The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle was an unsurprisingly good read. I, a 17 year old boy, am not crazy about reading, however, I thoroughly enjoyed this fun classic collection of stories. To my surprise (despite being written over a century ago) it was simple to understand and follow, which added to my overall enjoyment of the book.
From the twelve short stories, all follow the same structure. They always begin with Watson, the narrator and Sherlock's assistant, referencing/reflecting on old cases, or experiencing something himself, before transitioning to him recalling a case they did together. The story then switches to the detailed depiction of the case, usually starting with somebody coming to 221b Baker Street to get Holmes’ help. Then, said person goes through their own story in great detail, during which Sherlock picks up on things the readers cannot. After the account is complete, Watson and Sherlock discuss the story together, and usually do some investigating of their own. Despite each story having a uniquely interesting plot, all of them end in a grand reveal ending, where Sherlock solves the case in front of everybody. He always then goes over how he came to his conclusions, always calling back to details hidden earlier in the story. The only story that doesn’t have a satisfying ending is “The 5 Orange Pips”, which, uncoincidentally, was my least favorite of the stories.
The two aspects of secretly important details, and a grand reveal, are the token moments in any Sherlock Holmes adventure. For instance in “The Red Headed League”, after solving the case, Holmes references back to multiple details which had been sprinkled earlier in the story. He explains an action he did, saying to Watson, “...beating upon the pavement with my stick. I was ascertaining where the cellar stretched out in front or behind,”(Doyle). Then later he referencing the man's appearance he saw earlier. “...how worn, wrinkled, and stained they were. They spoke of hours of burrowing”. These callbacks to secret details not only excite the reader, but exemplify how brilliant Holmes’ is.
The other big moment in every adventure is in the grand reveal. One that stands out is in “The Man with The Twisted Lip”. This happens when Sherlock reveals the man accused of kidnapping was the missing man all along. “Never in my life have I seen such a sight. The man's face peeled off under the sponge like the bark from a tree. …’Great heavens!’ cried the inspector, ‘it is, indeed, the missing man’”. The moment was an exciting surprise to me, especially after Holmes explains how he knew, through yet again, calling back to details.
Together, the combination of simple to follow, interesting stories, mixed with meaningful small details that are crucial for the conclusion, and a big “ah hah!” moment at the end, make Sherlock Holmes adventures, not only interesting, but incredibly fun short stories to read.
I would recommend this collection to anybody who enjoys a fun mystery, and doesn't want a dense book. I would especially recommend it to people who want to get back into reading or feel like they want to start reading more, since the shortness of the stories, mixed with their simplicity and intrigue eliminates the usual boringness that typically comes with reading.