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Dec 20, 2011

R.J. rated it:

Technically, I am reading "The Original Illustrated Sherlock Holmes," an omnibus collection of which "Return" is a part. I began on the volume two years ago, which consists of 37 short stories and one serialized novel (all but the first two novels of Arthur Conan Doyle's stories on the character). I am on the final 13 stories, the contents of which make up The Return of Sherlock Holmes.

During the holidays I just can't tackle a large novel, but these little 15 page More...

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Dec 14, 2011

Ensiform rated it:

1. "The Adventure Of the Empty House." In which Sherlock Holmes, supposedly having gone over Reichenbach Falls, reveals in melodramatic fashion that he is alive and sets a trap that catches one of Moriarty’s most ruthless henchmen, solving a puzzling recent murder at the same time. A ripping yarn, though the conceit of the noiseless air gun is really a deus ex machina.

2. "The Adventure Of the Norwood Builder." In which Holmes solves an apparent murder, saving an More...

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Sep 09, 2011

Harmonybites rated it:

This is the third collection of Sherlock Holmes short stories, consisting of a baker's dozen of puzzle pieces with the Great Detective. I wouldn't recommend them as an introduction to Holmes. In the last story of the second collection, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, "The Final Problem," Doyle famously sent Holmes over Reichenbach Falls. The introduction in the edition I read relates how a boatman told Doyle that even if Holmes survived the fall over the cliff, "he was never quite More...

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Aug 13, 2011

Guadalupe rated it:

(I must warn you first that this isn't the edition I read. I downloaded this book from the Gütenberg Project, but I figured the contents of each edition would be more or less the same, so I'll review this one.)

At some point of the late 18th Century, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle decided to kill his famous detective, Sherlock Holmes. Apparently, he didn't like this character very much, as he considered these stories of less literary achievement in comparison to his other work. Tired of writin More...

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May 31, 2011

Sarah rated it:

I really didn't expect to like this book as much I did. I'm not a particular fan of mysteries or short story collections, but my husband kind of likes Sherlock Holmes stories, so I'd originally put this audiobook on my iPod for us to listen to together on long car trips. Luckily, I didn't wait until we ran out of things to talk about on a car trip to listen to it, because we're both pretty talkative, and when you put us alone in a car, let's just say we don't get bored together easily.

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Oct 23, 2010

Amy rated it:

Ok, so he didn't really die. Sure, he fell of a cliff, but hey! This is Sherlock Homes! You knew better than that, right? It may have taken Conan Doyle a full decade of being pestered by fans before he'd write any more Holmes and Watson short stories, but this collection is strong and tight and it's a credit to Conan Doyle's skills and imagination that this collection doesn't feel merely like an author's final pandering to a clamouring audience.

There's less of the misogyny that feat More...

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Oct 04, 2010

Sammy rated it:

Ok, I will admit this. I am reading the Sherlock Holmes books because they are.....bad.

They really are.

There is really nothing likable about Sherlock Holmes as a character - he is an arrogant twit who treats the people around him terribly and on a good day, thinks of only mild insults to throw at them. On most days, he is just downright demeaning and treats them as if they are small children there for his amusement, or to be his servants.

As a writer, More...

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Mar 21, 2010

Gail rated it:

A previous collection of Doyle's stories, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, brought so much pleasure that I couldn't wait for more. Here they are in THE RETURN OF SHERLOCK HOLMES stunningly presented by Simon Prebble.. If you've not yet heard a reading by Prebble, sit down and prepare to be well entertained.

The British born Prebble, an experienced stage, television, and film, actor came to our country in 1990. Since then he has narrated some 350 audio books and has garnered ev More...

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Jan 13, 2010

Meg rated it:

In 1893, tired of writing his Sherlock Holmes stories and eager to focus on historical novels, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle sent his famous detective to his death down the Reichenbach Fall in "The Final Problem". For years, the public clamored for the next installment in Holmes's tale and finally, nine years and several generous offers from his publishers later, Doyle was back to writing his Holmes stories.

Now, I'm a big fan of mysteries and an even bigger fan of Holmes - having fi More...

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Nov 26, 2011

Martin rated it:

Probably the best collection of Sherlock Holmes; short stories that I have read so far. Tgere wasn't one story out of the lot that I found boring, and all but one, the one being 'The Adventure of Abbey Grange', kept me guessing to what the outcome would be right up until it is explained by Holmes.

I feel this book was a lot more fast paced then previous collections with Holmes' deduction skills seemingly having intensified; a quick one second glance at a patch of grass was all that was More...

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May 14, 2010

Caitlin rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Feb 02, 2010

Sidney rated it:

I know in Sherlockian circles Holmes is said not to be the man he once was in in tales after "The Final Problem," but I've always had a fondness for "The Return of Sherlock Holmes." I've been re-reading a few stories each week since watching the new movie, and it's great to experience "Return" stories in quick succession. I've always loved "The Dancing Men" and Holmes' deciphering of a mysterious code. "Return" also includes "Black Peter" More...

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Jan 20, 2012

sabisteb rated it:

1. The Adventure of the Empty House (1903)
Frühling 1894: Drei Jahre sind vergangen, seit Holmes Tod und Watson ist mittlerweile Wittwer. Er geht weiterhin seinem alten Hobby nach, der privaten Enträtselung von Verbrechen, als geistige Gymnastik, als er eine überraschende Bekanntschaft mit einem alten Buchhändler macht.
2. The Adventure of the Norwood Builder (1903)
August 1894: Jonas Oldacre, ein Baununternehmer und Junggeselle wird ermordet und seine Leiche gleich auf dem Bauhof ve More...

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Jan 01, 2012

Melissa rated it:

This was my first Sherlock in nearly a year, and a pleasure to dip back into. Not every story was a gem, but the majority made for a very good read. Among my favourites were "The Norwood Builder" (a young man unexpectedly becomes the heir of a benefactor previously unknown to him, only to be implicated in the man's death that night), "The Dancing Men" (a fellow and his wife are menaced by messages in the coded form of dancing men - with an ending a little darker and more chil More...

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Jul 27, 2011

Chad rated it:

Another great collection of Sherlock Holmes short mysteries. These shorts are where Sherlock really gets to shine because the story is neat and compact and because Sherlock is a master observer he is able to notice the details and put together what happened without the need of hiding what it is he's discovered from the reader for long.

This volume comes after Sherlock Holmes had died battling Moriarty in the last collection. Thankfully for us, the fans of the day were too attached to Ho More...

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Jan 10, 2012

an rated it:

vox pupoli, vox dei

suara juri memang menentukan. anda dinyatakan tidak bersalah

siapa sih yang ga tau sherlock holmes. minimal pernah nonton filim na. dan itulah rhe :D

sudah sering disebut di komik conan, sudah nonton film na, tapi belon pernah baca sendiri buku na. buku ini yang pertama rhe baca. buluk memang dengan bahasa masa buku ini diterbitkan. hehe.. sempat pelan-pelan. dan bagi pembaca awal, jangann takut ga mudeng karena watson menjelaskan dengan rinci rasa More...

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Feb 02, 2011

Melaszka rated it:

I'm hovering between a 2 and a 3 on this, because, much as I admire Conan Doyle's chutzpah in bringing back from the dead a character he had previously definitively killed off (a kind of proto Bobby Ewing in the shower)and shamelessly writing out Watson's wife with absolutely no explanation whatsoever, strictly speaking that kind of narrative inconsistency isn't really on.

I'm also in two minds about where he's going with his characterisation and relationships. Improbability aside, the More...

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Mar 03, 2011

Sammy rated it:

A very enjoyable collection of Holmes and Watson mysteries, although there is a decided return to the romantic/melodramatic stylings of the early novels.

After the opening story, which goes to lunatic levels to bring Holmes back (but fair enough), there are some great stories throughout. Watson's narrative voice is pitch-perfect, as is his relationship with Holmes. Beyond this, the various Scotland Yard characters are given more depth, and are able to work WITH Holmes, as opposed to ju More...

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Feb 01, 2010

Michael rated it:

Sherlock Holmes returns from the dead in this collection of short stories. Following his watery demise at the hands of Moriarty (though the truly passionate murderer was Arthur Conan Doyle, who was sick of writing about Holmes), the great detective returns quickly to 221b Baker Street and his life of solving crime.

There are a couple of really good stories/mysetries in this collection, including The Adventure of the Three Students (where Holmes must solve the "crime" of a ch More...

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Jul 29, 2011

Sjonni rated it:

"[...] I must admit, Watson, that you have some power of selection which atones for much which I deplore in your narratives. Your fatal habit of looking at everything from the point of view of a story instead of as a scientific exercise has ruined what might have been an instructive and even classical series of demonstrations. You slur over work of the utmost finesse and delicacy in order to dwell upon sensational details which may excite but cannot possibly instruct the reader." Hol More...

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Apr 09, 2011

Writerlibrarian rated it:

This is the anthology of short stories that followed the 'killing' of Sherlock Holmes. Doyle got tired of his creation and its fame that he thought he could get rid of him and write other stories. Alas... it was not to be. The first story wraps up neatly in a bow the dangling threads of the Moriaty business. 13 stories. Some are easy to solve, others are more a sit back and enjoy the ride.

The way the stories are told with hints and mentions of untold cases it created the holes that ot More...

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Sep 24, 2010

sage rated it:

Another collection of variable quality, although the female characters in these stories are largely wonderful, and a handful are kickass, self-sufficient women.

Also, the canon support for a Holmes/Watson marriage is all over the place and nothing like subtle, but all in all there's relatively little of Watson in the book. He's narrating every page and he's present in all those scenes, but it seems like earlier books had more of him expressing his own self. The bits and pieces of them More...

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Feb 07, 2012

Amanda rated it:

Okay, the chronology is kind of blowing my mind here, I wish I'd taken down notes. Case-wise, this one had highlights but the earlier collections were more consistent.

What I want to know is: why haven't I read Charles Augustus Milverton before? It's my definite favorite from this collection, and one of my favorites in the entire Sherlock Holmes canon - so refreshingly different, and so charming! I mean, Holmes and Watson burgling by moonlight! Plus it deals with things that go straigh More...

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Aug 27, 2010

Lizzy rated it:

I'm currently reading the second volume of The Complete Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (the version published by Barnes and Noble). I thought I'd go through and rate each individual book by itself as I finish them. I really enjoyed this collection of stories, which occur in the Holmes timeline right after Conan Doyle brought him back from a supposed death, at the demand of a furious public. I like the short story format, because it's easy to pick up and read one or two when you're short on time a More...

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Jan 14, 2010

Dave rated it:

I learned that Holmes is indeed a boxer, although not quite like Robert Downey Jr. portrays. And he has a cocaine habit. And he sometimes fails. And Watson is more of a storytelling tool than a real person. And that it's not always set up so you can try to figure it out yourself.

I felt as if he must sometimes have first written an interesting story without a mystery. Something that involved tension or passion or greed and was interesting on its own. Then thought through how the tension More...

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Mar 26, 2011

David rated it:

The Return of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of 13 Short Stories which are set 3 years after the final story seen within The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, in which Sherlock Holmes was seen to have supposedly died.

Arthur Conan Doyle managed to work a resolution of this "false" death very well in the first short story showing that Holmes had been missing for a valid reason, one that actually tied into the very story that he had "died" in.

Other than this, More...

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Oct 27, 2011

Audrey rated it:

When the London police force is stumped, who do they call? Sherlock Holmes, of course.

Arthur Conan Doyle is a brilliant writer. His creation, Sherlock Holmes, posses an amazing intellect, and uses it to solve the seemingly unsolvable crimes. Often the police already think they have a solution to the crime, but Sherlock Holmes looks beyond the obvious to find the true culprit.

I love the way that all of the mysteries are chronicled from the perspective of Watson. Watson can More...

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Mar 19, 2011

Nicholas rated it:

As I suspected, Holmes did not stay dead for long. None of these thirteen stories particularly stands out for me, though I noticed a general trend away from high politics towards domestic drama - for instance in "The Adventure of Abbey Grange", Holmes and Watson confront the murderer but decide that they like him more than his victim so let him go. I also sensed a stronger geographical specificity - one story is set in am unidentified Oxbridge college, another explicitly in Cambridge. More...

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Jan 22, 2012

Nick rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Aug 17, 2011

Peter rated it:

The Return of Sherlock Holmes, like two of the previous volumes, is a short story anthology and, unlike The Hound of the Baskervilles, picks up after the events of the The Final Problem. Here, Arthur Conan Doyle chronicles how Holmes escaped what was seemingly his death at the Reichenbach Falls. This is something which Doyle achieves in no time at all and, after teasing about various other adventures which Holmes got up to in his absence, Doyle has Holmes back on the streets of London and soon c More...

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