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Dr. Mortimer: Sir Charles had evidently stood there for five or ten minutes.
Sherlock Holmes: How do you know that?
Dr. Mortimer: Because the ash had twice dropped from his cigar.
Sherlock Holmes: Excellent! This is a colleague, Watson, after our own heart!
Of all the stories of Sherlock Holmes this stands out as one of my favorite interactions. Few characters receive such immediate and warm praise from Holmes as Dr. Mortimer does in The Hound of the Baskervilles. Of the four novels, The Hound of the Baskervilles remains my top favorite and this opening scene with Dr. Mortimer is a big reason why. In this post I will be briefly sharing my thoughts on the four novels featuring Sherlock Holmes.
The Hound of the Baskervilles
There are many stories in the Sherlock Holmes series which teeter on the edge of the supernatural. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has written horror short stories, The Brown Hand being one of my favorites, and one can clearly sense his fondness for the genre. (Also, Sir Arthur infamously believed in the existence of fairies and tried in vain to defend his views.) The Hound of the Baskervilles is one such story. It’s the story of the death of a rich gentleman in his estate in mysterious circumstances eerily matching an ancient curse. It has many elements of the gothic; an ancient family curse, a house steeped in history, an almost mythic beast and a sense of desolation. The setting of the moors left such an impression on me the first time I read it that I vowed someday to visit a similar looking place in England.
The Valley of Fear
My next favorite, The Valley of Fear, has the single best twist of all the Holmes stories. It’s split into two parts. One part is the present day, where Holmes is solving a case and other part is a flashback to a different time and place. This part is what makes the novel so good, though I have read polarizing viewpoints from many readers. This flashback almost feels like a western and could have been a standalone story on its own. This backstory deals with a man named Jack McMurdo who newly arrives in the Vermissa Valley (the titular Valley of Fear) and joins a local lodge of a National order, which has turned criminal. His arrival by train, winding through valleys filled with coal mines, is a scene that stays with the reader. I gauge how good a book was by what I remember of it many years later and of the two things I remember about this novel, one is this train ride description. The other is the final twist, the school child in me was absolutely mind-blown by it!
A Study in Scarlet
A Study in Scarlet introduced the world-famous detective in 1887, and so compelling is its backstory that it could have stood alone as a masterpiece, entirely independent of Holmes. Like The Valley of Fear, it has two parts. One is the Holmes part and the other is the backstory. The backstory is about a man and a child on the verge of dying in the desert when a group of Mormons saves them. The girl, Lucy Ferrier, grows up and soon falls in love with a man outside the community and that’s when the trouble starts. The opening scene of the man and the innocent child who does not understand the precarious situation they are in is a masterclass in slow burn tension building. It has stayed with me all these years later.
The Sign of the Four
Many of Holmes’ stories have an India connection and The Sign of the Four is the one with the strongest connection. The entire plot revolves around the Agra Treasure. Mary, who enlists Holmes and Dr. Watson’s help, receives a pearl in the mail from a mysterious stranger who wishes to talk to her. This sets off a chain of events culminating in deaths and narrow escapes. Unlike the other novels mentioned above there is no clear backstory. The Andaman Islands of India form a key point and there are references to the First War of Independence (1857) and to the Siege of Cawnpore. This is more action-packed than the other three novels combined. For me the standout character of the novel was the villain’s henchman, about whom, unfortunately, I cannot say more without spoiling it for new readers. He remains one of the most menacing characters in Holmes’ stories.
Overall, these four novels are thoroughly enjoyable reads each offering a distinct mystery to solve for Holmes. I first read these during my school days and I was absolutely thrilled. Reading them again this year, with more life experience behind me, I found myself reading them differently and noticing things I had missed but enjoying them just as much. Reminds me of a line I saw somewhere:
Always rewatch your favourite film at different stages of your life. The plot never changes but your perspective does.
Name: Novels of Sherlock Holmes
Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Genre: Fiction/Detective
Book Post No. : 76