I grew up watching Sherlock Holmes movies. From the ones starring Robert Downey Jr. to the TV show starring Benedict Cumberbatch, I convinced myself I loved Sherlock Holmes. So when I saw The Hound of the Baskervilles on my scratch off poster of must read novels, I thought I had found an easy read. I could not have been more sorely mistaken.
I hate to admit it, but this marks my worst read of the year so far. Perhaps the writing style did not mesh well with my preferences. Or maybe the on screen characters swayed swayed my opinion on them. Regardless, I am a little disappointed to write this review in the negative. However, it is important to us at Umbra Ex Libris to review the good and the bad.
Synopsis
The Hound of the Baskervilles begins with a demonstration of Holmes marvelous observational skills. Through analyzing a cane left in the office, Holmes predicts who their next client is. Of course, Holmes prediction is true and James Mortimer arrives. Mortimer is here to enlist Holmes’ help in identifying the mysterious and supernatural hound which haunts the moors of the Baskerville line, recently killing the owner of the estate, Sir Charles Baskerville.
Holmes and Watson take the case and meet Sir Henry Baskerville, next in line to take the estate. Sir Henry Baskerville is already plagued with warning and even struck with theft. Holmes throughs in a twist and send Watson out to the estate to accompany Sir Henry alone. Watson begrudgingly agrees and commits to being Holmes eyes and ears on the happenings of the mysterious estate.
Not long after the arrival of Sir Henry Baskerville and Watson strange things start happening. Shadows sulk the mansion in the heart of night, figures explore the moors with only stars as their witnesses, and howls soon haunt the air. Watson begins to uncover some more hard evidence on what may have taken place the night of Sir Charles’ murder.
The story continues, soon catching back up with Holmes in another unexpected way. The duo uncover the mystery behind the hound that haunts the Baskervilles’. The novel concludes with the suspect being apprehended and Watson filing the case close. You could tie it up with a bow and call it done.
The Bad
The story line is good. Not exceptional but not bad. My complaints come in the way the story line is told. Having Holmes missing from more than half the book did leave me confused. I picked this book up to read about the marvelous Sherlock Holmes, but instead read about the diaries and letters Watson wrote in his reports to his boss. Definitely not what I suspected, and I can take the blame on that.
However, the writing style is another one of my complaints. I have said before in a previous review, I enjoy dialogue in my books. The Hound of the Baskervilles lacked dialogue. Because you are reading mostly from the writings and journals of Watson, you are hearing the recount of the events without any of the dialogue that took place. In a sense, this relates to Jonas’ recent post on passive voice. Doyle tells you what happens, he doesn’t show you what happens. This gets harder to read as you get to where the story should be suspenseful.
I must admit, when dialogue occurred I was captivated by the story at hand. It was unfortunate that those times were few and far between for me. I am aware that this is a favorite among many and I am likely in the outskirts as I write this review. I must admit, I would be willing to give the novel another try or better yet, read a different Doyle novel. I truly do want to like it, and maybe that is why I didn’t. My expectations were simply too high.
The good
Things I did enjoy were the simplicity of the novel. While it is a mystery that begs answers, there is no obscure questioning of how it gets worked out in the end. I often find that in mysteries, the answer is unreasonable and unlikely. This is not the case in The Hound of the Baskervilles. I also enjoyed the way Doyle described his characters. I found myself loving Sir Henry Baskervilles and the way he interacted with the other characters.
Recommendations
Overall, I would be willing to give this novel another try. I think it is important to give authors a chance. I also know my mood can impact the readability of a book, and perhaps that is what happened here. I look forward to my next Sherlock novel. But for now, I would give my recommendation only to those who enjoy the simple mysteries. I read this relatively quick, so if you are looking for a quick read this may be up your alley as well.
Not satisfactory 3/10
Even after a bad read, we should be eager to pick up the next book so,
As always, happy reading!