There is no greater detective in fictitious London than Sherlock Holmes. Created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the late 1880's, the nimble-minded detective was known for his logical reasoning and early forensic science skills to solve England's most gruesome crimes. Along with his trusted sidekick Dr. John H. Watson, Holmes proves his ability as a gumshoe and a master of disguise. Stories like «The Adventure of the Speckled Band» require inventive and creative measures for Doyle's intelligent detective to solve a murder. The crime took place in a locked room with no way in or out, and it is only when Holmes locks himself in the room that he able to solve the mystery and reveal the true killer. In another story, Holmes is outsmarted by a woman in «A Scandal in Bohemia,» though he looks upon the case with fond memories because he was dazzled by the woman and her wit and charms. The stories do not all focus on mere intelligence, though. Holmes faces a great deal of action, fighting, and gun play in his line of work. He was also one of the first fictitious characters to use forensic evidence to help solve crimes. Most of the forensic sciences had not been developed at the time of Doyle's writing; thus, Sherlock Holmes' stories actually helped create and shape forensics. This collection, «The Sherlock Holmes Mysteries», is a wonderful addition to any book collection, and it is an exciting read for audiences of all ages.
When Sir Charles Baskerville is found suspiciously dead, his friend, Dr. James Mortimer asks Sherlock Holmes to look into the death. While the cause of death is determined to be a heart attack, Mortimer suspects foul play and fears that Sir Charles’s nephew and sole heir, Sir Henry Baskerville, may be in danger next. At the center of the investigation is the curse of the Baskervilles, which dates back to the time of the English Civil War. Supposedly the family’s ancestor, Hugo Baskerville, sold his soul to the devil, and the family has been haunted by a large spectral hound ever since. Because Sir Charles was found with a look of horror on his face when he died, appeared to be running away from something, and large paw prints had been found near his body, there is reason to believe that the “Hound” may have returned. The details of the case spark the interest of Sherlock and he agrees to take up the case. “The Hound of the Baskervilles,” is the third of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes novels and is widely regarded as one of his best. This edition includes a biographical afterword.
What would the genre of detective fiction be without the inimitable Sherlock Holmes? One can only speculate as to its state given the absence of its most famous character. “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” was the first anthology of Sherlock Holmes stories and collected together the stories that were first serialized in “The Strand Magazine” between June 1891 and July 1892. The stories included in this reprint of that volume are as follows: “A Scandal in Bohemia”, “The Red-Headed League”, “A Case of Identity”, “The Boscombe Valley Mystery”, “The Five Orange Pips”, “The Man with the Twisted Lip”, “The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle”, “The Adventure of the Speckled Band”, “The Adventure of the Engineer’s Thumb”, “The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor”, “The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet”, and “The Adventure of the Copper Beeches”. This edition includes a biographical afterword.