Sherlock: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes [Paperback]

I love these stories and the new BBC series Sherlock. Fun to see the new characters on the cover of the classic stories. Highly recommended!

Everybody knows him -- the pipe-smoking detective on Baker Street (with or without the movie-added deerstalker), who is able to deduce all sorts of things just by glancing at a person. "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" shows off Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's first collection of short stories involving Holmes, mingling human psychology with sometimes bizarre mysteries.

Holmes is visited by the masked King of Bohemia, who has a slight problem: he's engaged to a princess, but his former lover Irene Adler has a compromising letter that could jeopardize his future marriage. But Adler has a formidable brain of her own. Then Holmes is hired by a man who was hired by the mysterious Red-Headed League, and given a strange job... which is somehow connected to a criminal undertaking.

Among the other strange cases that Holmes and Watson undertake -- a missing fiance, a strange murder in Boscombe Valley, a dead man who was sent five orange seeds, a woman whose husband has utterly vanished, a blue jewel hidden in a Christmas turkey, a dead woman whose last words were "it was the band, the speckled band!", a young engineer given a dream job, an American heiress who vanishes directly after her wedding, a broken beryl coronet, and a young woman given a surreally weird job.

Sherlock Holmes mysteries come in two types:
1. The case is completely baffling, and Holmes is needed to unravel the knot of obscure clues.
2. The case seems straightforward, but Holmes is needed to connect seemingly unrelated clues to the crime in order to find the REAL perpetrator.

There are plenty of both kinds in "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes," with a dozen cases that require Holmes' unique detecting skills -- it can be something as simple as locating a letter, or something as complex as foiling a robbery or counterfeiting ring. Doyle's stately, dignified prose is heightened by moments of excitement or horror (" It swelled up louder and louder, a hoarse yell of pain and fear and anger all mingled in the one dreadful shriek"), and he wove in a lot of human psychology into Holmes' cases.

Holmes himself... is Holmes. Doyle didn't like his detective much, but Sherlock's knife-edged intellect and fascination with puzzles are strangely hypnotic -- even if you wouldn't like to be roomies with the guy, it would be amazing just to sit and watch him work. Watson is the perfect counterpoint for Holmes: he's not a genius but is definitely intelligent, warm-hearted and capable.

"The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" is a magnificent collection of Holmes' first twelve short cases, filled with murder, intrigue and all sorts of weird crimes. An absolute must-read.

Who doesn't love a good mystery, especially one by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle? His creation Sherlock Holmes is the prototype for countless modern detective writers and continues to entertain us with unparalleled stories sparked by Holmes's brilliance and powers of reasoning. Abetted by his unforgettable sidekick, Dr. Watson, he is called upon to solve not only the most puzzling but the most dastardly cases.

We might say these adventures ably narrated by Ralph Cosham are a synthesis of Doyle's work. There are 12 stories in all from A Scandal in Bohemia to The Adventure of the Copper Beeches. It would be impossible for this listener/reader to pick a favorite but one that stands out in my mind is The Beryl Coronet.

First published in 1892 this story features a banker, Arthur Holder, who makes a sizeable loan to an established citizen. The Beryl Coronet, which is extremely valuable is left as security. Holder determines the Coronet would not be secure in the bank, so he takes it home and puts it in his personal safe. That night he's awakened by strange noises and finds Arthur, his son, with the Coronet in his hand. This scene is witnessed by Holder's niece, Mary, who keels over when she sees the broken Coronet.

Arthur seems most certainly to be guilty of damaging the priceless object yet Holmes remains to be convinced (as he so often is). Several issues muddy the waters - Arthur refuses to say anything; he will not admit guilt or claim innocence. How could he have broken the Coronet when Holmes who is quite strong cannot begin to do so? Fortunately, footprints in the snow outside Holder's house lead Holmes to the real thief.

Narrator Cosham who has been nominated several times for an Audie Award and whose readings have been named "Audio Best of the Year" by Publishers Weekly is the perfect voice for these stories - resonant, clear with timing that adds to the suspense.

Enjoy!

- Gail Cooke