Monday, February 20, 2017

Mystery Book Selection





The Hound of the Baskervilles
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Published in 1902


                                Summary
The great detective Sherlock Holmes and his trusty partner Dr. James Watson are called upon again to solve a mystery.  This mystery brings the brilliant detective duo to the foggy moors of England to solve what could be a supernatural threat going back generations against the Baskerville family.

The mystery begins in typical Holmes fashion with the men relaxing at home until a strange walking stick is left in the foyer of their famous 221b Baker Street residence.  As Holmes and Watson carefully dissect even the smallest details of this stick, James Mortimer, arrives to claim his property.  He used his walking stick as a  calling card of sorts to hire the detective.  James tells them the story of how the late Hugo Baskerville kidnapped a fair maiden of a local manor house with the intent to marry her.  She does not want to marry this scoundrel and escapes the Baskerville manor running into the moors.  Hugo is drunk and enraged so, he and his friends chase her into the moors only to come face to face with a giant glowing hound with brilliant green eyes. The beast attacks Hugo ripping out his throat as the others escape.

As a man of science Holmes is far from impressed by this supernatural story and in his snarky way dismisses James for wasting his time.  However, James explains that there is more to the story. Charles Baskerville had moved into the Baskerville Estate and was fixing up the old manor. Then when he went for his nightly walk on the moors James heard the savage howl of the beast and found Charles dead with giant dog prints near the body.  James then produces a letter sent to Henry Baskerville, who is believed to be the last of the Baskervilles, warning him to stay away from the estate.  Now, with multiple murders involved this story intrigues Holmes as he agrees to the case.

With great detail Holmes examines the letter and concludes which newspaper the words were cut from.  He informs James to go back to Baskerville Estate to meet with Henry.  Watson will join the men there later and will stay for a few days observing the place.

From here the adventure is afoot. Holmes and Watson decipher many clues as they meet the strange characters from the manor like the housekeepers John and Eliza Barrymore.  The local quirky neighbors Jack Stapleton & his sister, and Mr. Frankland & his daughter Laura all add intrigue into this story.  The moors is a spooky place by itself, but hiding in the moors is an escaped convict, a strange man with a beard, and of course the giant vicious hound.

With many clues, places, people, supernatural element, and a bit of romance Holmes and Watson have their hands filled in this atmospheric story.  Of course, the great detective will use his superior skills to find and explain even the most confusing clues to solve this strange mystery.


Elements of Mystery
CharactersThe world renowned detective Sherlock Holmes is represented here wonderfully with his brilliant ability of observation to deduce not only clues but human body language and characteristics.  His snarky demeanor and his dislike of wasting time and energy on trivial matters shine through.

Dr. John Watson is the ever lovable opposite to Holmes’ rigid mannerisms.  As the narrator of this story he observes the actions of his partner while bringing an element of humility to the story.
As a team the two work wonderful off of each other.  Through the childish bickering and playful ribbing between them is respect, care, and a deep friendship.

The rest of the characters add different attributes of emotions and intrigue to the story.  The mysterious hound, convict, and the bearded man add a sense or terror.  Mr. and Mrs. Barrymore add a sense of strangeness.  Jack Stapleton adds mistrust. Laura Lyons adds a sense of pity. Henry and Beryl add a touch of forbidden romance.  And Mr. Franklin adds a bit of humor.

Settings: The settings is used to great effect.  221 Baker St., the residence of Holmes and Watson is world renown in mystery fiction.  In a way their residence gives a familiar feel in comparison to the rest of the locations in the story.

The moors are eerie and spooky.  The words used to describe it brings up images of foggy nights amidst the tall grass and ancient stones.  Baskerville manor gives the impression of great wealth, power, and greed which describes Hugo Baskerville. However, this contradicts the characteristics of Henry Baskerville which add to his disconnect to the Baskerville history since he spent a lot of his time working in Africa.

Tone/Mood: The mood varies a bit in this story.  It starts out light hearted as Holmes and Watson examine the walking stick.  This light heartedness can be seen when Watson and Henry are relaxing at the Baskerville estate.  There is a mood of suspense, spookiness, and danger when the scenes are in the foggy dank moors and with the giant hound.  Naturally, there is a mysterious tone throughout the story.

Style/Language: Written in the typical Sherlock Holmes style this story is written from Dr. Watson’s point of view.  He narrates the story giving great details to actions, body language, and atmosphere.  The characters in the story and locations are distinct. 

Pacing: The pacing of the story is fast and smooth.  There are a lot of clues and details, however this does not slow down the pacing.  The transition from locations feel smooth and natural.

Read-Alikes
The Sussex Vampire by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Originally published in 1927.

Fer-de-Lance by Rex Stout. Originally published 1914.

The Beekeeper's Apprentice: or, On the Segregation of the Queen by Laurie King. Originally published in 1994

Whose Body?: A Lord Peter Wimsey Novel by Dorthy L. Sayers. Originally published in 1923.

Hercule Poirot: The Complete Short Stories: A Hercule Poirot Collection by Agatha Christie.  Collection published in 2013.

Reviews
GoodReads gives it 4 ½ stars out of 5.
BookieCookie from the Guardian News and Media describes it as “The story was very good; gripping with a good sense of mystery'

6 comments:

  1. This is probably my favorite of the Sherlock Holmes novels! I have read all of the novels and short stories. These are definitely books you need to be in the mood to read, though. Doyle's stories take a lot of focus. There is definitely the character dynamic at play here. What I find a bit different for this novel (and all of the Sherlock Holmes novels), is that the main character/narrator isn't actually the main investigator. With Holmes personality, it is no wonder why he doesn't narrate. It definitely makes the book a better read to look at things from Watson's point of view. Watson also does a good job of making Holme's much more endearing that Sherlock does for himself. I think it is uncommon for there to be a difference between the narrator and investigator, though. I never thought of it before. Even thought it contains a lot of back story, The Valley of Fear is probably my second favorite Sherlock Holmes novel. If you like being immersed in the setting, though, if I remember correctly, the back story takes place in early western America.

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  2. Hi Paige,

    I agree with you about Watson. The personality of Sherlock Holmes reminds me of Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory television show. He is brilliant and having Leonard, Penny, and the rest of the group together makes his eccentric behavior funny. However, I could only take Holmes aka Sheldon as a friend in real life in short doses. Watson has the patients of a saint.

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  3. It is funny to think that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle did not have as much appreciation for Sherlock Holmes as the rest of the world. His iconic character is still very much apart of the modern mainstream a hundred plus years later. I recently started reading the Sherlock Holmes series after being influenced by the current BBC version.

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  4. Cynthia,

    My favorite Sherlock Holmes and John Watson are played my Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. They played the magnificent detective duo in a bunch of films and over 200 radio shows in the 1930s and 1940s. They had great chemistry together.

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  5. Hello Robert! Like Cynthia, I have been influenced by BBC's "Sherlock," so I am interested in going back to read Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original stories. Even though this novel was originally published back in 1902, it is still enjoyable for new generations. I like how you described the different settings in the novel. 221B Baker Street is familiar to many readers, so I can definitely see how this would feel comfortable and homey while other locations, such as the Baskerville estate and the moors, would feel dangerous and foreboding in comparison.

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  6. Excellent annotation! Your summaries and appeals are on point and well written. Full points.

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