The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle

Series: Sherlock Holmes, Book Two

Publisher: Penguin

Format: Paperback

Published: This Addition: 2007

First Published: 1890

Number of Pages: 154

Book: Bought
Genre: Murder Mystery, Classic

The Sign of Four means murder...

A dense yellow miasma swirls in the streets of London as Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson accompany a beautiful young woman to a sinister assignation.

For Mary Morstan has received several large pearls – one a year for the last six years – and now a mystery letter telling her she is a wronged woman.  If she should seek justice she is to meet her unknown benefactor, bringing with her two companions.

But, unbeknownst to them all, others stalk London’s fog-enshrouded streets: a one legged ruffian with revenge on his mind – and his companion, who places no value on human life...

Review:

 Well, I loved A Study of Scarlet, and The Sign of Four was just as good – better actually!

The book started with Holmes injecting cocaine, and a worried – a slightly distressed – Watson asking him why he does it.  The answer: Holmes is bored.  Of course.  Bet you didn’t know that straight-laced Holmes was a drug addict!

The mystery begins when a young lady called Mary Morstan arrives, revealing she has a mysterious benefactor who’s been sending her pearls for six years.  Now whoever-they-are is telling her she’s a “wronged woman”, only she has no idea how she’s been “wronged”.  When Holmes and Watson accompany her to the rendezvous spot, little do they know that they’re going to be swept into a mystery involving hidden treasure, murder, faraway lands, convicts, and foreign savages...

I’m going to start off by saying I love Holmes!  His way of dealing with boredom... well, unconventional, but it made me laugh.  So did the fact that Watson’s arm injury from the war has suddenly and miraculously transformed into a leg injury.  How, I have no idea. 

But other than that, this book was amazing.  Holmes was more human, I think, as well as being a deduction-extraordinaire, and at times made me laugh a little.  As I said in my review of the first book: Holmes is brilliant.   Unconventional, a drug addict, more than a little crazy, yes: but brilliant.  I loved hearing his process, and was just as amazed as Watson was when I heard Holmes describing the reasons he figured out certain parts of the mystery.

As for Watson, he’s still smart and level-headed, despite the surprise jump of his injury from his arm to his leg.  The story’s told from his point of view again, and I loved hearing everything from his way of thinking.

The deduction and murder was brilliant and addictive, as were Holmes and Watson’s friendship.  They are definitely one of the most dynamic duos out there – I’ve even seen some people describe their relationship as a bromance! 

I loved everything: the writing, the characters, the mystery, the suspense and the budding romance for Watson...  Amazing.  I can’t wait to read the next in the series: can’t get enough of the deduction!

Star Rating:
4½ Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Classics:

A Study in Scarlett by Arthur Conan Doyle
Hercule Poirot Novels by Agatha Christie
Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon

Children/YA:

Cherub Series by Robert Muchamore
Sally Lockhart Series by Philip Pullman
The Roman Mysteries by Caroline Lawrence
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

Modern:

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
Irene Adler Mysteries by Carole Nelson Douglas

Challenges It's Taking Part In:
100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Book Chick City)
British Book Challenge (Hosted by The Bookette)
Off the Shelf Challenge (Hosted by BA Reading Challenges)
Dusty Volumes Reading Challenge (Hosted by Midnyte Reader)

A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle

Publisher: Penguin

Format: Paperback

Published: This Addition: 2007

First Published: 1887

Number of Pages: 163

Book: Bought
Genre: Murder Mystery, Classic

A detective’s duty is to unravel the scarlet thread of murder...

When Dr John Watson takes rooms in Baker Street with amateur detective Sherlock Holmes, he has no idea that he is about to enter a shadowy world of criminality and violence.

Accompanying Holmes to an ill-omened house in south London, Watson is startled to find a dead man whose face is contorted in a rictus of horror.  There is no mark of violence on the body yet a single word in written on the wall in blood.

Dr Watson is as baffled as the police, but Holmes’ brilliant analytical skills soon uncover the trail of murder, revenge and lost love...

Review:

Let’s face it: everyone knows about Sherlock Holmes: some from reading one of the books; some from watching one of the movies; and some from watching some of the TV series.  He’s the character that led to all the modern detectives that we read about, and Arthur Conan Doyle is the man who made modern crime drama what it is. 

And – if you haven’t already gathered from my rambling – I loved A Study in Scarlet, the first in the series revolving around the brilliant Sherlock Holmes.

It starts with Watson returning from the war, having served as an army doctor, because he’s recovering from a bad injury.  While looking for an apartment, who else does he find that wants to split the costs: Sherlock Holmes, of course.  From there, the story dragged me in, whether it was telling me the story of Watson and Holmes, or flashbacks from the build-up of the murder. 

Holmes is absolutely brilliant, and definitely didn’t let him reputation down – he’s a genius, unbelievably logical and more than a little eccentric.  I loved the way his mind worked: all the tiny clues he noticed absolutely fascinated me, and the way he had of figuring complexion, height, etc from the tiniest clues was just mind-blowing.  And, although no one wants to admit it, Sherlock is the one everyone – and I mean everyone, including police officers – turns to when they can’t figure the problem out themselves.  His observation and analytical skills are second to none, and everyone knows that.  It was because of these astonishing talents that Sherlock felt real to me, if a little mad.  But, hey, I like mad, especially when it’s paired with genius. 

Watson was more-or-less how he’s portrayed in all of the films/TV shows: smart, sensible and stable, compared to Holmes’ mood swings.  Unsurprisingly, Holmes intrigues him, even if he’s a little sceptical of Sherlock’s hidden detective talents to begin with.  Most of the story is told from Watson’s point of view, and it offers an interesting perspective of Holmes, and how he analysed everything. 

And the way it was written... wow.  I honestly couldn’t put the book down.  The second part confused me a little to begin with, but then I just got sucked into the story.  Once more: unable to put the book down.  Also, I can completely see why Sherlock Holmes is so huge, even nowadays.  To put it plainly, he’s brilliant.  The mystery itself was gruesome, but exciting, gripping hold of me, and winding tighter as I learnt more. 

It’s pretty safe to say that I love the classics – the feel of the world the author was in when they were written – and A Study in Scarlet really made me believe I was in Conan Doyle’s era.  Plus, it was a bite-size read, especially considering the lengths of some of the other classics out there.  I recommend this to everyone: it’s a masterpiece, with mystery, broken hearts and murder.  Really – what more do you want from a murder-mystery?

P.S. Small fact for you: Sherlock Holmes never says “Elementary, my dear Watson” in the books, as it was added to the films only for theatrical purposes.  Why it was added, though, I have no idea.

Star Rating:
4½ Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Classics:

Hercule Poirot Novels by Agatha Christie

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

Miss Marple Novels by Agatha Christie

Children/YA:

Nancy Drew Series by Various

The Hardy Boys Books by Various

Young Sherlock Holmes by Andy Lane

Modern:

The Beekeeper’s Apprentice by Laurie R. King

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Alex Cross by James Patterson

Challenges It's Taking Part In:
100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Book Chick City)
British Book Challenge (Hosted by The Bookette)
Off The Shelf Challenge (Hosted by BA Reading Challenges)
Dusty Volumes Reading Challenge (Hosted by Midnyte Reader)