Posted: March 25, 2022
The Return of Sherlock Holmes
The finest Sherlock Holmes short story collection reboots the franchise in grand style with a batch of memorable tales.
To my mind there is a line that separates the collection of stories called "The Return of Sherlock Holmes" from the previous books: "A Study in Scarlet", "The Sign of Four", "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes", and the "Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes". There is a sense, in reading "The Return of Sherlock Holmes", of a soft restart on the part of Arthur Conan Doyle. I don't know his mood in continuing to write about Holmes, if he felt forced to do it or if he did it with an appreciation for his most popular creation. The stories themselves do not reflect any hesitation on the part of the author, being of high quality.
I suppose Arthur Conan Doyle decided to "clean house" with this collection. For one thing, he brings back 221B Baker Street which was said to have burned down in the pages of "The Final Problem". The resurrection of the old home base is done without explanation; it is simply back - I, for one, am not complaining. Watson too is restored to his place in Baker Street and beside Holmes, his practice having been sold and himself having been recently widowed. And just like that, in the pages of "The Return of Sherlock Holmes", we are back to the Holmes and Watson of "A Study in Scarlet" and "The Sign of Four".
So far this is the best Sherlock Holmes story collection I have ever read. Although at this point I've only read around half of the complete works.
The Adventure of the Empty House
"The Adventure of the Empty House" features the memorable return of Sherlock Holmes - a shock big enough to cause Dr. Watson to lose consciousness. It is also a sequel to "The Final Problem" in the sense that it finds homes dealing with Professor Moriarty's deadly lieutenant, Colonel Moran. This story finds Holmes foiling his own assassination. This is also the first adventure in which the ever-reliable Mrs. Hudson plays a key part.
The Adventure of the Norwood Builder
I found "The Adventure of the Norwood Builder" to be a rollicking good read as mysteries go. It is straightforward in that it presents Holmes with a mystery that isn't hidden by a convoluted plot line - it is right in front and Sherlock simply has to put his formidable mind to work on it. This story would be my choice if someone just wanted me to recommend one short Sherlock Holmes mystery. It is about the murder of a Norwood Builder and the accusation and investigation which follows.
The Adventure of the Dancing Men
By the time of "The Adventure of the Dancing Men" I am beginning to think very highly of this collection of Sherlock Holmes stories. Though it ends tragically, this is still a very entertaining read. The whole mystery hinges on Holmes breaking a code composed of amusing stick figures called "the dancing men".
The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist
This adventure is about a damsel in distress with Holmes and Watson to the rescue as they hie off to the English countryside. The story is noteworthy in that things get very physical at the end. It is also an example of how just one good man in a bad group can win the day.
The Adventure of the Priory School
"The Adventure of the Priory School" starts with a boy gone missing from the Priory School. No ordinary student, this boy is part of the British nobility. This, of course, causes much anguish to the head of the school who rushes off to Baker Street to get some help. This story once again finds Holmes and Watson wandering the heath in the countryside to solve the mystery. What they unravel is an intricate case of family dynamics that has resulted in all this trouble, not only kidnapping but murder.
The Adventure of Black Peter
It is something to be said of a man that when he dies his immediate family finds cause to celebrate. Such a man was Black Peter - a former ship captain now retired. But the circumstance of his death is too mysterious to leave uninspected - Black Peter is impaled on a wall by a harpoon. It is left to Holmes to clear up the mystery.
The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton
After the dark figure of Black Peter we have the villainous Charles Augustus Milverton - a professional blackmailer. This is one of two stories in the collection in which Holmes and Watson appoint themselves judge and jury; using their advantage of simply being smarter to decide the course of justice. They also break the law in this story by breaking into a house. Considering that for most of the time the pair was in hiding during their break-in I found the read quite thrilling and the climax of this break-in leaves nothing else to be desired. This is the most "Batman" of the Sherlock Holmes tales.
The Adventure of the Six Napoleons
This is a fun story involving a seemingly insane person going around, breaking into establishments, and destroying Napoleon busts. The tale gets darker as murder is also committed. The adventure has Holmes and Watson going all around London in search of clues.
The Adventure of the Three Students
Someone has stolen what is effectively an exam cheat sheet and Holmes is called in to find out who. The pool of suspects is not very large, just three students. This seems like a so-so mystery on the face of it - no valuable object, no murder - but the details are very interesting and the story drew me in as it unfolded.
The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez
This tragic tale is about the past catching up to an old Professor. Circumstances finds Holmes in the service of the villain in the tale, a fact that cannot be helped. The backstory behind this mystery accounts for much of its fascination.
The Adventure of the Three Quarter
Three quarter refers to a position in a rugby team. When the most important member of a varsity team goes missing Holmes is called in to solve the case. Once again the combination of secrets, family expectations, and alliances form a mystery to be unravelled.
The Adventure of the Abbey Grange
Here is another story that has Holmes and Watson taking over as judge and jury - and the justice of the whole thing has me smiling. There is murder here and Holmes does catch the culprit but he doesn't inform Lestrade and Scotland Yard, wisely so. This is a tale of domestic abuse, an unhappy marriage, and true love. Whether figuring out the mystery or making decisions on the case, Sherlock Holmes makes all the right decisions. A very satisfying tale.
The Adventure of the Second Stain
This adventure was mentioned very early on in the collection and we get to hear of it as the final tale of the book. An interesting mention in this story is that Holmes will eventualy retire to the English countryside to take on bee-keeping as a hobby. This tale is one of those in which Holmes is tasked to find a valuable item - in this case a document. The "second stain" refer to one of the clues that helps him find it. The case is viewed early on as impossible to solve, even by Holmes himsel, but against all odds he does it; taking care to hold back certain details to protect those that must be protected.