Started: September 3, 2023 | Finished: September 5, 2023
The Hound of the Baskervilles
I've always found the title evocative and the story does not disappoint. "The Hound of the Baskervilles" blends the traditional strengths of a Sherlock Holmes mystery with a dash of horror.
My experience of Sherlock Holmes stories is that they are generally well-written, with brisk pacing and clever plots. Measured against this respectable standard, "The Hound of the Baskervilles" exceeds all the others I've read so far. Has Sir Arthur Conan Doyle written the perfect mystery novel? I think so.
This book is 160 pages in lentgh which is just right for a mystery novel. It features both London and the moor lands of Grimpen and Baskerville. The locales are used effectively throughout. The moors in particular gives this story an atmosphere that I find quite enthralling. The way Conan Doyle describes it, I could almost feel the cold air of the moor here were I live in the tropics.
The mystery itself is superbly presented. This book made me experience what I heard others experience when going through a mystery: trying to guess who the culprit is. What an enjoyable treat that was.
I initially got the impression that this book gave the stage to Dr. Watson - and it does to a very satisfying extent. If Watson is not the intellectual equal of Holmes when it comes to solving mysteries, he proves nonetheless to be a formidably logical man and a brave and compassionate one too. Just when I was going to form the opinion that this book would be more about Watson, Conan Doyle tweaks the plot and reveals that Holmes was always in effect - brilliantly done.
Although I haven't read all Sherlock Holmes stories -and not enough times- to actually identify the masterpiece, "The Hound of the Baskervilles" would certainly be my pick if one could only recommend one Sherlock Holmes adventure to read.