Customer Reviews

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

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Being neither a reader of Canon Doyle's nor a particular fan of mystery novels, I felt it was time to delve into both. This collection of short stories exhibited to me that the author truly has a commendable ability to tell an easily understood and very fluid tale. His exposition is linear and does not rely on flashbacks or forward projections and his utilization of Watson through 1st person singular is unique. While I still remain less than enamored by mystery tales, I can understand why he is a long-standing favorite of the reading public.

The tales that are included are:
1. A Scandal in Bohemia
2. The Red-Headed League
3. A Case of Identity
4. The Boscombe Valley Mystery
5. The Five Orange Pips
6. The Man with the Twisted Lip
7. The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle
8. The Adventure of the Speckled Band
9. The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb
10. The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor
11. The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet
12. The Adventure of the Copper Beeches

In spite of not having a totally unpleasant reading experience, I much prefer the video versions put out by BBC or the movie series starring Morton Downey Jr.. Their plots are far more intricate and portray Holmes as being less of a stodgy character and little more eccentric and unpredictable in his actions.

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

A mysterious photograph. A disappearing company. A man with two identities. All this and more in the book, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This book includes puzzling mysteries such as The Case of Identity, in which a husband suddenly disappears, and A Scandal in Bohemia, in which a king tries to steal a photo, but needs Sherlock Holmes' help. This book is suitable for all people ages 10 to adult. It's puzzling and complex, yet adventuresome and amusing, able to catch all readers' eyes. Unfortunately, the book does have some boring parts, but its captivating stories and perplexing mysteries more than make up for this. Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes team up together once again and form what may be one of the best detective book yet, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

Sherlock Holmes isn't just for kids. I just finished reading this collection and it was an absolute delight. I wouldn't call it an absolute page-turner or a book you can't put down, but on certain evenings it can be very addictive to just keep reading.

If you like cuddling up and reading a comfortabele book. This is the one. U will never not be amazed by the famous Sherlock Holmes. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is the series of short stories that made the fortunes of the Strand Magazine, in which they were first publixhed, and won immense popularity for Holmes and Watson.Includes, "The Red-Headed League", "The Blue Carbncle" and my favorite,"The Speckled Band.

Forget all those new prime time crime shows, this collection is much more entertaining. The fun of this book is really in trying to solve the mystery before Holmes comes up and tells the whole thing, which he always does at the end. This book will make you think and may teach you to perceive more of what you see.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a wonderful book for the open minded. It takes you on a journey through London's city streets, throught the houses of pesents and the safes of bank owners. You travel with Holmes on his many cases and travles. Holmes is yet again assisted by his trusty companion Dr. Watson, who has yet to figure out Holmes' mysterious ways of going about his duty. In the novel you can witness Sherlock going about his buisness and try to solve the cases before he does (which rarely happens). But if you have trouble following the genious mind of Mr. Holmes he always explains how he could have possibly figured the case out. He will also express how important it is to pay attention to details. Holmes has the best set of eyes in London and uses them to their full potential in stopping thieves and robbers. As you read you see holmes narrowly escape death while he magnificantly singlehandedly outsmarts all of his opponets. His genious art of mystery is called upon by many people that range all the way from Scotland Yard in need of a priceless jewel to pesents in need of a returned goose. He treats every case with exceptional care.

I personly didn't love this book like i love the Harry Potter series but it was still a respectable piece of famous literature. I'll probably continue to read some of Sir Auther Connan Doyal's work, but not anytime soon.

Benjamin Boyd

Are you ready to accompany the greatest detective in history on some of his most memorable adventures? Then this book is for you! Each of these stories are wonderfully put together, each with a more exciting and unexpected outcome. I have read them time and again, and am always newly surprised at Holmes's genius and reasoning abilities.

Are you still hesitant on whether or not to read "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes?" Well, I personally am not much of a mystery fan. In fact, some of my favorite books are "Watership Down," "The Hobbit," "A Wrinkle in Time" series, and "The Lost Years of Merlin" books. I also know that mystery books are either awful, by. But Sherlock Holmes and his cases have set the highest of standards for mysteries, which very few others have even come close to surpassing.

Through this great collection, I have come to greatly admire both Holmes's and Doyle's brilliance over and over again. No matter what genre you enjoy reading, this is a book for you!