The Sign of Four

I've read most of Holmes' short stories, but this is only my second novel. Though it's always good to be back with my old friends, I'll admit this wasn't one of my favorites.

The story itself is a rather quick burn. Once the perp/s is/are caught, we get a 25-page backstory of barely relevant names and locations. Afterward, we're given just a few pages devoted to wrapping up the case. Most Holmes stories do a better job in the denouement.

Despite the slow ending, I savored the budding friendship between Holmes and Watson. I also enjoyed meeting *RECURRING CHARACTER* and learning more about their backstory.

There is a rare moment in SotF where Holmes' theory backfires and the characters have to laugh off their time wasted. This felt like a heartwarming touch I haven't seen in too many cases. I also appreciated the depictions of Holmes as a stimulation junkie, going so far as to engage in *DANGEROUS ACTIVITY* when bored and staying up for days when on the scent.

As others have commented, the racism and sexism in this story haven't aged well. Let the reader beware.

Recommended for the world-building, but it's not the most thrilling, clever, or well-developed Holmes case I've read. Like Holmes, I found myself craving the excitement of the unfolding story and struggling to pick the book back up when it lapsed.

This second book in the Sherlock Holmes collection is incredibly similar in structure, writing style and execution to a study in scarlett. Watson's unfaltering admiration and praise for Sherlock Holmes grew more tiresome to read in this book as it was very repetitive and hyperbolic and after hearing him sing his praises in the first book it was a sentiment as a reader that we were already well aware of. Overall however Sherlock Holmes is a guilty pleasure read and I love hearing Stephen Fry narrate the story. Sherlock Holmes stories are fantastic and although rather far fetched they are always a pleasure escapism read. This book while similar to the first was equally as much fun to read.

WHAT

This book gives much more insights into Sherlock Holmes personality then the first, although the story is a little less interesting. Like his previous books I read, its all about the details of the case, not much in terms of character, world or story.

ANALYSIS

There is one important thing to note that makes the book character much different from the most recent screen adaptations: he is a very caring human being! He is genuinely concerned about people and he is disgusted by the evil nature of the crimes he investigates. By the way most reviewers seem to disagree with this. I interpret as “he doesn't let his emotions cloud his judgment” instead of “he doesn't have emotions”.

“It is of the first importance not to allow your judgment to be biased by personal qualities. A client is to me a mere unit, a factor in a problem. The emotional qualities are antagonistic to clear reasoning.”


I like the movie and series versions a lot, but they are very different from the book in that aspect. Holmes is a true scientist at heart, he relies on cold hard logic to solve his cases, and he cares nothing for the day to day affairs of the world. But he is not a social tool as is made up to be on the screen. A much more faithful and real representation of him can be found in Mr. Holmes, stared by Ian McKellen.

Sherlock is arrogant, but not without reason. He is in fact the most brilliant man in London, an possible in the world. He states that as an objective fact, not as a matter of bragging. He can be seen as a bit misogynous, but in the same sense that saying “most crimes are committed by black people” is racist, nothing like House for instance. He is a man with such and intellect that he must resort to drugs to cope with ordinary life. That to me is the most defining trait of Sherlock Holmes, the one that most well captures his essence. He cannot shut down his brain, he is always working.

“My mind rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram or the most intricate analysis, and I am in my own proper atmosphere. I can dispense then with artificial stimulants. But I abhor the dull routine of existence. I crave for mental exaltation.”

“...I cannot live without brain-work. What else is there to live for? Stand at the window here. Was ever such a dreary, dismal, unprofitable world? See how the yellow fog swirls down the street and drifts across the dun-colored houses. What could be more hopelessly prosaic and material? What is the use of having powers, doctor, when one has no field upon which to exert them? Crime is commonplace, existence is commonplace, and no qualities save those which are commonplace have any function upon earth.”

He dislikes fiction and fantasy because they have do practical applications. For that same reason he has no interest in philosophy, politics and astronomy.

His drug use is quite extensive by the way. I think that the book starts with something like “for the last three months he has been shooting cocaine upon his arm thrice a day”. He indeed must be numb all the time in order to overcome the mundane existence. Something fiction lovers may relate to.

“You have done all the work in this business. I get a wife out of it, Jones gets the credit, pray what remains for you?”
“For me,” said Sherlock Holmes, “there still remains the cocaine bottle.”

Plenty of racism, and honestly the plot is pretty stupid. Not Sherlock's best outing. But five hearts for the story of Watson getting all smitten and acting dumb around his wife-to-be.

ETA: I'm adding back one more star for the fabulous quote: “‘My mind,” he said, “rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram or the most intricate analysis, and I am in my own proper atmosphere. I can dispense then with artificial stimulants. But I abhor the dull routine of existence. I crave for mental exaltation.”

I think what I disliked, and a bit liked, in this story the most is that the mystery was solved in the first half of the book. I wanted that strange tingly feeling in my chest combined with an adrenaline rush and a quick flipping of pages (in my case, kindle buttons), but I didn't get it. In crime fiction, what a person likes best is that tension built up to the point where you can't take it anymore, at that point the answer must be given... but no, in here, instead I was left with a boring story on how everything happened which took more than 10% of the book, and which did not interest me much. In fact, I found myself distracted during a huge portion of it. A study in scarlet was way better. I liked the feeling of confusion I got in part II of that story.
A study in scarlet, also, seemed more interesting. This one had a nice looking summary that got me excited but which was revealed at the beginning of chapter II and, thus, I was not exactly hooked up.

I gave 4 stars for that exact beginning, and for the extreme intelligence and shrewdness, combined with extraordinary cognitive and deduction abilities that Sherlock Holmes, yet again, shows.

Oh, I also disliked the very unbelievable way in which Watson came to fall in love with Mary. Seriously, dude, at least take her out on a date first.

What I liked a lot too is Sherlock's addiction to cocaine. Arthur Conan Doyle did not struggle to make his main character lovable, but actually showed him with all his flaws: His hardheartedness, his addiction to cocaine as a cure for boredom (which of course doesn't make it excusable), and the fact that he is a fucking arse to everyone. I still like him a lot. I like his train of thoughts and his lack of prejudice, which is the scientific method I support wholeheartedly. And because I always imagine him as Robert Downey Jr. and damn that MAN IS HOTTTTTTTT!! Also, I am sapiosexual. I can't help not liking intelligent people.

Definitely not a favourite in this series.

A tale of conspiracy and theft, stretching from India to England. An interesting enough tale, that helps round out Holmes' character a bit more through its telling. It's always fascinated me how media adaptations of Holmes get certain aspects of his character right, while ignoring others, so it's good to get the full feel for him.Note: I haven't yet seen the Robert Downey Jr interpretation of the character.

I really liked this book. As with every Sherlock story, the writing is incredible and soothing in a way that very few other books accomplish.

I was loving every bit of the story up until they went after the launch, it seemed to hit a bump on the road and it only went back up again when they had finally captured Small. 
I would rank this slightly lower than A Study in Scarlet, but still a great entry in the Sherlock universe.

Short Review: This is the 2nd of the Sherlock Holmes novels. It is the first full length (it is 120 pages) Holmes novel I have read. It is the first time Holmes does cocaine (and talks about doing heroin) when he is bored and not on a case. It is a classic Holmes mystery where he pulls details out of thing air and is a clear part of Victorian society. It is interesting, but not great. But it is free on audio.

Full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/the-sign-of-four/

Officially the best novel with the most interesting story I've read so far. The language is indeed a little bit hard for me to understand like the other classics, but I can still enjoy it thanks to the builtin dictionary in the Play Books app.

This is the second installment of Sherlock Holmes franchise. Mary Watson, who later will be Watson's wife, is introduced in this book in an excellent way.

I don't want to spoil the story, just read it for yourself. It won't disappoint you.

Love a book that ends with some playful banter about the main character getting back into his cocaine habit.

This is the book that really locked in the Sherlock Holmes that we all know. A Study in Scarlet still treats him as a human, but this book turns him into a superhero. He loses some of his insecurity and as a result feels a little less real. Obviously this worked, the character revealed his franchise potential and we still talk about him to this day.

But it feels like there was a slightly different direction the character of Sherlock Holmes could have gone, somewhere a little rougher and more human, and that version would've been interesting to see too.

But hey, instead he became the most iconically Victorian comic book character ever.

More fun and games with Holmes and Watson! I‰ЫЄm getting bored with the story-inside-a-story thing but I‰ЫЄll keep my complaints to myself. Or is that a convention with Sherlock Holmes and I‰ЫЄll just have to put up with it? I‰ЫЄll put up with it. These books kind of fall under the heading of research for me now so it would take more than that to make me quit now.

The best detective in the world, London in the Victorian era, seemingly complicated cases that turn into a murder before they can be solved, a group of terrible criminals, explosive excitement, timeless adventure. Well, Sir Arthur has written a detective adventure that has changed the genre of adventure in literature, what else can I criticize. Enjoyable from start to finish.

The Sign of Four is an intriguing and exciting entry in the Sherlock Holmes canon. Looted treasure, damsels in distress, a mysterious one-legged man and murder most foul, The Sign of Four possesses it all. It's thrilling and features some amazing set pieces. This also includes a River Thames steamboat chase. One of my favourite aspects of these detective classics is when Holmes leaves Watson. Then goes on to complete an unknown mission. Like the Doctor the reader doesn't know what the sleuth is up to. This then leads to a nice reveal about how Sherlock's actions have affected the case. New and old Sherlock fans will treasure it. It's mysterious, evocative and stylish. The Sign of Four, is a tense action thriller from start to finish.
And at the end, when Holmes is asked what now remains for him he replies:

For me,” said Sherlock Holmes, “there still remains the cocaine bottle.

is set in 1888. The Sign of the Four has a complex plot involving service in India, the Indian Rebellion of 1857, a stolen treasure, and a secret pact among four convicts ("the Four" of the title) and two corrupt prison guards. It presents the detective's drug habit and humanizes him in a way that had not been done in the preceding novel, A Study in Scarlet (1887). It also introduces Doctor Watson's future wife, Mary Morstan.

According to Mary, in December 1878, her father had telegraphed her upon his safe return from India and requested her to meet him at the Langham Hotel in London. When Mary arrived at the hotel, she was told her father had gone out the previous night and not returned. Despite all efforts, no trace was ever found of him. Mary contacted her father's only friend who was in the same regiment and had since retired to England, one Major John Sholto, but he denied knowing her father had returned. The second puzzle is that she has received six pearls in the mail from an anonymous benefactor, one per year since 1882 after answering an anonymous newspaper query inquiring for her. With the last pearl she received a letter remarking that she has been wronged and asking for a meeting. Holmes takes the case and soon discovers that Major Sholto had died in 1882 and that within a short span of time Mary began to receive the pearls, implying a connection. The only clue Mary can give Holmes is a map of a fortress found in her father's desk with the names of Jonathan Small, Mahomet Singh, Abdullah Khan and Dost Akbar.

Holmes, Watson, and Mary meet Thaddeus Sholto, the son of the late Major Sholto and the anonymous sender of the pearls. Thaddeus confirms the Major had seen Mary's father the night he died; they had arranged a meeting to divide a priceless treasure Sholto had brought home from India. While quarrelling over the treasure, Captain Morstan—long in weak health—suffered a heart attack. Not wanting to bring attention to the object of the quarrel—and also worried that circumstances would suggest that he had killed Morstan in an argument, particularly since Morstan's head struck the corner of the chest as he fell—Sholto disposed of the body and hid the treasure. However, he himself suffered from poor health and an enlarged spleen (possibly due to malaria, as a quinine bottle stands by his bed). His own health became worse when he received a letter from India in early 1882. Dying, he called his two sons and confessed to Morstan's death and was about to divulge the location of the treasure when he suddenly cried, "Keep him out!" before falling back and dying. The puzzled sons glimpsed a face in the window, but the only trace was a single footstep in the dirt. On their father's body is a note reading "The Sign of the Four". Both brothers quarrelled over whether a legacy should be left to Mary Morstan, and Thaddeus left his brother Bartholomew, taking a chaplet and sending its pearls to Mary. The reason he sent the letter is that Bartholomew has found the treasure and possibly Thaddeus and Mary might confront him for a division of it.

Bartholomew is found dead in his home from a poison dart and the treasure is missing. While the police wrongly take Thaddeus in as a suspect, Holmes deduces that there are two persons involved in the murder: a one-legged man, Jonathan Small, as well as another "small" accomplice. He traces them to a boat landing where Small has hired a steam launch named the Aurora. With the help of dog Toby that he sends Watson to collect from Mr. Sherman, the Baker Street Irregulars and his own disguise, Holmes traces the steam launch. In a police steam launch Holmes and Watson chase the Aurora and capture it, but in the process end up killing the "small" companion after he attempts to kill Holmes with a poisoned dart shot from a blow-pipe. Small tries to escape but is captured. However, the iron treasure box is empty; Small claims to have dumped the treasure over the side during the chase.

Small confesses that years before he was a soldier of the Third Buffs in India and lost his right leg in a swimming accident to a crocodile. After some time, when he was an overseer on a tea plantation, the Indian Rebellion of 1857 occurred and he was forced to flee for his life to the Agra fortress. While standing guard one night he was overpowered by two Sikh troopers, who gave him a choice of being killed or being an accomplice to waylaying a disguised servant of a rajah who sent the servant with a valuable fortune in pearls and jewels to the British for safekeeping. The robbery and murder took place and the crime was discovered, although the jewels were not. Small got penal servitude on the Andaman Islands and, after 20 years, he overheard that John Sholto had lost much money gambling and cannot even sell his commission; therefore, he will have to resign. Small saw his chance and made a deal with Sholto and Arthur Morstan: Sholto would recover the treasure and in return send a boat to pick up Small and the Sikhs. Sholto double-crossed both Morstan and Small and stole the treasure for himself-after inheriting a fortune from his uncle. Small vowed vengeance and four years later escaped the Andaman Islands with an islander named Tonga after they both killed a prison guard. It was the news of his escape that shocked Sholto into his fatal illness. Small arrived too late to hear of the treasure's location, but left the note which referred to the name of the pact between himself and his three Sikh accomplices. When Bartholomew found the treasure, Small planned to only steal it, but claims a miscommunication led Tonga to kill Bartholomew as well. Small claims the Agra treasure brought nothing but bad luck to anyone who came in touch with it—the servant who was murdered; Sholto living with fear and guilt; and now he himself is trapped in slavery for life—half his life building a breakwater in the Andaman Islands and the rest of his life digging drains in Dartmoor Prison.

Mary Morstan is left without the bulk of the Agra treasure, although she will apparently receive the rest of the chaplet. John Watson falls in love with Mary and it is revealed at the end that he proposed to her and she has accepted.