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Summary: This is the definition of mystery genre. Doyle at his best.
Review: This is the definition of the mystery genre, the best that Doyle has to offer.
If you love a good read, a good mystery, a classic tale, get this book.
For those who may not want to spend the cash for a hard cover, any of the paper back versions will do. But, the feel and experience of hefting a good hard back while following Watson and his friend, Holmes, should not be missed
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Summary: entertaining
Review: I usually don't read mystery novels, but I had to get a taste of Sherlock Holmes. I loved Hound of the Baskervilles. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is a wonderful author and really personifies Sherlock Holms and dear Dr Watson. Holmes is so funny! I found myself laughing at the crazy stuff he comes up with. How in the world does he figure this mystery out?! I had no clue who was the real culprit until the very end! Amazing. You'll enjoy reading it, I promise!
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Summary: monkeyman's review
Review: There are few better detectives in fiction than Sherlock Holmes. And there is no Holmes novel better than "The Hound of the Baskervilles." Granted, Doyle may have been at his best when penning his short stories, but of his four novels starring Holmes, "The Hound of the Baskervilles" is easily his best, and arguably among the best-ever novel-length murder mysteries. Published in 1902, Holmes wrote "The Hound of the Baskervilles" after he had published his first two collections of short stories, and when his pen was producing Sherlock Holmes at his best.
The adventure starts when Sir Charles Baskerville, owner of the Baskerville mansion, meets an untimely death from a heart attack, apparently the result of his terror while faced with a huge hound. An old Baskerville family legend testified to a supernatural and ghostly hound that tormented the family, and Charles' death appears to confirm local gossip that the hound is alive and roaming the moors. When Sir Charles' only living relative and heir of his fortune, Sir Henry Baskerville, arrives at Baskerville Hall, his life too appears to be threatened. Who is following him, who is stealing his boots, and who is the author of a warning note? To protect Sir Henry and unravel the mystery, Dr. James Mortimer, friend of the late Sir Charles, obtains the involvement of Holmes and his loyal sidekick Dr. Watson. While he does not expressly discount supernatural involvement, Holmes uses the ruthless application of logic and reason to find the real solution to the mystery.
The plot thickens as an escaped convict hiding on the moor joins the action. Homes must uncover the masks behind a cast of mysterious characters, including the caretakers Mr. & Mrs Barrymore, the amateur astronomer Mr. Frankland and his daughter Laura Lyons, and the botanist Jack Stapleton and his sister Beryl. With the appropriately chilling and melodromatic setting of the gloomy moor, the action increases with a thrilling finale, as Holmes uses Sir Henry himself as bait to bring the criminal out of hiding, and reveal the mystery behind the supernatural hound from hell. And after the excitement of the climax dies down, we are given the pleasure of sitting down with the great detective, as he explains everything in his usual way with cold calculated logic.
What makes "The Hound of the Baskerviles" work so well is the combination of all these elements. The eerie setting, superb characterization, and a well-paced narrative plot, are gift-wrapped with the logical deductions that are the hallmark of a typical Sherlock story. But unlike some of the Holmes short stories, the novel length of "The Hound of the Baskervilles" allows room for traditional murder mystery thrills and spine-tingling suspense before the illuminating deductions of Holmes that his fans expect and love. For once, the logic and persona of the great detective is overshadowed by a suspenseful plot. This is a murder-mystery classic, and if there is one Doyle novel that Sherlock Holmes fans should read, it's undoubtedly this one. -GODLY GADFLY
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Summary: Mystery on the Moor
Review: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has created perhaps the best detective in Sherlock Holmes. "The Hound of the Baskervilles" is narrated by the faithful Watson, a man of genius not quite on par with that of Holmes, the master mystery solver. Holmes is forever quizzing Watson to see things the way he does, to figure out the mysteries of small things, like a walking stick left behind by a visitor. "The Hound of the Baskervilles" tells the story of Henry Baskerville, a man who has inherited his family's home and fortune (as the supposed final heir), but also their apparent curse. His uncle was recently found dead on the grounds of Baskerville Hall, with little explanation for his death. The locals are sure as to the cause; it is the mysterious hell-hound that haunts the moors that was the cause of his death. The local doctor brings the matter to Holmes and Watson and they are charged to protect the young Henry Baskerville from a similar fate, as well as to solve the mystery of the hound. While trying to gather facts for his intrepid employer, the faithful Watson narrates the strange happenings among Sir Henry's neighbors, wanting to add his own theories, but leaving the mystery solving to his much-admired mentor. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle writes a well-paced narrative that builds to a climax that is still exciting even when we know the real mystery behind the hound. At the end, it is Holmes and not his faithful sidekick Watson, who reveals the tricks of his trade and how he solved the mystery that no one ever suspected. Doyle has created a wonderful pair of complementary characters in Holmes and Watson and it is a joy to read their adventures.
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