The Sign of the Four - Arthur Conan Doyle

For my next literary outing I returned to to world of Sherlock Holmes.  After not being overly thrilled with the first novel, I didn't really have high hopes for the next.  But it seemed convenient to read (being on my Kindle) and avoided too much decision making.

The Sign of the Four revolves around a mystery that starts with Mary Morstan reporting to Sherlock Holmes about the strange events surrounding her father's disappearance.  Over time, however, the mystery quickly thickens and as one loose end is tied up another unravels.

What I really liked about this book was that it felt slightly more realistic than the first.  Holmes himself is portrayed brilliantly.  The idea that a man who thrives on intellectual challenge would turn to drugs when the puzzles run out is very easy to believe.  And then there are those quiet periods where leads dry up and trails go dead, so all they can do is wait.  Which, again, contributes to making the whole thing seem just a little more likely.  Or as likely as you can get in a story about treasure.

It has everything a good mystery book should have.  Intrigue, a cast of crazy characters, grey areas between good guys and bad guys, and a high-speed chase.  I always love a good chase scene.  The story completely pulled me in and I couldn't wait to keep reading to find out what would happen next.  Even during the reveal I kept hanging on every word, because it was played out so well.

The only thing I did struggle with is a lack of knowledge about the politics of India in the 1850s.  And, quite frankly, it's not something I would expect most people to be familiar with.  But this is one of the things you get when reading a book that was written over 120 years ago.  However, the context is explained well enough and so it's easy to pick up everything you need.

I would definitely recommend this book and will most certainly carry on with the world of Sherlock Holmes when time allows.  The art of pure logical deduction is such a great concept that such a character absolutely fascinates me.