Tigerpetal Press : Book Review: The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

I liked it; it was good

This book also comes from my Arcturus boxed set of Sherlock Holmes books.

Read: March 23 – March 24, 2024

Audience: General
Book contains: murder, attempted murder, death, crime

Thrilling Cases!

The podcast I found for this book was simply called The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and while the reader’s voice was pleasing to the ear, the stories were out of order, so I had to specifically select them rather than just let them play one to the next.

I previously said about Doyle’s cases that they don’t give enough clues to the reader to figure things out for themselves, which allows Sherlock to be more impressive at the end when he explains everything, but I have been proven incorrect. While yes, there aren’t enough definite clues given until the full explanation, I often found myself coming up with theories based on what evidence we’re given and what is emphasized but not said, and I was correct almost every time.

First Case

The first tale is Silver Blaze, which follows Sherlock as he investigates the disappearance of a star racehorse and the murder of the horse’s trainer.

All stories are told from John Watson’s perspective, as he’s the one who documents Sherlock’s cases. I will admit that at first, I wasn’t aware that Silver Blaze was a horse, but it was quickly cleared up. I thoroughly enjoyed the misdirect in this tale!

Second Case

The second is called The Yellow Face, in which a man comes to Sherlock, worried about his wife and the secrets she may be keeping from him. He’s worried her ex-husband may not have died after all.

There was an unexpected twist at the end of this case, but I should’ve known, considering all the clues seemed to be too obvious. I thought it was quite sweet.

Third Case

The Stockbroker’s Clerk involves a man scammed out of a high-paying job by someone pretending to be two separate people. Holmes and Watson are on the case.

This case is one of my worst nightmares: a scam of massive proportions. It was too good to be true for this client, and he was right to go to Sherlock with the problem. Super peculiar!

Fourth Case

The Gloria Scott is a case that Sherlock reminisces about to John one day, from before they met, while Sherlock was still in college. The father of Homes’ friend Victor Trevor has had a fright when a mysterious stranger comes to stay in his house.

This is a tale of blackmail and the hauntings of the past. While Holmes wasn’t in time to save the victim, he still managed to solve the case.

Fifth Case

The Musgrave Ritual comes next, another reminiscence of Holmes’, where he explains the case to Watson. Buried treasure, betrayal, dead, and disappearance combine into this thrilling mystery.

Most of the time, the stories begin with a client telling their tale, then they investigate, so it’s always interesting when a case takes the form of a story within a story like this one. I admit it’s sometimes hard to follow who’s speaking since it’s all within quotes.

Sixth Case

The sixth case, called The Reigate Squires or The Reigate Puzzle, starts with housebreaking and ends with a murder before Sherlock is called in on the case.

I was surprised by Sherlock’s actions in this story, and when Sherlock’s acting strange, it’s always something to do with the case. Bouts of fainting, getting details wrong, and the like are all tools in his arsenal—but the most surprising thing is that the detectives still think he can get things wrong!

Seventh Case

Sherlock shows up at Watson’s house with his next case, The Crooked Man. Colonel Barclay has been murdered after a terrible fight with his wife, but the wife couldn’t have done it. How could the real murder escape from the locked room?

Once again, the past comes back to haunt them, and this murder is rather strange, considering the involvement of an animal that Holmes doesn’t recognize. I was surprised to find out what it was!

Eighth Case

The Resident Patient comes by another doctor, whose work Watson greatly admires. The mystery revolves around an old man suffering from a rare disease, and the intrusion upon the room of the doctor’s sponsor and resident patient.

This is once again a story of revenge, and it really shows Holmes’ skills, as he refuses to work for anyone who lies to him. Like in the BBC show, he prefers mystery only on one side of the case; both sides is too much work.

Ninth Case

The case of The Greek Interpreter is a sorrowful one involving imprisonment and coercion. Yet another poor client has been lured by the prospects of a well-paying job and been double-crossed by crooks.

This case carries the first mention of Sherlock’s brother Mycroft! Super exciting! The case’s client is a Greek interpreter and a neighbour of Mycroft’s.

Tenth Case

The Naval Treaty is a case of unfortunate timing. An old school-friend of Watson’s has mislaid an important document he was taxed with copying, all because he’d left the room unattended for less than five minutes. He falls into a dreadful illness from sheer devastation.

I cringe at cases that could’ve been avoided with just a bit more caution, but how are they supposed to know something horrible is about to happen in their carelessness? I admit, I could not figure out the solution to this case until nearly the end, but I enjoyed it all the same.

Eleventh Case

And finally, the case that we’ve all been waiting for, and what should’ve been the end of Sherlock Holmes’ life and career: The Final Problem. This is a case that takes Sherlock and Watson across Europe as they flee from Moriarty’s wrath.

Professor Moriarty makes his appearance, and I was surprised that he was only mentioned in this story. This is because pretty much all of the cases in the Sherlock TV series involves Moriarty in some way. He is behind the mystery somehow, and in this story, he was only involved in the one case.

Overall

Now that I’ve read A Study in Scarlet or A Sign of Four, I can appreciate these short stories all the more. I’m excited to see how the books explain how Sherlock faked his death from The Final Problem in the next book The Return of Sherlock Holmes!

I highly recommend reading these to anyone interested in mysteries. This is the classic detective, and everyone can learn from and be entertained by his methods.