3 underrated books from the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Sherlock Holmes is a character whose depth demanded a large body of work, spread across 56 short stories and four short novels. This is the case at least if you are referring to the traditional canon texts written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I’m sure there are some dedicated Sherlockians out there who could recount every title and plot, and to those people I tip my deerstalker. But I’m sure many of us have forgotten a few of the stories over the years. Perhaps some of you haven’t even had the joy of reading through the full collection yet. Either way, there are some of Sherlock’s escapades that I feel are not talked about enough.
Whether you’re ready to jump back into the adventures of Sherlock after a long break or you just aren’t sure which book to pick up next, there is something for you in this blog. Today we are looking at 3 underrated books from the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez
Whilst this might not be the most thrilling of Sherlock’s adventures it is brilliant in its own right. Our determined detective is tasked with locating a murderer which may sound like nothing new, but the way he catches her out is particularly satisfying. This belongs on my list of underrated Sherlock stories for the way it scratches that itch that all us Sherlockians have for the villain to be elegantly outplayed. But also for the emotional rollercoaster it takes you on with its characters and moral grey areas.
2. The Adventure of the Reigate Squire
This is not a story where our favourite fictional character is demonstrating the full extent of his investigative prowess. In fact the case at hand in this one is almost bland in comparison to some of Holmes’ more action packed adventures. The reason this is a great read is because we get to see Holmes in a different light. Sir Arthur was undoubtedly gifted in writing captivating mysteries but he was also fantastic at developing characters we can love and relate to as people. After finishing off an exhausting case in France, Holmes has been ordered by Watson to take a vacation and enjoy some downtime on the Reigate estate in Surrey. Obviously, Watson is unsuccessful in his attempts to keep Holmes restrained and they end up knee deep in a local burglary case that ends up being more complex than it seems.
3. The Sussex Vampire
I highly recommend you give this a read because it is just so satisfying to witness Holmes’ ability to find a logical explanation for anything, no matter how confusing it may be at first. This case is certainly on the darker end of the spectrum and seems so bizarre in the beginning, but the way Sir Arthur weaves everything together is brilliant. There are a lot of intense emotions and difficult situations for Holmes but Sherlockians will love the way he unravels this peculiar case. We are also given a fantastic little quote in this adventure, an underrated gem in the series. During a conversation in which Holmes disregards vampires as a possibility he says, “This agency stands flat-footed upon the ground, and there it must remain. The world is big enough for us. No ghosts need apply.”
the works of sir arthur conan doyle
The adventures of Sherlock Holmes are some of the greatest stories you will ever read, but I hope you’ve been inspired to give some of these slightly lesser known titles a try. If you like these then why not work your way through the entire series? You’ll come to understand exactly why Sir Arthur’s famous character inspired our original green and blue Scottish tartan range. While you’re at it and since you’re clearly an avid Sherlockian, you should join the Sherlock Holmes Tartan secret society….
