You are probably already familiar with the character of Sherlock, from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1892) by Arthur Conan Doyle. In fact Sherlock has been intriguing audiences for 130 years now! He is known for his disguises, his wit, his know-it-all nature and of course, his genius detective work.
If you know anything about Sherlock Holmes (and you love detective novels), you really ought to try Doyle’s short adventures. I, for one, appreciate that the stories give me my detective-show fix — but usually without too much blood and gore. I even found that it was a great book to read before bed.
After all that praising, I feel sad to give Sherlock Holmes any less than a five star rating because he really is a genius character. Yet, if I’m being honest, I would have to give the stories four stars (or four and a half?).
Arthur Conan Doyle really is a master of creating quirky characters and building up tension; he just doesn’t know how to write a good ending! I read through quite a few of his stories, but I rarely found an ending that truly surprised or intrigued me.
Notwithstanding the underwhelming endings, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes would be great for high schoolers or adults (ages 15+). The characters and wit are enough to hold any mystery-lover’s attention for at least a few stories.
More Books Like This
If you like The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, you may also like The Murders in the Rue Morgue (1841) by Edgar Allan Poe.
If you’re looking for mystery books for younger kids, you might try the Nancy Drew books (1930s) by Carolyn Keene or Dragons in the Waters (1976) by Madeleine L’Engle.
– by Abbie Call
Read next: Book of a Thousand Days Book Review.
Abbie Call – Cannonville/Kirksville, Missouri
Abbie Call is a journalist and editor at The Byway. She graduated in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in editing and publishing from Brigham Young University. Her favorite topics to write about include anything local, Utah’s megadrought, and mental health and meaning in life. In her free time, she enjoys reading, hanging out with family, quilting and hiking with the dog she’s getting soon — fingers crossed.
Find Abbie on Threads @abbieb.call or contact her at [email protected].