Review – The Hound of the Baskervilles (Sherlock Holmes, Book 5) by Arthur Conan Doyle (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Classic/Mystery
Length: 188 pages
Publisher: Global Publishers
Release Date: October 1, 2023 (First published Jan 1st, 1902)
ASIN: B0CFQ86S3P
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Borrowed ebook from Kindle Unlimited
Rating: 4/5 stars

“The Hound of the Baskervilles is the third of the four crime novels by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialised in The Strand Magazine from August 1901 to April 1902, it is set in 1889 largely on Dartmoor in Devon in England’s West Country and tells the story of an attempted murder inspired by the legend of a fearsome, diabolical hound of supernatural origin. Holmes and Watson investigate the case. This was the first appearance of Holmes since his apparent death in “The Final Problem”, and the success of The Hound of the Baskervilles led to the character’s eventual revival.”

Series Info/Source: This is the 5th book in the Sherlock Holmes series. I bought this on ebook.

Thoughts: This is the second Sherlock Holmes book I have read, and I am always surprised by how much I enjoy these books and how they still feel relevant and fairly contemporary in writing style. The Sherlock Holmes books have aged well and are just very entertaining reads. I had previously read the first book in the Sherlock Holmes series “A Study in Scarlet” and enjoyed it immensely. I was looking for a creepy Halloween classic to read and remembered this book and decided to pick it up.

Watson and Sherlock have a new case brought to their attention. The previous Lord Baskerville has died under mysterious circumstances with the prints of a giant hound found by his body. Meanwhile the new Lord Baskerville is traveling from him previous home in Canada to take over the estate. Sherlock sends Watson out to the estate with the new Lord, both to protect the new Lord and to try and figure out what is happening with the mysterious rumors surrounding this devilish hound.

I really enjoyed this. The setting in Dartmoor (a bleak and dreary moor filled countryside) is creepy and gothic and everything you could want in an eerie Halloween read. The mystery is masterfully done, and the characters are intriguing.

The writing is remarkably entertaining and easy to read. At times, I forgot I was reading a much older classic; this sounds very much like a Victorian mystery that was written in present day. There are some turns of phrase that are a bit dated, and the roles of women throughout leave a bit to be desired. However, I will say that Doyle did a decent job of writing intriguing female characters that push the ideals of his time.

There is a lot of humor in here, and I love the tongue in cheek tone to much of this. Sherlock is a singular character, and the fact that Watson puts up with his antics at all is endlessly amusing.

Parts of this were a bit slow; this does drag a bit mid-book. However, I greatly enjoyed the resolution to the mystery.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I really enjoyed this. This is a wonderfully gothic, atmospheric read with an excellent mystery and some humor throughout. If you have never read the original Sherlock Holmes books, I would highly recommend them. I am always surprised at how modern the writing sounds and at how entertaining the stories and characters are. I plan to continue to slowly work my way through additional Sherlock Holmes books.