** spoiler alert ** I was pleasantly surprised at the beginning of this story--it was more engaging than I expected for a work of its era. I'd been afraid that those stodgy PBS Jeremy Brett {?} episodes were more true to the source material than the Robert Downey, Jr. & Jude Law movie was. I enjoyed seeing the beginning of Watson's and Holmes' friendship. And, as the recent moviemakers asserted, there is more to Watson and Holmes than some productions would lead you to believe. Watson is a veteran of the wars in Afghanistan and not a bland wimp. Holmes is an expert swordsman and boxer (though not much of those skills is seen in this installment). While I'm familiar with the way Holmes goes about solving cases, mostly through his acute powers of observation and deduction, it was neat to see the original.
I did, though, have a moment about halfway through in which I wondered if something was wrong with my book. The murder suspect was caught, and then suddenly the narrative switched from the first person account by Watson to a third person account beginning with two people dying in the Utah desert. Ah...but it turns out this was the backstory of the killer and his victims. The prose in this portion was more purple than in Watson's account, but I reminded myself it's a product of its time. While, at first, I found the transitions jarring, I realised that similiar techniques are used to this day, especially in film and television. Overall, the story does come together. It held my interest, and I want to read more Holmes and Watson adventures.
I would caution devout Mormons about reading this story, however. It turns out that the main villain in the backstory is Brigham Young. Some might not want to see him portrayed in such a light.