Fil Garrison’s Reviews > The Complete Sherlock Holmes > Status Update
Fil Garrison
is 89% done
The Adventure of the Illustrious Client: I was rather taken with this story. Less of a mystery, and more of an insolvable problem presented to Holmes in one of his less astute areas of study: women. I enjoyed the further references to Moran and Moriarty, which make the universe feel even more real than before. There's a real history to these stories, and it's a pleasure to waltz through them as we come to the end. 4*
— Nov 25, 2025 05:44PM
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Fil Garrison
is 90% done
The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier: Looking it up, this is one of three stories narrated by Holmes himself, rather than Holmes, which is an interesting and welcome change of pace. My favorite parts of the mystery, which is just OK, are actually the small comments Holmes makes about his friend - during the time that Watson is married, Holmes has clearly felt alone, missing his friend and biographer. That alone - 4*
— 16 hours, 48 min ago
Fil Garrison
is 88% done
His Last Bow: An Epilogue of Sherlock Holmes - Supposedly the final chronological appearance of Sherlock Holmes, this short story isn't a favorite of mine by any stretch - it's a spy story instead of a detective story, and it ill suits Holmes. Things I enjoy, though - references to Moran and Moriarty and Adler (cementing them as important), and the meetings of Holmes and Watson, their warm friendship, last talk. 3*
— Oct 29, 2025 04:37PM
Fil Garrison
is 87% done
The Adventure of the Devil's Foot: For some reason, this one strikes me as one of my favorite Holmes stories so far. It crosses almost into a Lovecraftian nightmare - visions of some wild thing loose on the moors, frightening people to death and to insanity. It has a big game hunter, larger than life. And more so, Holmes solves the case, and exercises his judgement in a more unusual and compassionate way. 5 stars.
— Oct 17, 2025 11:06AM
Fil Garrison
is 85% done
The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax: Honestly, an excellent little story. There's not much of a mystery, and every story beat is actually predictable, in its own way once Holmes arrives on the scene. What it DOES have is an excellent look at how Holmes deals with lapses in judgement, and his zest for doing the right thing. His verve for saving a life and his interactions with the culprits is top notch. 5 Stars.
— Oct 01, 2025 05:41PM
Fil Garrison
is 83% done
The Adventure of the Dying Detective: AKA: Holmes is an asshole. This, I feel, is where the popular conception of him purposefully manipulating his friends for his own benefit comes in - well, this and the Reichenbach Falls. The story cuts off to early to see Watson's response to Holmes' ruse, and we get a small apology from Holmes to Watson for the deception, but he really does come off as an ass. 3 Stars.
— Sep 18, 2025 05:27PM
Fil Garrison
is 83% done
The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans - It seems that the majority of Mycroft Holmes' characterization shows up in this story "he is, at times, the British Government" is a powerful statement. An espionage thriller, it's fun to see Holmes in a greater context from his common crimes, and put his mind to work for larger consequences. Between this and Moriarty, you can really see the fictional world take shape. 4*
— Aug 27, 2025 12:04PM
Fil Garrison
is 81% done
The Adventure of the Red Circle - One of those Holmes stories that hints at a much larger world beyond our point of view characters - with secret societies and dastardly world-renowned criminals, histories of new characters and old. I'm constantly surprised at how fleshed out these are, and I'm sure so much of their popularity is what we'd call "worldbuilding" today. A solid story, if not really a mystery. 3 stars
— Aug 19, 2025 02:16PM
Fil Garrison
is 80% done
The Adventure of the Cardboard Box: Honestly? One of the most chilling and true-crime style stories I've read thus far. Watson isn't kidding when he says he's avoided sensationalism in previous stories, this one really hits hard with the details of the murder and the backstory. I think I highlighted three passages in this one - Holmes solves it easily, but is disturbed by the crime, an emotional rarity from him. 5*
— Aug 08, 2025 12:33PM
Fil Garrison
is 79% done
The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge: Notable, to me, for the introduction of perhaps an intellectual equal to Holmes in Inspector Baynes. For once, Holmes is solving the case in parallel with the police and is actually a half step behind this new inspector, and seems pleased by it. I enjoyed the story itself, although I feel it would have benefitted from being a novel given the extensive backstory in San Pedro. 4 stars
— Jul 20, 2025 10:13AM
Fil Garrison
is 77% done
The Valley of Fear - An excellent novel that really is a bit of a retread that meshes the style of his first novel with the mythos of his later stories. Moriarty gets some excellent mentions here, built out even further as Holmes' intellectual equal and villain. The second half of the novel is a great adventure piece with a great twist. I'd enjoy seeing an updated adaptation of this one to be honest. 4 stars.
— Jun 24, 2025 04:56PM
