Name: The Sign of Four. A Sherlock Holmes Mystery.
Rating: 4.028896496173983 (2483 reviews)
ISBN: 9783190025367

Arthur Conan Doyle

Anne Collins

The Sign of Four. A Sherlock Holmes Mystery.

Moira

Haley

julia

Lestrade and Gregson glanced at each other with an incredulous smile. "If this man was murdered, how was it done?" asked the formner. "Poison," said Sherlock Holmes curtly, and strode off. "One other thing, Lestrade," he added, turning round at the door: "Rache, is the German for revenge'; so don't lose your time looking for Miss Rachel." With which Parthian shot he walked away, leaving the two rivals open-mouthed behind him.

 "I am afraid, Rance, that you will never rise in the force. That headof yours should be for use as well as ornament. You might have gained your sergeant's stripes last night. The man whom you held in your hands is the man who holds the clue of this mystery, and whom we are seeking. There is no use of arguing about it now; I tell you that it is so. Come along, Doctor."

The Hound of the Baskervilles

Shawn Camp

This was my first Sherlock Holmes story and I ended up enjoying reading this even though. Had to restart it after halfway through. I apparently read through too fast and got lost in the story and felt that to better appreciate what we have been given in this masterful mystery. I felt that this decision helped establish the characters better and helped me figure out some of the mystery before it came upon us. I'll definitely be reading more, probably starting at book one for a change.

A study in scarlet

Can see why these stories captivated readers leading to numerous more stories.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Midveil

I picked this up out of sentimental emotion. My late father was re-reading this book when he passed away from leukemia this past January. He loved mysteries and especially Sherlock Holmes, and he recounted the plots of some of these stories while I was growing up. I like a good mystery too. There is something immensely charming about crime investigation in 1888 and how it seemed much more an art than a science. And I enjoyed reading these with an eye towards the undeniable attraction of Sherlock Holmes as a character: his condescension, conceit, and how he can tell every detail of a guy’s life from his top hat. Holmes “alternates between cocaine and ambition,” hangs out in opium dens, and is an expert such matters like cigar ashes and identifying tattoo. Some of the plots and twists seem obvious. For example, “The Red-Headed League” follows a pretty obvious path but still manages to be entertaining, and “The Engineer’s Thumb” is pretty evident with where it’s going. The “The Speckled Band” is just dripping with clues about how a woman’s twin was murdered — whistles, strings, baboons, ventilation — but only Sherlock Holmes could have pieced it together.

The Complete Sherlock Holmes: (xl, 709 p.). The world of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes

Taneil Casey

It is strange, but sometimes after I read Sherlock Holmes, I find my powers of observation slightly increased!  I loved reading all of the tales of Holmes, and his wonderful friend and confidante, Watson, but these books are quite large, and I had to take breaks whilst reading them!

Tim Pendry

Still a highly readable classic of its type, 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' (the third of Conan Doyle's four Sherlock Holmes novels and first serialised in 1901/1902) stands up well as an atmospheric story of Victorian criminality with an undoubted Gothic feel to it. It is notable for holding back Holmes as resolver of problems until quite near the end. The novel reads (as it was intended to be) as a throw-back to mid-nineteenth century narratives of bad behaviour amongst the black sheep of the English gentle class. A highly conservative work in both style and content, it nevertheless acts as an important bridge to the twentieth century English country house tradition of class-ridden murder for property and advantage that still operates today in films like 'Knives out'. It might be noticed in passing that the story (which brought Holmes 'back from the dead' as far as his fans were concerned although Holmes apparently 'died' in 1891 and the story is set in 1889) was filmed (in Germany) as early as 1914. It has been a popular culture staple ever since.

The first of the Sherlock Holmes' adventures, this book introduces the great sleuth and explains how Dr. Watson and Holmes come to share rooms together and solve mysteries together.

A Study in Scarlet

STUPID ASS BOOK. i was angry for the entirety of the book, or rather the first half of the book. i suffered so much that I do not think it to be suitable to continue reading and start the second part because there’s nothing that the author can say that would otherwise convince me on how horrible this book and the author BOTH are.

Racism was really filled in its every nook and i don’t have any words to describe how twisted it is. There was even animal cruelty in this. Oh Sherlock i hate you and your stupid military gay affair. All the characters in this book were insufferable.

The book on its own was horrible too, boring, repetitive and horrible as hell.

aisha

STUPID ASS BOOK. i was angry for the entirety of the book, or rather the first half of the book. i suffered so much that I do not think it to be suitable to continue reading and start the second part because there’s nothing that the author can say that would otherwise convince me on how horrible this book and the author BOTH are.

Racism was really filled in its every nook and i don’t have any words to describe how twisted it is. There was even animal cruelty in this. Oh Sherlock i hate you and your stupid military gay affair. All the characters in this book were insufferable.

The book on its own was horrible too, boring, repetitive and horrible as hell.

Arthur Conan Doyle, Sir

A Study in Scarlet is a detective mystery novel written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, introducing his new characters, "consulting detective" Sherlock Holmes and his friend and chronicler, Dr. John Watson, who later became two of the most famous characters in literature. Conan Doyle wrote the story in 1886, and it was published the following year. The book's title derives from a speech given by Holmes to Doctor Watson on the nature of his work, in which he describes the story's murder investigation as his "study in scarlet": "There's the scarlet thread of murder running through the colourless skein of life, and our duty is to unravel it, and isolate it, and expose every inch of it."

What a daring narrative style to start a series that turned out to be one of the greatest ever! 

I had to double check whether I was listening to the same book when the part 2 started. But everything fits the narrative perfectly towards the end which makes up for a compelling first case of Sherlock Holmes.

Adwait Kulkarni

What a daring narrative style to start a series that turned out to be one of the greatest ever! 
I had to double check whether I was listening to the same book when the part 2 started. But everything fits the narrative perfectly towards the end which makes up for a compelling first case of Sherlock Holmes.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Returning to London from war, an injured Dr John Watson is in acute need of a place to live. An acquaintance introduces him to the eccentric "consultant detective" Sherlock Holmes, and Watson soon finds himself pulled into an alluring world of crime solving adventures. Told partly through Watson, partly through the murderer, ‘A Study in Scarlet’ (1887) is Arthur Conan Doyle’s first dip into the world of Sherlock Holmes, and one that would make him world famous. This first Holmes novel became the basis of the pilot episode of the extremely popular BBC show, 'Sherlock' (2010-2017), by 'Doctor Who' showrunner Steven Moffat, which starred Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) was a British writer, best known for his thrilling stories about the adventures of the detective Sherlock Holmes. He published four novels and more than 50 short stories starring Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. The stories are seen as important milestones in the history of crime fiction.

The first part is very fun, and the second part is at first confusing but then brilliantly tied in. Very thrilling. 

marzipan♡

relendo sherlock holmes na tentativa de pegar o bonde andando e terminar essa saga de livros <3

sherlock e john, senti saudades! muito interessante ver pequenos frascos de semelhança com minha série favorita, house e mais uma vez me apaixonando pelos paralelos sherlock & john vs. gregory & james <3

relendo sherlock holmes na tentativa de pegar o bonde andando e terminar essa saga de livros <3

sherlock e john, senti saudades! muito interessante ver pequenos frascos de semelhança com minha série favorita, house e mais uma vez me apaixonando pelos paralelos sherlock & john vs. gregory & james <3

THE BANE OF A GREAT BEAST ECHOSE ACROSS THE MOORS... Some blame the sudden death of Sir Charles Baskerville on the legend of a fearsome and ghostly hound that is said to have haunted his Devonshire family for generations. So when the services of famed detective Sherlock Holmes are engaged to ensure the safety of Baskerville heir Sir Henry - recently arrived from America - Dr Watson is surprised to find his friend dismissive of the matter. In fact, Watson is dispatched alone to accompany Sir Henry to Baskerville Hall in Devon while Holmes deals with another case. Yet Watson finds the wild moors are a far cry from the orderly streets of London, and in the cold night a savage and bestial howl may be heard ...

Yusuf Khan

Kirsten Kim

The Valley of Fear (Complete Classics)

Sajiya Chaudhary

I had forgotten how good reading a Sherlock novel used to be. This was really different from all the books of this genre. Very bloody! I felt like I was in the movie "The Irishman". Really loved the narration of Watson, it's quite different from all other sidekicks (Hastings especially). Conan Doyle was a fine author!

Since his first appearance in Beeton’s Christmas Annual in 1887, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes has been one of the most beloved fictional characters ever created. Now, in two paperback volumes, Bantam presents all fifty-six short stories and four novels featuring Conan Doyle’s classic hero–a truly complete collection of Sherlock Holmes’s adventures in crime!

Volume I includes the early novel A Study in Scarlet, which introduced the eccentric genius of Sherlock Holmes to the world. This baffling murder mystery, with the cryptic word Rache written in blood, first brought Holmes together with Dr. John Watson. Next, The Sign of Four presents Holmes’s famous “seven percent solution” and the strange puzzle of Mary Morstan in the quintessential locked-room mystery. 

Also included are Holmes’s feats of extraordinary detection in such famous cases as the chilling “ The Adventure of the Speckled Band,” the baffling riddle of “The Musgrave Ritual,” and the ingeniously plotted “The Five Orange Pips,” tales that bring to life a Victorian England of horse-drawn cabs, fogs, and the famous lodgings at 221B Baker Street, where Sherlock Holmes earned his undisputed reputation as the greatest fictional detective of all time.

--back cover

The Complete Novels and Stories: Volume 1

Sherlock Holmes

anjali

I first devoured these stories and novels at the age of fourteen, curled up in my room on winter nights. It was a long winter, I remember. It was also quite a long book. Few points in my life have had circumstances come together and arrange themselves in such an agreeable manner so as to make a reading experience as memorable as this one.

Like most readers, I entered the world of Sherlock Holmes - at once stretching between the streets of London with in all its vividness, to the deeper, richer world beyond - into the mind of the man whose name this novel bears - with A Study In Scarlet. And from then on, there was no turning back.

Sherlock Holmes stories are interesting and endlessly entertaining. I still remember the initial scepticism (much like our dear Dr. Watson) and then the increasing awe and astonishment with which I read Holmes' descriptions of Dr. Watson without first having seen or heard of the man. (The awe and amazement that I speak of were provoked, of course, when Holmes explained how he deducted his findings. The findings were first greeted with scepticism when first pronounced in his typical, Holmes manner. 'Every thing is simple once it's explained,' Holmes once famously complained.)

To this day I remain in awe of Holmes intellect, his passion for rigorous mental athletics, his laid back approach, his suaveness and his style. If there's one man to have come out of the Victorian era who had style - encompassing both his intellectual rigour and individual eccentricity - it's this beloved fictional detective who has entertained countless generations of readers for decades, and will for years to come.

I will always look back on the December of 2005 with fond recollections of the wonder, thrill, fear and 'aha!' that I felt at various times, often simultaneously, and even after re-reads, while reading these stories. 

There are few ways as good to spend long winter nights than escaping - for an escape is what these delicious stories offer us readers - into the adventures of Sherlock Holmes. 

Here's to Holmes and Watson!

The complete Sherlock Holmes contains everything written by Conan Doyle on the legendary private investigator. In a single volume all the novels and stories that have passionate all in the world for over 130 years

The Complete Sherlock Holmes

I'll be honest, this is technically a DNF for me. I got halfway through the 60 or so short stories and lost my will to keep going. After a while the stories all started to blend together and I found myself just not even paying attention. Then remembered I had another 37 more short stories to get through and decided it wasn't worth it, I've gotten as much out of the stories as I think I was able. 

Some I really enjoyed. Most were pretty same-y. Maybe in another 10 years I'll get up the motivation to finish the last 24 hours of the 40+ hour long audiobook.

Stephen Fry is a great narrator though, I must say

Emma Lechner

I'll be honest, this is technically a DNF for me. I got halfway through the 60 or so short stories and lost my will to keep going. After a while the stories all started to blend together and I found myself just not even paying attention. Then remembered I had another 37 more short stories to get through and decided it wasn't worth it, I've gotten as much out of the stories as I think I was able. 

Some I really enjoyed. Most were pretty same-y. Maybe in another 10 years I'll get up the motivation to finish the last 24 hours of the 40+ hour long audiobook.

Stephen Fry is a great narrator though, I must say

As the beginning of a Sherlock story (also the first book I read) this is not bad but not very impressive.

The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes (Collector's Library)

Itzel

I don't think this one should be reviewed as a single thing, because each story is very different from one another.

So I'll begin listing off my favorites from this volume.

First of all, one that I'm pretty sure fans all over the world enjoy. The Three Garridebs. Although the mystery in it isn't that original (Clever, sure)(A similar gambit was employed in The Red-Headed League), what fans like about this story is the glimpse at humanity we get from Holmes. If you have read this, you must know what moment I am referring to. When Watson gets shot by the villain (Albeit it was only a graze), and Holmes reacts in a way that speaks of the high regard and esteem he holds for his friend, that moment is really something invaluable in all of the stories, really good and heartwarming. 

Once I'm done with the one most obvious, I'll say that I really enjoyed The Lion's Mane, too. The way the villain was someone we wouldn't have expected at all (Unless we happen to have an extensive knowledge in marine creatures, that is) is something I liked a lot. Also, that the story ends in a rather happy note, despite the 'murder' that started it. 

The Sussex Vampire was another one I liked, despite a) Not having real vampires or supernatural creatures, and b) Not having a murder despite the suggestive title. I would spoil the story if I mentioned more details about it.

A curious story was The Veiled Lodger, as in here, there is no mystery for Holmes to investigate, because it's simply the account of someone who immerse in guilt, needs to tell her story to feel at peace with herself. It doesn't mean it's interesting, even if it's quite different from the formula we should be accustomed to.

I should mention that this is where the two only stories that are narrated by Holmes himself appear. Let's remember that the two stories that happened before Watson's time were narrated by him, still, even if for example in Gloria Scott, the part of the mystery itself was Holmes' narration. Both Lion's Mane and Blanched Soldier are purely Holmes' story, both of which prove to be a nice treat for delving into our favorite detective mind. 

The rest of the stories prove to be rather nice as well. The Creeping Man doesn't end in crime either, although one could say that the consumption of illegal drugs can be a crime. In Retired Colourman, although it's a murder investigation, it turns out that there isn't a murder, although death does happen. Mazarin's Stone is somewhat hilarious because of the way Holmes tricks the villains into revealing the location of the title stone. Blanched Soldier, also, does not end up in any crime having been committed, although this one is somewhat sad. In Thor's Bridge, although there is a murder, there isn't anyone incriminated, because, and spoilers are to follow, the victim can be the perpetrator. I won't mention Illustrious Client and Shoscombe Old Place because as it turns out, those are the stories taht left less of an impression in my mind.

As any other Sherlock Holmes' volume, this one proves to be interesting, and to function excellently as a light reading.

Chloé

I was really enjoying this book, ejaculated overuse ignored, but the sudden appearance of mormons to tell the backstory of the villain was just unnecessary. then there was a paragraph where Hope explained everything like the whole chapters worth of backstory was super unnecessary. this was a 3.5/4 star for me cause it was easy to read, fun, engaging and i was enjoying myself, But the mormon stuff ruined it and made it a 1.5/2 star read.


EDIT - 
Im sorry the mormon stuff ruined it its a 1 fuck this.

Steffi'sBookShelve

This is a great book and I love reading it, but I find it very inconvenient that collection book like this that holds multiple books only counts as one book on this site. Because in reality you are reading more than one book, in this case you’re actually reading nine books forhaps this will change in the future.

buny

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ i am delighted i feel sooo accomplished as if i was watson myself following sherlock holmes along on his case as a dear friend ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Amna A.

Well, it took ages to complete this book. I was reading A Study in Scarlet alongside other books, so I put the book aside quite frequently and eventually forgot what happened in the book when I got back to it. Thanks to that, I had to re-read several chapters to get back on track and be able to keep up with what was going on.
 Though it was interesting to read about Sherlock and John's first encounter plus getting John's perspective of Sherlock. 
 What had me lost was the beginning of part two of the novel-"Where did all the Mormons come from?" Though you eventually find out that it was worth it.

Doyle's own stage version of The adventure of the speckled band.

The Speckled Band

Michael Knepprath

Adapts the classic first Sherlock Holmes novel by Arthur Conan Doyle into a graphic novel format, in a book timed with the release of the new Sherlock Holmes movie starring Robert Downy, Jr. Original. Movie tie-in

A Sherlock Holmes Graphic Novel

Sarah Sammis

A Study in Scarlet by by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was first published in Beeton's Christmas Annual. It's been more than 20 years since I first read it but after seeing Moffat's take on it as "A Study in Pink" I wanted to refresh my memory. Ian Edginton's graphic novel version of A Study in Scarlet was a fun way to revisit the original mystery.

This is the story that introduces Dr. Watson, newly returned from Afghanistan, to Sherlock Holmes. Watson is in need of affordable housing and Holmes is in need of a roommate who won't be put off by his odd hours, odd profession and numerous experiments.

Their first case together involves a man who is lying dead in a pool of blood without any sign of trauma. In the blood he has written Rache but where the blood came from and what the German word for revenge has to do with anything has the police stumped.

I didn't have the original text with me to compare editing choices that must have been made but the text and dialog is still recognizably Doyle. The lettering is clear and easy to read. The color pallets tend towards monochrome and sepia, mimicking old style newspapers and photographs.

My only problem with the book is the character design of Sherlock himself. I realize Sherlock is described as tall, with broad shoulders and a strong chin, but the chin drawn on him is bizarre and gawk-worthy. His chin is so long that there's a line drawn on it where his chin should stop to make the facial expressions work, except then the chin extends well on beyond it.

His Last Bow (Sherlock Holmes)

it might be a bit too much to say that i find comfort in reading holmes series, but i have always been drawn to him as a mystery freak detective who is quirky and almost insufferable for a character. never fail to amaze me with the case solving process and holmes’ train of thoughts which are always interesting to follow.

The Sign of Four. A Sherlock Holmes Mystery.

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