Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

At the time of writing I'm sure that Holmes' methods of investigation were shockingly cutting edge although today's reader may find the plotting and Holmes' techniques a bit simplistic. This is definitely compensated by glimpses of keen wit and drawing room humour. The slow unveiling of the title character's idiocincracies, strengths, and surprisingly modern philosophies add enormously to each of the stories. Lots of historical fun.

Lucid & concise, so modern you'll need to actually remind yourself this was written 125 years ago. I actually looked up the Gutenberg project version just to confirm that this wasn't some modern/edited/rewritten version! The taut narration, thrilling details systematically building up towards the nail biting climax. Readers are given several clues - so the endings don't feel contrived. Holmes, our protagonist, demonstrates his incredible powers of observation backed by sound logic- all the while taking us along. These stories are timeless & ageless- truly classic. I've been narrating them to my five year old (somewhat dumbed down). She likes listening to them almost as much as her dad likes telling them.

Sir Arthur's detective continues to age well in spite of the years. Modern audiences will recognize most (if not all) of the plots, simply because they appear here first. A series of "ripping yarns" and a mystery fans must read.