The Hound Of The Baskervilles (1902) By Arthur Conan Doyle

"There is nothing more stimulating than a case where everything goes against you."

After a couple of months off, I returned to the world of Victorian era investigative mysteries, with this, the fifth book in a series of 'Sherlock Holmes' stories, of course, from the acclaimed British author; Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This is arguably his most famous tale - most everyone has heard of the infamous hound - but it was still a case I was not particularly familiar with. This only made me even more keen to unravel its mysteries.

"Evil indeed is the man who has not one woman to mourn him."

This was, for me, the most intriguing mystery yet. The sprinklings of fantasy gave the case an unusual feel for a Holmes and Watson investigation, which drew me in more, because of my desire to see the truth revealed. I also enjoyed the inclusion of the main red herring of the story, which complicated theories just enough to keep the mystery alive a little longer.

"It is not my intention to be fulsome, but I confess that I covet your skull."

The final reveal was, in the end, a little predictable - logic meant that it was near enough the only real option, though one could argue that was because of systematic elimination of the alternatives, much like Holmes. I did find the culmination of the case to be a little unsatisfying. The anticlimactic, unanswered nature of some of those events was irksome, and a little unnecessary.

"The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes."

Overall, I thought this was one of the stronger Holmes cases with good reason, but one that still had a couple of niggling issues. I did, however, enjoy discovering the truth behind the so-called 'Hound Of The Baskervilles'. It was one of the more unique and well-crafted mysteries, which at least hinted at the author's infamous belief in folklore and fantasy - something I enjoyed immensely.

"The more outré and grotesque an incident is the more carefully it deserves to be examined."