing like an intrigueing premise wrapped up in 30 or so pages, as opposed to having to wait until the end of a 200 or so page novel. That said, some do not work precisely because of this. The explanations can seem a little rushed at times and almost conveniently brought to a close within a page or 2. This is certainly true of 'A Case of Identity', one of the weaker of the bunch. But on the whole they are all extremely well written, capture the magic of Holmes' inimitable deductive reasoning and are just really fun reads.Favourites of mine are: 'The Red Headed League', 'The Man with the Twisted Lip', 'The Speckled Band' and the oddest case, 'The Copper Beeches'. But you can see kernels of The Hound of the Baskervilles in 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery' which is fun.Well deserved of its classic status. Now, onto The Memoirs... and further to the Reichenbach Falls...

Once again Derek Jacobi narrates 12 tricky cases for Sherock Holmes and his sidekick Dr Watson. My "bottom line" words would be that these 12 stories (on 10 CD's) are very enjoyable. I listened to them travelling back and forth to work and trying to get to the solution before Holmes -and failing so often! Dr Watson is like Poirot's Captain Hastings. Watson and Hastings are us (dummies?) in the plots -to help us "keep up" as the sinister plots pass from total fog to a clear blue dayIn "A Scandal in Bohemia" a royal bod is about to enter on a relationship but is very concerned about a letter he wrote to a previous lover. He would be ruined if this lady made that letter public. How can Holmes first locate the lady and find the letter? Then how can he possibly persuade her to keep quiet? She could both embarrass the royal geezer and make a tidy sum on the side if -like today -she "tells all" to the papers? All seems to be lost doesn't it..? In "The Case of Identity" a girl falls in love with a bloke at the plumbers' ball -a romatic venue if ever there was one. Her mum and her step dad seem to send her contradictory messages -"go on love" (mum), "I'm not sure about this young lady!" (yes -you guessed it, the step dad). Her dad is a traveller and he never is around when she meets her boyfriend. So how can she get the 2 blokes to meet up and resolve this problem? Maybe they will never meet and that's the end of her rosey future...? The "Red-Headed League is one of my favourites - I thought I had the plot sorted but then it comes out of left field -most annoying! A pawnbroker with VERY red hair answers an advert that his assistant spots for the League of red haired bods (he should have smelt a rat at that point shouldn't he? But oh no - he goes for the "interview" and blow me he gets the job -amazing I'd say! He is given a part-time job at £2 a week (good money!). His job? To spend each afternoon in a room writing the contents of an encylopeadia. He should have smelt a rat by then. He eventually finds that he is no longer wanted. He asks Holmes to help him. Holmes speaks to his dusty kneed assistant and solves the mystery from there. Where does the red hair come into this story? Well, you'll just have to listen! In "The Boscombe Valley Mystery" A dad is shot by a lake and surely his son who was seen with him just before must be in the frame? But beforehand the dad strongly urged the son to marry a neighbours daughter. The dad used the "cooee" call sign when calling his son. This was heard just before the dad was shot -so it's definitely the son -and open and shut case? The story shifts to another contintent and guess what? The dad has a very mirky past that involved criminal activities and doing in his fellow baddies. Holmes needs to dig deep into these if he is to clear the son of the dad's murder - but how?In the "Five Orange Pips" over time,a dad, uncle and son all each receive 5 orange pips in an envelope. Within days of the receiving the envelope bad things happen. The son asks Holmes to solve the problem before he too is bumped off. There is a pattern from the date of receiving the letter to the receiver getting grief. Why are all the letters signed "kkk" -who is that. Could this be a case where Holmes is beaten and the baddies get clean away -he's all at sea with this one! In the "Man with a twisted lip" , the story starts with Watson in an opium den and then shifts to a down trodden pad where a beggar with a twisted lip who fails in throwing himself into the nearby sea. But surely - a nice gentleman used to rent this pad? The cops chase the tramp into the pad - there's no nice man so the tramp has been and gone and bumped him off. Into the slammer the very grubby tramp must go. How will Holmes crack this -he needs to find the nice gentleman first -but where's the body??In the "The Blue Carbuncle" -this is a very expensive diamond that goes missing from a hotel at the same time as a handy man is fixing stuff -so he's the baddy of course? Next? -well, no it ain't that crystal clear. A man in mugged with a goose which Holmes recovers with something interesting in its crop...How could it have got from the hotel to the goose for pete's sake and if the handyman's in jail how could he have done this concealment? Another one for Holmes to solve -who else could have done it?In "The Speckled Band" a nasty step father is in charge of twin step daughters after their mum dies. One twin asks her sister if she has heard any whistles in the dead (!) of night. The 'dad has pet monkeys and a cheetah -not very nice pets. One sister screams in the night and her sister hears her dying words about a "speckled band". The surviving daughter asks Holmes to help her -to keep surviving! How could her sister have died in a closed bedroom -all there is a bed,bell rope and other stuff you would expect in posh bedrooms. So how was she got at -what's a speckled band anyway -maybe she was just delirious?The "Engineer's Thumb" is about a hydraulic engineer who is called to fix a press that squeezes Fuller's Earth. A nasty German hires him and the £50 hire fee is a big wad in the 1860's. The engineer comes to Holmes's office rather incomplete -as he has lost his thumb!He's been attacked by the mad German and managed to get away. Holmes needs to investigate -where is the factory and why was the enginner blind-folded so he could not know its location. Will Holmes find it or is this a case that will end in ashes?In the "Noble Batchelor" a lord type marries an American woman -who then promptly disappears after the service- All that is left is her wedding gear and her ring! She's a daughter of a San Francisco miner -so maybe she is some kind of gold digger? Can Holmes locate her and find out what's going on?In the "Beryl Coronet" a king type asks a banker for a £50,000 loan and puts up a crown as security. The gormless banker takes the crown home...and then tells all his family where it is -what a berk -why didn't he keep his mouth shut? His son is a worthless gambler who always asks his dad for money to pay his debts. His adopted daughter is an angel. One night there's a racket and he discovers his blaggard -no good -son with the crown in his hands. If that's not bad enough there's a bit missing from it! Oh calamity! The banker and the royal bod are in big reputation trouble!! Where has the son hidden the rest? The son is sent to the slammer. This is surely a really tough case even for Holmes -how to solve it and keep it hush hush -surely it can't be done?In the final story "The copper beeches" hair is again involved -or the lack of it. A woman is hired to live with a husband, wife and there nasty 6 year old. Her duties are small and she will receive over £100 each year.Oh ! she needs to wear a blue dress now and again and have her long hair cut. She eventually takes the job. All goes well (for a strange household that is). She explores parts of the house and the "nice" husband suddenly has a nasty streak. He also has a mastiff that he keeps half starved to roam the grounds at night -it's the size of a small calf -so don't get on its dinner menu. There is something going on here -the woman is worried and calls on the ghost busters -well Holmes anyway -will he solve this -or will the dog have his day?

I downloaded this eBook from Amazon (Amazon Whispernet) for free.This is by far an absolutely well written eBook, I really enjoyed reading it.This book has a great collection of 12 stories, I was fully immersed in this book trying to solve the mysteries in my head - You are almost always left guessing until Sherlock is satisfied that you have suffered enough suspense.The eBook did have some issues with the some character symbols i.e $%^ etc, however this didn't bother me too much, as I got used to it after a short while.A well written book with fantastically scripted short stories for someone entering into the world of Sherlock Holmes."to that person entering into the world of Sherlock Holmes - I recommend this book to you"Now because of the issues with the symbols, I gave this book 4 stars but because Amazon don't do half stars - I'm really giving this book a mind boggling 4.5 stars.Thank you Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, for the array of 12 brilliant short stories.

I enjoy the Jeremy Brett characterisation and reading the original books make for a very enjoyable experience.

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.

"The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is an absolute masterpiece that should be on the bookshelf of every avid reader. This collection of short stories featuring the iconic detective Sherlock Holmes and his trusty companion Dr. John Watson is a timeless classic that has captivated audiences for over a century.Doyle's writing is captivating and masterful, drawing readers into the intricate world of Victorian London and the enigmatic world of Holmes and Watson. Each story is cleverly crafted with a unique mystery and surprise twist, keeping readers on the edge of their seats until the very end.What sets "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" apart from other detective novels is the ingenious mind of Sherlock Holmes himself. His extraordinary powers of deduction and observation make him one of the most intriguing and captivating characters in all of literature. Doyle's portrayal of Holmes is a true testament to his skill as a writer.Overall, "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" is a must-read for anyone who loves a good mystery. Doyle's writing is top-notch, and the characters of Holmes and Watson are truly unforgettable. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a thrilling and captivating read. It's no wonder that these stories have stood the test of time and continue to be beloved by readers of all ages.

Alles perfekt und wie erwartet

Libro totalmente nuevo y divertido para los fanáticos de Conan Doyle y sus aventuras en inglés.

OK

Great looking cover. I saw complaints about font size but it is honestly fine. Standard font size not to big or to small