While many of the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes are clever, leaving the reader to ascertain the true crux of a tale only just before or at the point of revelation by Mr. Holmes, the language has been to me the larger draw. I am listing a few examples below to illustrate my meaning:
"As Cuvier could correctly describe a whole animal by the contemplation of a single bone, so the observer who has thoroughly understood one link in a series of incidents should be able to accurately state all the other ones, both before and after" - Holmes in "Adventure V. The Five Orange Pips" (Loc 1751) [This story is actually quite a sad, disturbing one, and the plot I am afraid, is a little more obvious than the other stories, particularly if a reader has spent any time in the South.]
"Oh, a trusty comrade is always of use; and a chronicler still more so." - Holmes again to Dr. Watson in "Adventure VI. The Man with the Twisted Lip" (Loc 1964) [The turn of this story was only evident to me just moments before Holmes leads us through his discovery, although I suspect my father would have been earlier to the game.]
"I have seen too much not to know that the impression of a woman may be more valuable than the conclusion of an analytical reasoner." - Holmes again in "Adventure VI" (Loc 2135) [No comment.]
As a woman chronicler who does not always understand the link between several incidents, I would recommend these short stories if you had a moment or two to ponder.
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