The Return of Sherlock Holmes [Paperback]

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Author)

Book Description

Series: Sherlock Holmes | Publication Date: April 1, 2007

'"Holmes!" I cried. "Is it really you? Can it indeed be that you are alive? Is it possible that you succeeded in climbing out of that awful abyss?'. The one and only Sherlock Holmes is sensationally back from the dead, and devoting his life once more to examining the criminal complexities of the capital. Cases of mysterious codes, persecuted millionaires, stalkers, abductions and a meeting with 'the worst man in London' are all attacked with renewed vigour. But Holmes' old enemies are watching his every move. Watching, waiting, plotting...

Editorial Reviews

Review

''Sherlock Holmes is the very foundation stone of the edifice that is crime fiction.'' --Times (London)

''Every writer owes something to Holmes.'' --T. S. Eliot

''Every writer owes something to Holmes.'' --T. S. Eliot --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

About the Author

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh on May 22, 1859, one of seven children who survived to adulthood. Rejecting his family's strict Catholicism and, cut off from their patronage, he decided to set up his own practice in Southsea in 1882. After the death of his first wife, Louise Hawkins, he went on to marry Jean Leckie in 1907 and they had two sons and a daughter. He died in 1930.

Product Details

• Paperback: 375 pages
• Publisher: Headline Book Publishing (April 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0755334418
• ISBN-13: 978-0755334414
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #698,430 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars The return of Sherlock, January 28, 2011

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Return of Sherlock Holmes (Paperback)

When last we heard of Sherlock Holmes, he had plummeted from Reichenbach Falls along with the evil Professor Moriarty.

But after years of fans badgering him to bring Holmes back, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle finally relented in "The Return of Sherlock Holmes." The stories in here aren't quite as gripping as the previous collections, but there's still plenty of striking, mind-bending mysteries for the legendary detective to unwind.

A few years after Holmes' death, Watson has settled into a routine as a regular doctor, although he becomes interested in the locked-room murder of the Honourable Ronald Adair. But then a strange old man comes into Watson's office, and reveals himself to be none other than Sherlock Holmes. Watson promptly faints from the shock.

But when he wakes up, Holmes reveals that he has been traveling the world and avoiding Moriarty's equally nasty confederates. And before he can resume normal life at Baker Street, he and Watson must catch the last of these evil men -- which may be connected to Adair's death.

After that, Holmes and Watson fall back into solving cases: a young man who is accused of murdering his strangely friendly client; a string of stick figures, a music teacher followed by a cyclist, a boy kidnapped from his school, a harpoon impalement, blackmail and high society scandal, shattered Napoleonic busts, stolen exams, a Russian lady, a rugby player's disappearance, a brutal murder that isn't what it seems, and a missing document that could lead to a massive war.

"The Return of Sherlock Holmes" occasionally feels a little unenthusiastic, probably because Doyle had really intended to kill off Holmes because he wanted to focus on "important" novels. Fortunately, even lesser Holmes mysteries are still brilliant -- there are twisted crimes, malevolent schemers, and some puzzles that only Holmes can unravel.

And as usual, Doyle crafts two kinds of crimes/mysteries -- the ones that are ultra-simple but turn out to have hidden kinks, and the ones that seem impossible to solve but are actually shockingly simple. But things don't always end in the same way ("The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton" ends in a really shocking manner), and the culprits aren't always dealt with in the same way.

It's also really fun to see Watson and Holmes working together again, especially after Holmes makes such a dramatic, energetic reentry in the very first story. And it's very cute to see Watson pass out because he's so shocked and thrilled that Holmes is alive. The characters seem even faster friends, especially when it's revealed that Watson has gotten Holmes off of cocaine (which was still used medicinally at the time).

"Return of Sherlock Holmes" suffers from a few patches of unenthusiastic writing, but Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's mysteries are still brilliant brain-benders. The Great Detective is back.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Does the scientific observation prevent the imagination?, April 9, 2009

By 

Guang Wu (China) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Return of Sherlock Holmes (Paperback)

After reading this book, I still cannot understand why we, researchers, have sufficient data in our hands, but we can write just a few words. By clear contrast, novelists, who have few data in their hands, can write a lot.

It could be that the scientific observation prevents imaginations as Sherlock Holmes could write only a little if not nothing.