- The Good: Holmes! Watson! A hellish hound!
- The Bad: Forget what you know from the adaptations, this is the real deal.
- The Literary: “The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes.”
In this, one of the most famous of Doyle’s mysteries, Holmes and Watson investigate an ancient curse and a fearsome hound of supernatural origin. This third Holmes novel, originally serialized in The Strand Magazine from August 1901 to April 1902, revived the character after his unexpected death.
A friend of Dr. James Mortimer, Sir Charles Baskerville was recently found dead in an alley, with a look of horror on his face, his death attributed to cardiac arrest. Located in the open west country of Dartmoor, the Baskerville estate has been haunted by a demonic hound since the English Civil War, with many of the Baskerville family members falling victim to its horror through the generations. Since Mortimer also noticed large paw prints near the body of his friend, he asks Sherlock to investigate.
Though the novel begins and ends in London, most of the story takes place in the moody gothic landscape of the moors. Holmes meets Sir Charles Baskerville’s heir, Sir Henry, fresh off a ship from Canada, and discusses several strange things that have already happened to Sir Henry, including a missing boot and an anonymous note warning him to stay off the property. Holmes sends Watson with Sir Henry as protection when he sets out for Dartmoor.
I especially love the gothic angle of this novel, the creeping horror, the misty moors, and the supernatural hell hound. Since this book was the first after a long break following Sherlock’s death in “The Final Problem”, I’d guess there was some speculation that Holmes himself was a ghost, or at least able to sense the supernatural more than an average man. To that end, Holmes remains the critic, easily dismissing the legend, using logic until the end.
I find the plot nicely paced, the mystery unpredictable and twisty, and the reading experience quite entertaining—especially as narrated by Stephen Fry—with a satisfying conclusion. Several elements surprise and delight, including brutal murders, an escaped convict, and a dark mansion full of creepy family portraits that offer clues. To modern eyes, this book is less problematic than Doyle’s previous two Holmes’ novels, with the exception that the women are a little helpless, but they are essential to the plot.
The Hound of the Baskervilles is one of the most famous of Holmes stories, and I can see why. It’s a wonderful mystery, full of Sherlockian wit and candor. There’s even the Baskerville effect, a social science term for the self-fulfilling prophecy that there’s an increase in rate of mortality through heart attacks on days considered unlucky because of the psychological stress this causes on superstitious people.
Absolutely highly recommended to anyone interested in picking up their first Sherlock Holmes story!