I really like Sherlock Holmes. I’ve read a few of Conan Doyle’s stories before, but never this one. Whenever I read him, the picture I have in my mind is of Jeremy Brett, who is the actor I grew up watching play him.

This story is one where Watson loses his heart to the young woman who enlists the help of him and Holmes in tracking down the ten-year-old case of her missing father.

Her father returned from military service in India, and there is a record of him arriving in England, but then he completely disappeared. Now, she has started to receive odd things in the post. Rare, expensive pearls. What has brought her to Holmes, though, is the note she received with the most recent gift. It says that she is a wronged woman, and justice must be served. She is given a place where she must meet someone (it doesn’t say who) that evening to receive her treasure. It mentions the ‘Sign of Four.’ Now, suddenly, she’s thinking it all strange, and she is afraid to go alone.

So, Miss Mary Marston, Dr Watson, and Sherlock Holmes wait at the desired place of meeting. They are picked up by a coach that takes them to the home of Thaddeus Sholto. His father had the treasure chest in his possession, but he has died in the last few days. Now, the treasure is with his twin brother, Bartholomew, and all they must do is accompany him to his brother’s home.

When they get there, however, Bartholomew has been murdered with a poison dart, and the treasure is missing. Cue, Holmes’s wonderful talent for puzzle solving. They follow his deductions, and (without giving too much away) the hunt ends with a boat chase along the River Thames in the moonlight.

Finally, we learn how the treasure came to be in Sholto’s possession and what has now happened to it. Jonathan Small, the person they capture, tells of murder and theft in India. The Sign of Four relates to the four people who originally stole the treasure in India.

I enjoyed this book. If I’m honest, the ending seemed to take a long time. The hunt for the fugitives was quite drawn out, and then the book didn’t finish with their capture. There was a good deal left that was Jonathan Small relating his life story.

I love the character of Holmes. Conan Doyle writes him with subtle humour that really makes me chuckle. He is not a nice character. He believes he is superior to everyone (bar none), more interesting than all, and the most intelligent person on the planet. He is a little misogynistic, very condescending, and patronising to all. Yet, he is interesting. He is original and unique. He is charismatic. And he really is so, so clever.

Now, to Watson. I have always had a soft spot for John Watson. However, his immediate thought when he saw Mary Marston was how much he fancied her. By the end of the day, he was thinking how he loved her, and the following day he had asked her to marry him! Well. That is quick work. I never realised it all happened so quickly.

I can’t leave without mentioning the plot. It is twisty, clever, and really interesting. Conan Doyle truly had a brilliant mind.

An enjoyable read.

People who love a good mystery. Sherlock Holmes dans will love this book, which is one of (I think) only four full length Sherlock Holmes novels.

Holmes himself. He is delightfully superior and treats everybody he meets as though they are beneath him. The only person he treats with respect is Mrs Hudson the housekeeper.

The last part of the book. The tracking down of Jonathan Small, the chase, the location of the treasure and, finally, that long explanation by Jonathan Small of what happened. Today, it would may well be tossed out of a publishing house due to too much telling, not showing.

Read more Sherlock Holmes.

Entertained.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had a truly brilliant mind. His imagination, his ability to plot stories with twist upon twist, is incredible.

It's good. It's quite an easy read, apart from the end, when my mind started to wander a little.

Interested in buying this? Support Writing.Com by making your purchase of The Sign of the Four: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery   from Amazon.Com!

Created Jul 19, 2021 at 5:41am • Submit your own review...