The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1905)

40) The Return of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (8/10) To Watson’s utter astonishment Holmes returns from the dead, after toppling into the Reichenbach falls with Moriarty. The manner of his reappearance is a bit odd, as he seems determined to kill Watson through shock. Some classic Holmes stories here. Occasionally Holmes will keep some vital piece of information to himself, which a bit annoying as it means not only Watson, Lestrade & Hopkins are kept in the dark & unable to solve the mystery, but so is the read. Still immensely enjoyable to reread them. ( )

I had forgotten how good Sherlock Holmes stories were. I'll have to go back and read the others again. The writing style of Sir Aurthur Conan Doyle is very enjoyable. The stories are written in the voice of Dr Watson who is Holmes' best friend.

One nice thing about these stories is how clear the concepts of right and wrong are (back then). No moral relativism here! The only reason it took so long for me to finish this book was that I only read at bedtime and as soon as I'd start a story, I'd get *very* sleepy...but it wasn't the writing!

I got this from www.gutenburg.org for free (yay!) and read it on my Kindle (which I love!)... ( )

This is the third short story collection, and it felt like the best so far - or maybe I'm just getting more and more into this crime universe. Holmes is returning after his presumed death in the fatal encounter with Moriarty at the Reichenbach Fall (recounted in the last story of "The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes".

The collection here is a feast of good stories, most of them shows Sherlock Holmes at the top of his game with his brilliant deductive powers. Oh, how Lestrade glows in the second story but guess who gets the last laughter. My favorites were "The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton" , "Abbey Grange", "The Second Stain", "Six Napoleons", "Priory School" and "The Norwood Builder".

I like the variety - some scary, some intriguing, some comic - most of them just trademark Sherlock-spectacular. Again the Gothic setting of Victorian London is a sheer pleasure. Also there are trips to large estates outside London and a visit at a university.

The perfect chemistry between Holmes and Watson are one of the reasons for the success of these stories. Holmes always five steps ahead of them all, Watson trying to catch up and being surprised all the time. Brilliant. In one of the stories Holmes gets engaged:

“You would not call me a marrying man, Watson?"
"No, indeed!"
"You'll be interested to hear that I'm engaged."
"My dear fellow! I congrat——"
"To Milverton's housemaid."
"Good heavens, Holmes!"
"I wanted information, Watson."
"Surely you have gone too far?"
"It was a most necessary step. I am a plumber with a rising business, Escott, by name.” ( )

Three years after Sherlock’s death at the hands of Moriarty, Dr. Watson is shocked to discover he’s actually alive and well! He was so shocked in fact he faints for the first and only time in his life.

The story that follows explains Sherlock’s absence over the past couples years and his current predicament. Some of Moriarty’s agents are trying to find and kill him and they’ll stop at nothing to do so. The clever Holmes devises a plan to not only catch his enemies, but also to solve an open case for the police at the same time.

**SPOILERS**

Colonel Moran is Sherlock’s pursuer in this novella. He is an admired military man with a reputation as an skilled hunter. Sherlock compares Colonel Moran (to his face) to the very tigers he hunted for so many years. It must have been salt in the wound to someone so proud of his ability to hunt. Holmes had no qualms about insulting him and making sure he understood that he was now the captured prey. Clearly the brilliant Sherlock has returned.

**SPOILERS OVER**

BOTTOM LINE: An excellent story and a must read for anyone who finishes The Final Problem. ( )

Doyle really hits his stride with this third collection of Sherlock Holmes stories. They're funny, clever, and well-written, and certainly rank among the best in the canon. ( )