The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

by Arthur Conan Doyle

A scandal in Bohemia --
A case of identity --
The Boscombe Valley mystery --
The five orange pips --
The adventure of the blue carbuncle --
The adventure of the speckled band --
The adventure of the engineer's thumb --
The adventure of the noble bachelor --
The adventure of the beryl coronet --
The adventure of the copper beeches.

Genres: Classics, Mystery, Fiction, Short Stories, Crime, Audiobook, Adventure

189 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1891

About the author

Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was a Scottish writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for A Study in Scarlet, the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Holmes and Dr. Watson. The Sherlock Holmes stories are milestones in the field of crime fiction.

Doyle was a prolific writer. In addition to the Holmes stories, his works include fantasy and science fiction stories about Professor Challenger, and humorous stories about the Napoleonic soldier Brigadier Gerard, as well as plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction, and historical novels. One of Doyle's early short stories, "J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement" (1884), helped to popularise the mystery of the brigantine Mary Celeste, found drifting at sea with no crew member aboard.

Reviews

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls · Rating 3 out of 5]

A dozen short stories starring Sherlock Holmes, including:
- A Scandal in Bohemia - 4/5 - introducing Irene Adler, a fitting counterpart for Holmes
- The Red Headed League - 4/5 - Holmes beats criminals like a...dirty mattress
- A Case of Identity - 2/5 - a bit below average for a Holmes story
- The Boscombe Valley Mystery - 4/5 - Holmes attempts to clear an accused murderer
- The Five Orange Pips - 3/5 - didn't work as well as some of the others
- The Man with the Twisted Lip - 4/5 - best in the collection so far with interesting and unusual plot twists
- The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle - 4/5 - for those who like a little something extra in their holiday bird
- The Speckled Band - 4/5 - why does it always have to be snakes?
- The Adventure of The Engineer Thumb - 3/5 - too much of the story is told by the client and there's not a lot for Holmes to do
- The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor - 3/5 - started off with some promise but fizzles at the end
- The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet - 4/5 - one of the better stories with lots of detecting work for Holmes
- The Adventure of the Copper Beeches - 4/5 - intriguing setup and pieces come together at the end

[Jinsy Yoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jinsy Yoo
This is the review of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. This book tells 12 stories selected by readers and writers in the Sherlock Holmes series. Almost every story is about a murder. I think the most interesting story is "THE SPECKLED BAND". This is about finding out the main character's sister's death.
I think the major theme of this book is ‘being observe' because even small things always need to be observed to help solve the case. "‘You see, but you don't observe. The distinction is clear. For example, you know how many steps which lead up from the hall to this room…I know that because I have both seen and observed.'"(Conan-Doyle 5) In this quote, you can see Holmes observing things all the time, even though they are not about big events.
This book is very familiar to readers because it is also made into many movies and dramas. So quite a few people know the contents. Reading a famous book such as this book is good because we can understand them more easily if we know the contents and read them. But on the other hand, some people find reading books boring because they know the contents already. I think the famous book Sherlock Homes have both these positive, and negative things. So I suggest to the readers to choose the ways. The ways are accepted or block prior information according to one's way of reading.
On the whole, I like this book and I want to recommend others to read this. This book is interesting and good for showing not only the merits of a detective novel but also the story of Sherlock Holmes from Watson's point of view. There are some difficult words which you never heard about it, but the contents are very fresh, not flat. It is also a book that is still popular even though it has been a long time since it was first published.
Conan Doyle, Arthur. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. New York and London: DOVER THRIFT EDITIONS, 2009. eBook.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I tried to read Holmes stories when I was in elementary school and found them insufferably boring. I recently picked this up from Project Gutenberg and found the first few highly entertaining - no doubt because I couldn't separate literary Holmes from Cumberbatch's Holmes, and hearing his voice over the stories was highly entertaining. By the fifth or sixth one, however, I came to realize that none were going to turn into rollicking high-octane adventure, nor be as complex as I had expected them to be.

Still, one or two stories per lunch break and then next thing I knew I was through with the book and at least moderately entertained the whole time, so I can't really knock it. I can definitely see how they were at the time of their writing something intense and engaging and new.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

There's something about the beginning of Fall that just calls for some Sherlock Holmes stories. Some of these are better than others, but they all have that cozy classic feeling. I had to laugh when the world's greatest detective resorted to phrenology at one point, but hey, that was the age!

[Lea Berryreadinbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

“There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact,” he answered laughing.

Sherlock Holmes is the author that put Arthur Conan Doyle on the map. But, I found it interesting that Doyle, like other authors, was often wishing that people would pay attention to his more serious works. Yet the populace loved Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson and I did too! They are the perfect short stories!

I relished how the striking facts “slowly evolved before your own eyes and the mystery cleared gradually away as each new discovery furnished a step which led onto the complete truth.” Ahhh, the complete truth to be found through reason and attention to detail! The joy of seeing a puzzle come together and placing that last piece in. Each short story gives that same satisfaction.

Arthur Conan Doyle brought Holmes out (1900-1920s) in a period where a revolt against rationality was just starting. People were beginning to toss aside the realism of the earlier age and starting to embrace spiritualism, and unique religious experience. Sherlock Holmes stories are filled with logic and for the audience of the early 20th century it had a bit of a nostalgic effect. It also brought slight anchoring and reassurance that reality could still rely on reason even when the evidence might suggest otherwise. Believe it or not Doyle eventually embraced seances, necromancy, and other spiritualism that became so popular in this time.

Sherlock Holmes allows us an escape back to firmer ground just as it offered the post-Victorians an escape back. From our perspective, real life doesn’t allow every puzzle piece to fit. Our innate desire to see order rise out of chaos is too infrequently realized, at least on this earth. So, we get a gratifying little taste of this order, when Holmes gets his man. Perhaps that morsel of satisfaction can bait us to seek answers to the real questions of life. The mysteries that matter most.

I adore this book, and will definitely read it again.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Includes:
- A Scandal in Bohemia
- The Red-Headed League
- A Case of Identity
- The Boscombe Valley Mystery
- The Five Orange Pips
- The Man with the Twisted Lip
- The Blue Carbuncle
- The Speckled Band
- The Engineer's Thumb
- The Noble Bachelor
- The Beryl Coronet
- The Copper Beeches

Most of these have predictable villains, although the particular details Sherlock identifies are not so obvious. Nonetheless, they are great fun.

[Lyle Radke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Riveting stories with clever plot twists. Very entertaining. Published in 1892 but has aged well, not too many anachronisms.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars actually. I thoroughly enjoy Holmes and Watson, and I am glad I read this collection of stories, but I must admit, to me, nothing will compare with the Hound of the Baskervilles.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is most undoubtedly the most amazing compilation of mystery stories ever! Each story is so profound and original that one can never guess what is about to happen or even fathom what the ending will be like. As there are about 12 different stories in this one book, it is hard to go through each individual story and give a summary.
Therefore, the general point of all the stories combined is that there is, in most cases, an individual who is seeking help in figuring out their own mysterious story and they have gone to Sherlock Holmes to have him figure it out. Throughout each story they have to go through obstacles to try and figure out the culprit(s) behind the strange event. Always in the end, minus a rare story every now and again, the suspect is found out and the case settled and closed.
I have always loved reading detective stories because you normally can never guess what is going to happen or who exactly the one behind the scene is. This compilation really is remarkable and amazing to read because you have story after story that you can read and therefore does not make you want to put the book down! An absolute amazing detective book to read especially if you are in the mood for mystery and intrigue or just plain love the type of stories that have you on the edge as you read.
If you are the type of person that really enjoys figuring out puzzles our seeing through traps or mysteries, then you will most assuredly enjoy this book. So yes I do recommend it highly but if you're not into mysteries then this book might not interest you as much as it did me.

[Alicia C · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book that will inspire you to look at the little things to see the bigger picture. i learned a few things too. i was blown away at how sherlock holmes noticed things that normal people dont usually notice, and how he deduced and solved the mystery through those little things. it was however disappointing that not enough clues were left so that the reader could figure out the mystery themselves.

[Lucien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extraordinarily bromantic. My rating mostly derives from its suitability for practicing (what I imagine to be) snooty 1800's British male accents. Great material for a bayesian lucky halfing divination wizard.

[Britta Nordberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

A classic, but wow I would hate Sherlock if I ever knew him. Also I forgot that this was short stories (I listened to it) so a lot of the cases seemed to have abrupt wrap-ups, but it was more my fault for assuming every case to be the epitome of a chapter book mystery.
Genuinely confused on how Dr watson’s wife is always super happy to have him off galavanting with Sherlock literally all the time, like he’ll leave in the evening and not be back for days. Very strange. Different time I suppose

[Tori Whitacre · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun read!? I would describe this as candy, if not fluffy, sugar drenched, processed candy (though I do love myself candy of thst sort) but rather a handmade chocolate caramel over which someone has spent hours melting and shaping and sprinkling the right amount of sea salt. Quality. If that makes no sense to you, you might try some different candy.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished listening to the Stephen Fry audio book in 2017 after reading the book a few years earlier. An enjoyable listen and some of the stories are great, others less so. Would read again! A great collection of short stories.

[Jo Bonanno · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always loved Sherlock Holmes stories. Great to go back and read them again.

[Reem Eisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy Sherlock Holmes whether it’s a book, or a crazy show on Tv. I like people with keen senses and a switched on brain. Nowadays we are surrounded by people who refuse to use their brains but pretend they are the smartest on earth with no equivalent 🤦🏽

[daniela illanes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Todas las cosas de Sherlock son buenísimas. Me gusta qur Arthur ponga sus conicimentos de medicina en Watson y sus conocimientos de ser adicto a las drogas en Sherlock

[Kouji Kabuto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Speckled band was the best

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve know many of these stories from reading some in the past, audiobooks, tv shows, and movies. It was nice to sit and read each short story about this amazing duo. I loved their interaction and seeing it through Watsons eyes. Just fun and fascinating.

[Kendra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never read any mystery, other than the hardy boys and nancy drew. Sherlock Holmes however, goes above and beyond those books. I really enjoyed almost all of the stories. The orange pips, red head, and copper beeches ones were my favorites. If you haven't read too many classics, like myself, it takes a bit to get into. However once you get into them you often forget the stories were written over 100 years ago. The only reason this isn't 5 stars is because not every story was interesting.

[Diliara Nasirova · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first time I read this book was in 2000 (when I was a teenager) and believe that it taught me the fundamentals of analytical reasoning and logical deduction.

I have recently reread the twelve adventures. What was the most interesting this time was to compare the technology that was used in 1890s to nowadays technology.

I would advice it to everyone with no exception. Everyone can learn/find something useful for themselves. It is timeless. It has to be on the "must read" list.

[Mango · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of people these days don't really enjoy the read of Sherlock Holmes.
Though it may be hard to understand for some, once you get used to the language, you can easily sit down and enjoy these mysteries!
The author describes everything with such detail, it's as if you were there yourself.
HUGE fan of Sherlock Holmes.
If you like Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, you will enjoy Sherlock Holmes as well.

[Cody Knuth · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are looking for a break from modern literature, I strongly suggest you read at least one piece from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I started reading these stories because of the current infatuation with Holmes and I was not disappointed. The art of deduction reasoning is fascinating and takes center stage throughout the "books" as Watson accompanies Holmes on increasingly uniques mysteries.

[Jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved Sherlock Holmes' exceptional skills. Every story was concisely written which sustained my curiosity until the end of each chapter. Good book for kids because it is not highly technical, as it was written in 19th Century. I also enjoyed the feeling of being taken back to 1800's in the streets of Europe to unravel simple yet intriguing mysteries.

[Shellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved every minute of this! Why haven’t I read this before?!?! This was an absolute delight, one of my favorite parts is the old terminology, my favorite word in this book was the constant use of ejaculation, which is not how we use it today. Lol
But yes, now I want to read more adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Watson.

[Erin Knuth · Rating 5 out of 5]

My go-to comfort reading! I never get tired of the mysteries, or the rapport between Holmes and Watson.

[Matt · Rating 1 out of 5]

i dont get why people are so into holmes.

[Shruti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gosh, I'd forgotten how much I loved these stories.
My favorite story, without doubt, is the Speckled Band. Red Headed league is probably a close second.

[Tristan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle is a detective fiction that brings the reader through many short stories each with their own separate plot. The usage of suspense and the support thereof given by other elements within each chapter forms in a way that compels the audience to reach the end of each mystery while still interested in the events leading up to the solving.
Within the book, there are many people and places. These people can be mentioned in an earlier chapter and then re-introduced, be a figure seen only in a single chapter, or a character seen throughout the entire book. Two very prominent characters during the story are Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson. Sherlock Holmes works as a consultant and private detective, meanwhile Dr. Watson works or worked as a surgeon. Initially meeting as roommates in a previous book, Watson became a close friend to Sherlock Holmes and the story revolves around him accompanying Sherlock’s investigations. Meanwhile there’s a wide array of other, less common, characters found in the 12 chapters of the book. From a king trying to locate his wife who he can not find to a son who was accused of a murder upon his father. Most of these characters are within or near Britain, Holmes and Watson living in London around the late 1800’s to early 1900’s. Ultimately, Sherlock Holmes has an extreme attention to detail and will often make an elaborate story over seemingly insignificant and small clues while going through many mysteries with his friend Watson and confronting a large number of people in the process
Though, in my opinion this isn’t all. Yes, Sherlock Holmes has an amazing ability with his work. But the author also makes Holmes and other characters seem like real people. For example, Watson notices Sherlock’s love for the violin, meanwhile Holmes notices Watson’s growing ability to observe things about people. Furthermore, the shared work of Holmes and Watson seems to make comradeship between the both of them between their talking, examining, and solving. Though, (in my opinion) the story didn't focus enough on lessons learned in either Watson’s or Holme’s personal lives. It is true that the story includes ideas like Holmes and Watson being close friends or previous solved mysteries being referred back upon by Holmes. But,a large portion of the time when they aren’t actively working is spent talking about work instead of learning lessons from each other. This lack of progression may sometimes make each chapter feel more like an episode of a piece of film that’s disconnected from the others instead of being a continuation of another chapter where previously learned things would be applied. Despite this, the personalities of Watson and Holmes still compliment each other and there is much time spent personally bonding together within their line of work. The lack of emphasis upon Holme’s and Watson’s personal lives are often of less importance when other aspects such as suspense upon the solving of the mystery are present. This suspense is heightened due to the author’s incorporation of elements, such as Holme’s and Watson’s friendship, which made the reader’s attention less upon if the main characters would solve the mystery. Instead, each chapter was important because of the interactions between Holmes, Watson, and often other characters during the solving of the mystery.
Ultimately, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes can be very rewarding for a wide range of people if enough patience and understanding is able to be put into reading. Although being upon detective work, it does feature general lessons that can likely be used in life.

[Dominique · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the whole thing on Spotify from Phoebe Reads A Mystery. Her narration is so good.

Having finished this collection, I have found the BBC Sherlock the most far-fetched portrayal of ACD’s Sherlock Holmes. I think the closest would be CBS Elementary’s Sherlock. Sherlock, simply, wasn’t a sociopath. It was clear in many instances how socially attuned he was. In A Case of Identity, he was very kind to the woman and to so many women and young folks in his adventures. The ending of The Blue Carbuncle, when Sherlock decided that it was better that he had made an honest man instead of surrendering the guy to the law, I saw the kindness which I’ve always believed a feat to the intelligent. I am now and always more drawn to the benevolent detectives who cared about the people enough to be kind to them and to take their matters seriously (Benoit Blanc from Knives Out, Sherlock and Joan Watson from Elementary, and ACD’s Sherlock) instead of smug “I am smarter and better than you and I don’t care what you make of that”.

PS
This wasn’t a very well thought-out review but I gave all of this a five star rating because I couldn’t put it down and when I did, I looked forward to continuing it. I love John and Sherlock. I think ACD has written it in such a way that I am always pleasantly surprised even if I have guessed it and never betrayed when it turns out I haven’t. Great character from a great writer.