The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

Written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Narrated by Alexander Spencer

Eleven short stories including The Musgrave Ritual, The Reigate Squires and The Final Problem.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jul 11, 2008
• ISBN: 9781449802684

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) was a Scottish author best known for his classic detective fiction, although he wrote in many other genres including dramatic work, plays, and poetry. He began writing stories while studying medicine and published his first story in 1887. His Sherlock Holmes character is one of the most popular inventions of English literature, and has inspired films, stage adaptions, and literary adaptations for over 100 years.

Reviews for The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

[seriousgrace · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"Silver Blaze" - who killed a jockey and where is the famous horse, Silver Blaze?"Yellow Face" - this was my favorite mystery of the book."Stock-broker's Clerk" - What is a true connection and how can it be bought?"The Gloria Scott" - a glimpse into Holmes's past. We learn of a friendship that comes from a dog bite."Musgrave Ritual" - my favorite line came from this story, "Pistol practice should be an open air pasttime." Amen to that."Reigate Puzzle" - holmes is supposed to be resting after an illness but cannot help getting involved with a murder mystery."Crooked Man"- it was at this point that I decided it would be exhausting to have a conversation with Shelock Holmes; to have all of his observations and elementary deductions punctuating his every sentence."Resident Patient" - Watson picks up on Sherlock's method of deducation."Greek Interpreter" - it is revealed Sherlock Holmes has a brother, Mycroft. The two brothers share the same powers of deduction so a conversation with them would be twice as annoying."Naval Treaty" - we meet a college friend of Watson's."Final Problem" - the story that makes everyone think Homes has died.

[chris.wolak · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When I was a kid and wanted to read a mystery, some well-meaning adult told me to read the Sherlock Holmes stories or Agatha Christie. I couldn't get into either back then (they both seemed snooty and stuffy). Other than reading Edgar Allan Poe for classes, I didn't give another mystery a try until I was in my early 30s and saw a review of Nevada Barr's Track of the Cat in an outdoors magazine. Barr opened the door to mysteries for me and I've been a mystery reader since then, so when the publisher asked if I'd like to review the Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes I thought it was time to give the old man another chance. I am so glad I did as I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed these tales:
*Silver Blaze
*The Yellow Face
*The Stockbroker's Clerk
*The Gloria Scott
*The Musgrave Ritual
*The Reigate Squires
*The Crooked Man
*The Resident Patient
*The Greek Interpreter
*The Naval Treaty
*The Final Solution

Holmes can still be annoying (particularly in the beginning of The Crooked Man) and I found myself wanting to know more about Watson's life (particularly his time in Afghanistan), but overall the stories were interesting both for the mystery involved and for representation of the diversity of class and race in late 19th century England. My favorite story of this collection is perhaps The Naval Treaty. Too much evidence can get in the way of the art of detection: what is vital is overlaid and hidden by what is irrelevant. And what Holmes said back then is seemingly still true today: "The authorities are excellent at amassing facts, though they do not always use them to advantage" (216). I now plan on reading all the Sherlock Holmes stories and novels and have already downloaded the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Cheerio mates!

[booksfordinner · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What can you say?

[tobinelliott · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A very good collection, though, not without some throwaway stories. But, on the whole, just being introduced to Mycroft Holmes, and having Holmes' so-called "final" story are both enough for the price of admission.

Overall, however, this one actually feels as though ACD was running out of steam--or at least, falling out of love--with Holmes and Watson. Even the final story, in which Holmes supposedly dies, feels like it's given short shrift. That one should have been a novel.

Regardless, this collection also feels like it opens up the world a little more as well. Absolutely worth the read.

[tgraettinger_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyable.

[drfuriosa · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An interesting, varied chronicle of cases undertaken by Holmes and Watson. By far the most memorable story is "The Final Problem," in which we meet supervillain Professor Moriarty.

[locriian · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I just don't like ACD's writing style. Very dry.

[muumuumousie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

4.5 stars. Another strong collection of short stories. Some of these tales have a lot going on, with intrigue and mystery and confusion running through them. Others are more straightforward, even simple. One of the charms in this collection, for me, was this difference from one story to the next. Some tales felt like complete adventures, while other were more like snapshots. This was a nice mix. I found “Silver Blaze” and “The Musgrave Ritual” to be quite memorable, and Sherlock’s heartfelt speech about the hope and beauty that one finds in flowers remains one of my favorite moments in the whole saga. Finally, I won’t spoil anything here, but the adventures that Watson and Holmes share in “The Final Problem” are among the most compelling of anything in the series. Amazing.

[danielstj · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a good, solid little collection of Sherlock Holmes short stories. Watson narrates each tail, trying to personify the ingenious detective by filling it with character details and analyzing his friend, mentor, and partner in solving crimes. This was a more organized, roundabout collection than the others that I have read and I quite enjoyed reading it. An essential read for those interested in Sherlock Holmes or detective stories- or classics enthusiasts.3.5 stars.

[thedivineoomba · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

These are the stories that started a whole new genre. Well, there were others written before, but Conan Doyle was the best. Unfortunately, I'm not that big of a fan. I found the stories to be overwritten (Doyle was paid by the word), as well as dull at times. There were a few standouts - specifically "The Yellow-Face", which took an unexpected view of mixed race children from Sherlock Holmes.

[sweetiegherkin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

More compelling short stories about the famed detective are included in this title. Unfortunately I read it quite some time ago and forgot to review it then, so my memory is slight, other than that I enjoyed the stories contained in here on the whole.

[matke-261098 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another great entry in Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes series, this has eleven short stories of consistent worth. My favorite was “ The Case of the Yellow Face,” which tells of a complete failure in Homes’s reasoning from facts work. The conclusion of this one is quite moving, which isn’t a word that applies to most of the Holmes stories.And of course there’s the famous confrontation at Reichenbach Falls between Sherlock and Moriarty. Highly recommended.

[andrew1theqm · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Although not a great fan of short stories, this was a good collection of cases involving Sherlock Holmes. Most of them left you wanting more. Interesting this early in the series of books to finish with Holmes and Moriarty at The Reichenbach Falls - also intriguing how this last scene wasn't told by Arthur Conan Doyle. Will always leave you wondering exactly what happened.

[nx74defiant · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Silver Blaze a horse called Silver Blaze has gone missing The Yellow Face a man is concerned that his wife is hiding a secret from him. the Stock-Broker's Clerk a clerk is worried about what is going on at his new job. The "Gloria Scott" Holmes recalls a case that started his interest in detecting the Musgrave Ritual Holmes discovers the secret behind a family ritual The Reigate Puzzle Holmes solves a case of burglery and murder while convalescing. The Crooked Man the colonel dies while alone in a locked room with his wife The Resident Patient a Dr. asks Sherlock for help with a mysterious patient The Greek Interpreter We meet Sherlock's brother Mycroft who brings them the case of a greek interpreter is taken to interpret for a kidnap victim The Naval Treaty Dr. Watson's old classmate asks for his help The Final Problem the "death" of Sherlock Holmes.

[lukerik-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Whether this or The Adventures is the better collection is a matter of personal choice. As a whole I think I preferred Adventures but The Yellow Face stands out as my favourite story so far. It made me cry a bit at the end. You also have the entry of Moriarty for the 1st time. I expected that to take place later in the series. Great fun.

[drled_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Review: This collection of stories has some of the famous and not so famous. All are written in that famous Doyle style with some being more interesting than others.

[ladypembroke · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Having fun catching up on all the Sherlock Holmes stories. This volume is a collection of shorter works that reads like a sort of lost case file for John Watson. Of course, the series ends in this book (or does it?) with the tale involving Moriarty and Reichenbach Falls.

Oddly, the stories don't even feel dated, although some of that might be due to watching "Sherlock" and being able to imagine the pair in the modern day.

[aliceanna-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The short story is a much better venue for Sherlock Holmes than the novel. The short story telescopes plot and gets beyond the fact that Holmes is hardly a prince of a guy.

[oscarwilde87_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of eleven Sherlock Holmes stories. In this collection, Sherlock's brother Mycroft is introduced as a new character. Mycroft Holmes is described as having even more deductive skill than his brother, yet lacking in ambition and therefore not being interested too much in detective work. Probably the most exciting story for Sherlock Holmes fans is "The Final Problem". Holmes' nemesis Professor James Moriarty chases Holmes from England across Europe to Switzerland as Holmes has managed to collect enough evidence to convict Moriarty and all his helpers. Moriarty is able to evade prosecution in England and sets his mind to kill Sherlock Holmes. At the end of "The Final Problem", which is also the end of this collection of short stories, it is alluded that Holmes takes matters into his own hands at Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland, where he is confronted by Moriarty. Watson finds a note of goodbye from Holmes but there is no sign of either Holmes or Moriarty. Both are suspected to have died falling down the cliffs at Reichenbach Falls.An examination by experts leaves little doubt that a personal contest between the two men ended, as it could hardly fail to end in such a situation, in their reeling over, locked in each other's arms. An attempt at recovering the bodies was absolutely hopeless ...Nowadays, the probable death of Sherlock Holmes is not a cliffhanger anymore as we have access to the complete works and know that The Return of Sherlock Holmes is going to follow. At the time of publication in 1894, however, the situation was completely different. Arthur Conan Doyle wanted to move on from Sherlock Holmes and had not intended to continue the series of stories centered around the detective. In The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes one can already find traces of the author wanting to be done with the Holmes stories. Some of the stories come to a rather sudden end and it seems that the author did not put that much work in the endings anymore. To be fair, this only goes for some of the stories while others are written with the same care as before. Before The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes were published as a collection the stories were published on their own in Strand Magazine. So, for the readers in the 1890s, the final story carries much more weight. It was not to be known for quite a while if there would ever be another Sherlock Holmes story. The readers' cry for more (and probably also financial issues) made Arthur Conan Doyle reconsider his decision and eventually bring the character of Sherlock Holmes back to life.Despite the short endings of some of the stories, I found the stories in this collection as good as the ones in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. What I especially liked was the introduction of Mycroft Holmes as a new character and above all "The Final Problem". Given the minor flaws, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes is still a 4 star read and a must-read for every Holmes fan.

[sageness · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3.5 stars, rounding up out of love. *g*

Some of the most famous classic Holmes stories are in this volume, as well as some I haven't seen mentioned in decades. Doyle's boredom with the 'verse (or disenchantment with it, given the pressure put on him to produce more and more Holmes serials) is grossly apparent in some of the stories, which just end -- suddenly -- as if Doyle couldn't be bothered to write a proper conclusion. Then there are others that are richly detailed with complex plots and gorgeous characterization. I am ridiculously fond.

Disability tag is for mental illness this time.

[barb_h_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Short stories, most were good, some were boring. Left me hanging at the end though, going to have to find out what happened!

[dulac3_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another series of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes as reported by his faithful biographer Dr. Watson and it becomes clearer than ever that the real draw of these stories is the fascinating character of Holmes himself. The mysteries are secondary to the enjoyment, though many of them do prove to have distinct elements of interest (otherwise why would the great detective have bothered himself about them?), but it really is in observing the fascinating character of Holmes himself that the reader is immersed in them. Indeed, this collection provides a rare treat for the reader in that we learn more about the detective and his early life and connections than has previously been the case. Thus it was that some of the most interesting stories here, for me at least, were those that hearkened back to Holmes’ youth and showed us the man he was and in which we can see the seeds of the man he would come to be.

The first of these in this book is “The Adventure of the Gloria Scott” – The primary interest in this tale comes from the glimpse it gives us to Holmes’ first ‘case’ (though the following tale, “The Musgrave Ritual” is really better classified as his first actual case, since the Gloria Scott comes across more as an intriguing mystery to which Holmes is largely a spectator) and the impetus for his decision to become a detective. We also get a glimpse at Holmes’ college days and of the only friend he made there (and thus far in the stories the only friend at all that he seems to have ever had aside from Watson). Finally this tale gives us a glimpse of a young Holmes still capable of emotion and surprise to the point that he cries out in horror at certain circumstances that, in later tales, would have left little other than a wry smile and remark of interest on his lips.

As noted above “The Musgrave Ritual” provides us with a look at what could probably be considered Holmes’ first real case in which another University acquaintance of Holmes’ comes to him, based on his youthful reputation, with an apparently insoluble puzzle that revolves around the man’s lothario butler and a bizarre family tradition. Holmes of course breaks the case and takes no small relish in recounting the strange tale of an event “done prematurely before my biographer had come to glorify me” to his friend Watson.

“The Greek Interpreter” continues in our discovery of the details of the mysterious past of Sherlock Holmes as we discover he actually does have a family and did not, as might seem more likely, spring from the brow of Zeus full grown. We in fact meet his older brother Mycroft, a man even more withdrawn from normal human society than his brother, but who also seems to possess even greater observational powers (a fact that leaves both Watson and the reader shocked to say the least). It was indeed quite amusing to see the two siblings spar with each other, each vying to outdo the other’s seemingly gnomic observations upon two strangers viewed from a window, and each gently chiding and correcting the other. This scene, nothing more a game of one-upmanship between brothers, does an excellent job at both making Sherlock seem more human at the same time that it exemplifies the peculiarity of his abilities and his subsequent estrangement from other ‘normal’ people. I also wondered in passing whether the germ for Nero Wolfe was planted in the mind of Rex Stout upon reading Sherlock’s comment about his brother: “If the art of the detective began and ended in reasoning from an arm-chair, my brother would be the greatest criminal agent that ever lived.” All that is needed is Archie Goodwin to do the foot work, a brownstone in New York and we’re off to the races.

The Memoirs even show a bizarrely puckish aspect to Holmes’ personality when, in the second to last tale “The Naval Treaty”, Holmes plays a practical joke for his own amusement at the expense of the nerves of his already rattled client…something strange indeed (though perhaps not altogether out of character given Holmes’ obvious desire to showboat and his distinct streak of misanthropy).

Other tales in the volume that were of interest: “The Crooked Man” which I found to be a rather affecting tale of retribution in the face of personal tragedy and “The Yellow Face” which, at the same time that it displayed some squicky elements of racism and abandonment, still managed to rise above them and display a story of ultimate familial devotion and personal love.

Of course one can’t leave off discussion of this volume without making mention of “The Final Problem” the story in which Holmes’ greatest adversary Moriarty, the Napoleon of Crime, is born. Doyle had grown weary of the public clamour for more tales of his peerless sleuth and decided it was time to end it so that he could concentrate on other characters and stories. Well, as it turns out this was not to be, but what resulted was an exciting tale in which Holmes finds himself pitted against the greatest adversary of his voluminous career. After months of playing cat-and-mouse with Moriarty and his insidious league of crime Holmes finally has gathered the pieces he needs to crush the vast criminal organization and its most dangerous leader. Moriarty, of course, is not likely to take such a possibility lying down and thus we have a final chase across London and Switzerland that ends in an off-screen (and thus retcon-able) death for both Holmes and his adversary. Watson’s final realization of what has happened to his friend is moving, as is the typically dry (though sincere) letter which Holmes leaves for him on the edge of Reichenbach Falls.

All in all, while some of the tales may have been weaker than others, I can’t do anything other than give this collection a five-star rating due to the great interest of the many tales of Holmes’ early life, as well as the singular event of his “death”.

[jeremypreacher · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Just as entertaining as the Adventures. The Final Problem was one I'd heard so much about that it seemed like I must have read it, but it was nice to actually do so. The stories don't stick in my head much - they're fairly slight - but fun and worth the read.

[tlhelen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes is a great book to read. One of the best books to read by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle about a great detective solving crime, murder mysteries. There are several different interesting murder cases and it is like travelling and solving mysteries and other great adventures with Sherlock Holmes and Doctor John Watson. Full of exciting and great mysterious adventures. E.C.

[literary_butterfly · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Well, you can't beat a bit of Sherlock Holmes, can you? These stories about this quintessentially English eccentric must probably have a place on most bookshelves - at least in Britain. I chose this book because it includes The Final Problem - the story in which Sherlock Holmes finally meets his match at the hands of the evil Professor Moriarty. I had never actually read this story, but of course I knew of it, and the final scene in Akunin's "The Coronation" seemed to be something of a homage to it.I don't usually enjoy collections of short stories - I find it frustrating for a story to end just as I'm starting to get into it. I've had a really busy week though, so it was actually great to be able to dip into the book for a few minutes and read a whole story. As expected, I found that the format didn't really work for me - once I'd got to the end of one of the stories I didn't have as much incentive to pick the book up again as I would have done if I'd been in the middle of an exciting novel.I hadn’t read a Sherlock Holmes story since I was a teenager, and as I progressed through the stories I began to realise how naive my youthful preconceptions of the detective and Doctor Watson were. In my head they were a stereotypical duo of the infallible detective and his likeable but bumbling assistant, but this turned out not to be the case at all. Holmes is in fact a very complicated man with more vices than virtues and, as Watson (the narrator) is often at pains to point out he isn't always entirely successful in his investigations. In several of the stories the mystery is solved in spite of, rather than because of, Holmes' interference. Watson also surprised me. He certainly gave very little help to Holmes in his investigations but, unlike Ziukin in "The Coronation", neither did he get in Holmes' way or try to take it upon himself to get involved in the action. He also came across as an extremely sensible and supportive friend, although maybe a little too accepting of Holmes' eccentric behaviours and dour moods.I liked the variety of the mysteries in the book - they are not all crimes. Some are very simple domestic or relationship problems although they all had fairly improbable solutions. My main problem with the book, however, was that the reader was rarely given the chance to solve the mystery before Holmes did. I suppose it's difficult in a short story to provide the reader with all the clues and red herrings that would be possible in a full-length novel, but time-and-time again, at the denouement, I would be exasperated by the amount of information Holmes had at his fingertips that the reader had not been given access to. Maybe I'm unusual, but my favourite thing about detective stories is getting to play detective myself. On the rare occasion that I work out who the culprit is I'm always so proud of myself, and so I felt rather cheated in most of these stories.The story I enjoyed the most was The Final Problem, which surely contains one of the most famous scenes in English literature - even people who haven't read it have heard of it. I'm really glad that I've finally read it for myself. What I hadn't realised was that Watson didn't witness the final events at first hand - his narrative is based on a reconstruction of the likely events based on the evidence left at the scene. This makes for really powerful narrative - both Watson and the reader are forced to imagine what might have happened to Holmes and Moriarty, which somehow makes the scene far more vivid than if it had been recounted in detail. The end of the book really is desolating - I felt so sorry for poor Doctor Watson. In his typically reserved English style he makes very little of his own emotions but beneath the understatement it is easy to see that his life will never be the same again. I'm glad Conan Doyle at least had the decency to marry him off.One tiny thing - I really, really don't like the cover of this edition. I just don't get it. It looks like it should be on the front of a collection of ghost stories. Very unattractive.On the whole I did enjoy this book and I'm glad I've finally read it. Holmes and Watson are both fascinating people to spend a bit of time with, and even when the detective element of the stories didn't quite do it for me, the character study of Sherlock Holmes was always fun to read.

[tinav95 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was my first delve into the world of Sherlock Holmes. I have loved mysteries since I was a girl, but it wasn't until the recent SH movie, that I even considered reading what I thought would be a overtly male driven story line. I was incorrect. Although Holmes is obviously male, I had no trouble relating to him or to his incredible deductive reasoning process. I will definitely read more Sir Arthur Conan Doyle when I want a classical, individual, and highly detailed mystery!NOTE -- I thoroughly enjoyed these mysteries which I "read" on audio book. Apparently I started with the wrong book, as this contains the story of the death of Holmes. Very highly recommended anyway!

[tjsjohanna_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

There are nine stories in this collection, ranging from Mr. Holmes earliest days to the last case he worked on before his unfortunate demise. I can't say that any one story stood out particularly as being very interesting, but as more insight to the universe of Sherlock Holmes, they are fun reading.

[andyjb_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A curious incident and the death of Holmes. Superb!

[lisamaria_c · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the second set of Sherlock Holmes short stories, eleven in all, that appeared in the Strand magazine and collected in The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. I fell in love with the Holmes stories from the first I read for high school--"The Speckled Band" which appears in the first set of shorts, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Pretty much all my favorite Holmes shorts appear in that first volume, but a lot of these are memorable for one reason or the other. In terms of being great puzzle pieces for me the stand outs are "Silver Blaze" (which refers to "the curious incident of the dog in the night-time"), "The Musgrave Ritual" (dealing with a centuries-old family ritual dating to the times of the Cavaliers and Round-heads), "The Reigate Squire" (with a clever deduction drawn from a torn note) and "The Naval Treaty" (which serves up a Victorian Age spy story). "The Crooked Man" features the one time in the canon Sherlock says "Elementary" (and Teddy the mongoose!) "The Yellow Face" imparts a message of racial tolerance that's remarkable for a work published in 1893. We also get some interesting glimpses of Sherlock Holmes' personal background. "The Gloria Scott" is his first case and involves his (only) college friend. "The Greek Interpreter" introduces us to Sherlock's brother, Mycroft. And "The Final Problem" introduces us to Holmes' great adversary Dr Moriarty and their fateful encounter at Reichenbach Falls. So, a very enjoyable collection, especially for those already fans of Sherlock Holmes.

[katekf_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have always enjoyed Sherlock Holmes and when I realized this book filled a hole in my collection, it was a pleasure to acquire it. Holmes shares with Watson tales of his early adventures in The Musgrave Ritual and the "Gloria Scott" as they pursue new ones together. The short stories within this volume make a good introduction to a new Sherlock Holmes' reader as they are each succinct and fascinating. Reading these it is easy to see how Holmes and Watson captured the imagination of readers in the 1890s with their clever plots and comfortable banter.