Sherlock Book Review - Sherlock Holmes and The Sixty Steps
Posted by Steve Emecz on
The adventures are set up to allow the reader to unravel the clues, and solve the crimes along with Sherlock.
Holmes and Watson embark on a series of adventures that lead them to solve the murder of Sir Henry Baskerville, whom they had previously helped to solve his attempted murder, and now are faced to solve his actual murder, and how the past has eventually caught up to him.
Each adventure showcases the inner workings of Sherlock, and even his near-failures. Intricately examining the clues, following sources, and trying to understand the psyche of the killers in order to catch them.
I really enjoy this style of multiple adventures. There are four different stories that set Holmes and Watson in precarious times of wars, subterfuge and traitorous acts. These stories include fascinating snippets of history while sending Holmes and Watson cross-country to meet diplomates, encounter nefarious characters, and confront old foes.
Spoken in first-person by Watson, he effectively narrates their exciting adventures that Politicians and the media try to cover-up. They become embroiled with a range of scandals and present-day cases that are connected to past cases they have investigated.
The first story goes into the case of the murder of a man whose life was previously threatened. The evidence is examined, witnesses disappear, and Holmes begins to piece the case together. How the story is written allows the reader to unravel the clues along with Holmes. Only small hints are given, yet there are clues that can lead you to begin to suspect certain things along the way.
The story is written to allow you to see if you can solve the case before Holmes, what you might have missed, and then the grand reveal. Although there is a lot of dialogue and fillers, it did not feel that it was superfluous. Each aspect and bit of information felt like it had its place, building onto the next bit of story line. Until that ‘ah, ah’, moment.
The second adventure throws Sherlock and Watson into a world of superstition. A series of brutal killings follows, bodies are discarded at churches, with allusions of the occult. A ‘Catch Me if you Can’ game is afoot. The killer publicly taunts Sherlock, seemingly to outsmart and out-step Holmes at every turn, all the while Holmes works quietly in the background.
Each adventure delves into the psychology of criminals, and how Sherlock Holmes deciphers the clues to brings these killers to justice.
Fans of Sherlock Holmes and historical mysteries will enjoy this read.
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