The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes

This is the last collection of Holmes stories before Sir Arthur's death, when he was churning them out for money. Try as he might to kill him off, Holmes dogged him to the last. I found this interesting to read knowing that Sir Arthur absolutely despised Holmes by this time in his career, and also, somehow I missed this collection! So it was a delight to read new-to-me Holmes tales... and yet...

These stories are short and snappy. Also, Doyle experiments with tales told by Sherlock himself, and the third person, which is an interesting departure! On the down side, this collection is, well, weak. Dated. A couple "solutions" are transparent from the beginning. The racism is shocking. The cloak of anachronism is slipping off of the misogyny. Doyle's frustration seems to be finding vent in some very dark and vengeful stories and resolutions. Therefore, not a completely enjoyable escape. I found I couldn't avoid being aware of all the problems, despite the well-oiled story-telling format and form; all the characters reappearing like familiar old friends.

Conan Doyle at his most offensive.


The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Problem of Thor Bridge ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Adventure of the Creeping Man⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Adventure of the Three Garridebs ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Adventire of the Illustrious Client⭐️⭐️
The Adventure of the Three Gables⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier⭐️⭐️
The Adventure of the Lion’s Mane⭐️⭐️
The Adventure of the Retired Colourman⭐️
The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Adventure of the Shoscombe Old Place ⭐️⭐️

Premessa: io adoro Sherlock Holmes. È uno dei miei personaggi del cuore, e Arthur Conan Doyle non mi ha mai delusa.

In ogni raccolta di racconti ce ne sono alcuni meno riusciti di altri, è naturale. E nonostante qui siano presenti delle vicende narrate da Holmes in persona (e addirittura uno in cui il narratore è esterno), in generale ho trovato i racconti contenuti ne Il taccuino di Sherlock Holmes piuttosto sottotono rispetto a quelli dell’altra raccolta da me letta (Le avventure di Sherlock Holmes) e ai romanzi (che però io ritengo insuperabili, quindi lasciamo perdere).

Restano comunque tutti racconti estremamente godibili e brillanti.

My edition of this book has a nice Preface by the author himself, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He explained that he had written enough about Holmes and Watson so he said goodbye to them. However, he hoped that his readers will remember those characters for a long time. There were some readers who advised him not to end the series as it had formed part of their boyhood. Well, I was already in my middle age when I finally read this but still I appreciated it and for 10 months became part of my daily reading routine. I normally read this as a back up (if the first book proved to be boring) book in the morning early morning, during weekends and especially while resting at the gym lounge. You see, there are some books that I would not dare bring at the gym because some of the members are snoopy and form some kind of expression on their faces if they see me reading books that they think make my sexual preference the same as theirs.

Yes, when I closed this book after my workout today, I also said goodbye to Sherlock Holmes as but I definitely enjoyed reading the whole canon.

This book, his last collection of 12 (out of 56) short stories has works that deviated from the usual Watson as the narrator. Rather there is one “Mazarin Stone” narrated by an unnamed third person then there are two, “Blanched Soldier” and “Lion’s Mane” with Holmes as narrator himself. Also, that “Lion’s Mane” is already set after Holmes’ retirement. This gave me the inkling that Sir Doyle also thought twice before deciding to end this canon.

The Adventure of the Illustrious Client. Violet is the daughter of General De Merville and she is in love with a murderer, Austian Baron Adelbert Gruner. The murderer’s last victim is his wife but he does not get punished because the witness gets sick and dies during the trial. Holmes first sees the baron himself but the meeting does not help Holmes in anyway. It takes the other past mistress for him to get clues on what really happened to the victims. Quite interesting. I thought that the baron was some kind of a vampire killer and then it turned out that he was just ugly and turned uglier at the end of the story. The story is entertaining but when the real baron is revealed towards the end, I said: “huh? okay” and proceeded right away to the next story. This is the reason why it took me a while to finish this collection. - 2 STARS

The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier. Godfrey Emsworth is missing and his friend James Dodd is looking for him. They both served as armies during the Second Boer War in South Africa. It has been six months since the war ended and since they were friends during the war, Dodd tries to contact him and since Emsworth has not responded, Dodd writes to his father. The father says that his son is on travel around the world but Dodd does not believe him. He thinks that Emsworth is missing so he consults Holmes for help. This is one of the two short stories that are narrated by Sherlock Holmes instead of his partner, Dr. Watson. The reason is that “Watson deserted me for a wife.” The wife being referred here is Watson’s second wife since this was published after Watson and his first wife have separated. The story ends happily and hopeful as regards to the real condition (why is he called “blanched”) of Emsworth. Quite different from the other stories. I also liked the friendship between the two men. - 4 STARS

The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone. Count Negretto Sylvius still an important jewel called the Mazarin Stone. Together with his henchman, Sam Merton, Count Sylvius comes to 221B Baker St. to confront Holmes and ask why the latter’s henchmen are following him. After explaining that the henchmen are all him in disguise, Holmes pulls a series of tricks to make the count admit that he is indeed the thief. This is one of the two Sherlock Holmes stories (the other is His Last Bow that are written in third person. Also, what is noteworthy here is the fact that there is only one setting: Holmes’ room in 221B Baker St. Based on Wiki, the reason is that that this short story is originally written for a theatre play. – 3 STARS

The Adventure of the Three Gables. Steve Dixie, a black dimwitted man, tells Holmes to stay away from Harrow (a area in London). To know the reason for the threat, Holmes floated that he knows Dixie’s participation on the Perkin’s case (death). Dixie’s boss is Barney Stockdale and Holmes suspects that he is connected with Harrow Weald case as is tipped off by Mary Maberley, the lady who lives at Three Gables.This is the best story in this collection. It reminded me of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The House of the Seven Gables especially because of the characters. Was it possible that this story was inspired by that classic novel by Hawthorne? - 4 STARS

The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire. Mr. Ferguson suspects that his wife is a vampire because their son’s nurse has caught her sucking the blood of their son. Mr. Ferguson tells the nurse to keep quiet by bribing her. The baby is the 2nd son of Mr. Ferguson. The first one is the 15-y/o Jack whose mother is not Mrs. Ferguson. The family lives at their Essex Estate. The starting scene is very engaging. I thought that this was comparable to the gothic ingredient of The Hound of the Baskervilles. - 3 STARS

The Adventure of the Three Garridebs. Nathan and John Garridebs are looking man whose surname is unusual: Garrideb. Holmes finds out that there is an American Garrideb who asks John Garrideb to look for another man who has the same surname and he will give John $15 million dollars. So far, John has found only Nathan who consults Holmes and so the American Garrideb is not pleased. I liked how the deductions were done by Holmes in the story. The basic premise is not very interesting because the Garrideb does not longer look like an out of this world surname. However, it might be the case when Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote this in June 1902. - 3 STARS

The Problem of Thor Bridge. Maria Gibson is killed near Thor Bridge apparently by her children’s governess, Grace Dunbar. Maria’s husband goes to Sherlock Holmes to clear Dunbar. Despite the obvious evidences, Holmes proceeds to the investigation and by the power of deduction, finds out what are really happened. Simple yet elegantly told. At first, it seems like a simple straightforward story yet when Holmes’ deductive skills come into play, the unearthing of the real story is just impressive. – 3 STARS

The Adventure of the Creeping Man. Professor Presbury is acting strange and his personal secretary, Mr. Bennett seeks the help of Holmes and Watson. Mr. Bennett informs the duo that the professor has just come from Prague and that he does not want a box to be opened and the letters with cross beneath the stamps to go straight to his master. Prague should be an exotic place around that time that this was written. Maybe like Transylvannia where Dracula used to reside. No extraordinary flavor in this story except that Sir Doyle seemed to be thinking of going sci-fi. Do old man who are about to re-marry, this time with a much younger woman, have to resort to those things? - 2 STARS

The Adventure of the Lion’s Mane. Harold Stackhurst is a headmaster of The Gables, a preparatory school. Holmes is enjoying a weekend with him because they are friends when another teacher in the same school, Fitzroy McPherson arrives with blood and says something about “lion’s mane” before collapsing then dies. The third teacher, Ian Murdoch, comes after but says that he has no knowledge about the murder. Holmes thinks that Murdoch is the killer because he used to court Maud Bellamy, McPherson’s fiancée until the lion’s mare comes out. Very educational at least for me. I grew up in an island but I never knew about this lion’s mane could be deadly. Maybe this is found only in that part of the world and not in the Pacific? I like it when I learned something from Holmes. - 4 STARS

The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger. Mrs. Merrilow has a lodger who is mysterious because she has not shown her face. Once, Mrs. Merrilow sees it by accident and it was disfigured. Another lodger complains and so Holmes and Watson do their investigation and find the history of the disfigurement. It is that time when the lodger is working on a carnival and gets herself a boyfriend. This one is quite different. It is more dramatic than the usual illustration of Holmes’ power of deduction. This one has heart and Holmes is more of like a shrink rather than a detective. But I enjoyed it nonetheless. - 3 STARS

The Adventure of the Shoscombe Old Place. John Mason is a trainer at a racing stable called Shoscombe Old Place. He consults Holmes because he thinks that his master, Sir Robert Norberton is going mad. The owner of the racing stable is the sister of Sir Robert but Sir Robert is betting on the horse called Shoscombe Prince because if the horse wins, he will be out of debt. When the sister-owner dies, Sir Robert has to hide the body while waiting for the derby where Shoscombe Price competes. This was the last work included in this Sherlock Holmes canon. Yey! It’s a nice story and ends happily. There is nothing remarkable but it felt nice to finally read all the works. So, maybe that’s the reason why I liked this. I said “finally! At last!” and closed the book. - 3 STARS

The Adventure of the Retired Colourman. A wife of a man leaves with her lover. The man is Josiah Amberley and the lover is Dr. Ray Ernest. The husband is the one who comes to Holmes to help track down the lovers. It turns out that the lovers have not eloped as the husband is telling Holmes. Very nice story and I thought that the reason why the British edition put this as the last story is that this is better than the real last which was the Shosombe. This has all the usual elements of a Sherlock Holmes story: deduction, Watson being part of the plot, Baker has an appearance here, the drama of mature adult relationship, etc. - 5 STARS

Thank you, gentlemen (Doyle, Holmes and Watson). I really had a nice time knowing you. We were together for 10 months and I will surely miss all of you. *salutes*

Now, my problem is what book to bring to the gym.

5 stars. This is my least favourite of the Sherlock collections, but I still found it enjoyable. A couple of the stories are much darker, particularly the last two, so they left me with a bad taste in my mouth when I finished off the canon with them. I prefer to read n  His Last Bown after this one, rather than before; it’s the real ending to the Sherlock books.

I enjoyed seeing two of them through Sherlock’s eyes. Oddly enough, in this book you really see a glimpse of Holmes’ heart. There’s his pleading with Miss Violet in “The Illustrious Client”; and his wonderful advice to the Veiled Lodger; his remarks to the millionaire in “Thor Bridge”; and my favourite, his reaction when Watson is wounded in “The Three Garriebs”. I love seeing his friendship with Watson, and his humour is epicccc. The Mazarin Stone was particularly humorous. Overall, this collection shows more of Holmes, and it really makes you think a lot about life.

Individual reviews:
I. The Adventure of the Illustrious Client
5 stars. This is a somber story, but with a good message for young women then and now. I love the glimpse we get of Holmes’ heart here—the side of him rarely seen—and this, as well as his various failures throughout the story, humanize him. The other characters are none of them very pretty, but faithful Watson is as heartening as ever. The ending was unexpected and I don’t quite like it—it’s rather horrible—but the rest of the plot is fascinating, and as always, the humour is excellent.

Other Content: violence; plot contains a lustful man with many mistresses and a woman who was his mistress; language; smoking. Recommended age: 18+

II. The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier
5 stars. This is quite a unique story. When a young man comes to Holmes worried over the mysterious fate of his beloved comrade, Sherlock must work on his own, “Watson having deserted him for a wife.” There aren’t many stories written from Holmes’ POV, and somehow he manages to point out his methods and still pop a surprising ending. The characters are interesting. Mrs. Emsworth was sweet and the Colonel was rather hard to peg. Mr. Dodd was a splendid friend, and Godfrey himself, while not particularly striking, at least had striking adventures. The plot is too short to comment greatly upon, but it’s a great example of how Sherlock works—I love how the deductions are really plain common sense.

Content: hope to G**, wish to G**, d*mned x2, what the de**l, in Hea**n’s name.

III. The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone
5 stars. This is such a fun story! It’s rather different from the others, being the only Sherlock story to be written from an omniscient narrator POV. It seems set after Watson’s second marriage, at a period when Holmes was somewhat lonely, and includes a page, Billy, who seems a sweet and helpful boy—I wish we’d see him again! It’s nice to see Holmes worried about him. ;) The two other characters are also very interesting—the panther-like Count Sylvius and the stupid, bullheaded Sam. I would have liked to see the Count facing off against Holmes again. The plot was quite enjoyable, much more comedic than anything—the characters provoke much satirical humour from Holmes. I was sorry Watson didn’t show more, but really, this is one of mt favourite stories and it shows Holmes off so well. ;)

Content: D*mned (x2); what the d*vil; d*mn you; good Lo*d; the deuce (x2).

IV. The Adventure of the Three Gables
4 stars. This story reminds me strongly of A Scandal in Bohemia. There are some very remarkable women in the Sherlock chronicles… The story was less enjoyable for me, because of the nature of the crime (really, take a lover, refuse to marry him, and have your men beat him up?). I despised the villain, and I was annoyed that Justice wasn’t done, yet I understood Holmes’ reasons for “compounding a felony as usual.” I was also bothered by his racist attitude towards Steve, especially since it was uncharacteristic of him, as made plain by The Yellow Face. However, I did enjoy the humour... Holmes talking to Susan was something else. And Mrs. Maberley was a sweet old thing. Overall, I enjoyed the story, it’s just not one of my favourite Sherlock stories.

Content: D*mn; so help me the L**d (x2); I’ll see you in hell first; by He**en; G*d knows.

V. The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire
5 stars. Such a dramatic tale, and so unique! A quintessential Englishman marries a beautiful Peruvian woman, as sweet and devoted a wife as she could be. However, their differing cultures and beliefs has begun to alienate him a little, when the woman suddenly exhibits vampire-like tendencies towards their baby and cruel behaviour towards her stepson. Horrified and bewildered, the man reaches out to Sherlock Holmes as a last hope… Needless to say, B. does not shine as a father and husband, but at least his family loved him. Poor Mrs. F. was fascinating and wonderful; Mrs. M. was a dour but trustworthy woman; D. was a sweet and excellent maid; and the villain was horrid—I was disappointed that no stronger steps were taken against them. Holmes did excellently in the story and it brought out some of the best parts of his character. The story ends on a hopeful note, and with a “happily ever after” insinuation that I appreciated. Overall, it’s quite a unique, fascinating story with heartwarming portions and, as such, I love it.

Content: For G*d’s sake (x2); for He**en’s sake; good G*d.

VI. The Adventure of the Three Garridebs
5 stars. Oh, I love this story! To start off, it’s quite baffling and twisty, quite fascinating. Both Garridebs were interesting folk in their own ways—the smooth, anglicized American and the eccentric old scientist, so utterly different. This is one of those stories where Holmes’ brainwork is quite stupendous and yet very simple, once he explains it. It also reveals his real character in a beautiful way. His friendship with Watson shows up so well. In short, this is one of my favourite of the Homes stories. <3

Content: By the Lord (x2).

VII. The Problem of Thor Bridge
5 stars. This is such a fascinating story! It’s one of the best criminal cases Holmes handles. The cast was epic. An American millionaire of cold steel and resolve, afire with love. His unloved, passionate South American wife, full of wild hate. A beautiful, upright young English governess who finds her (married) employer obsessed with her. One of them is a killer. I appreciated how Holmes handled Gibson and brought him down pegs; and I loved how passionate he was for friendless Miss Dunbar. And how he went about the case, and the way he proved his theory, were masterful. Definitely a tale not to be missed!

Content: D*mned; what the de**l. A married man falls in love with his children’s governess and tries to make her his mistress. She refuses, and almost leaves his house, but chooses to remain to influence him for good (a foolish decision but one she made in honesty and purity of motivation).

VIII. The Adventure of the Creeping Man
4 stars. This is a slightly disturbing tale, involving an older professor madly in love with a beautiful and much younger girl, and ‘an obscure scientist who was striving ... for the secret of rejuvenescence and the elixir of life’ and created a ‘wondrous strength-giving serum’ made in some way from langurs, ‘the great black-faced monkey of the Himalayan slopes, biggest and most human of climbing monkeys.’ While Prof. Presbury was not a likeable character by any means, Miss P. & Mr. Bennett were a nice young couple. The sci-fi element wasn’t my fav, but I did like Holmes’ monologue on it and I enjoyed him & Watson as usual. Also, there is one of my favourite bits of Sherlock’s humorous mockery of Watson within these pages:

Content: For G*d’s sake.

IX. The Adventure of the Lion’s Mane
5 stars. This is such a dramatic story that really fires the imagination, and I love it. Being one of the rare stories narrated by Holmes, after his retirement, it’s quite unique, and shows more of the detective than is revealed in his earlier self-narrated The Blanched Soldier. The plot of this story is gripping and extremely twisty, leaving me baffled until the very end. The characters are really interesting—a dour mathematics professor with a passionate temper; a weak-hearted but athletic science professor, reported to be both friends and not friends with said the mathematics professor; a beautiful love interest whose buff father and brothers are not in the slightest supportive of her love interest; a badly puzzled school principal; and a mysterious, ‘savage, inhuman’ scourging. There is nothing more to be said that doesn’t spoil the story, but rest assured it is one of the best Sherlock tales!

Content: For G*d’s sake; my G*d; or He**en’s sake.

X. The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger
5 stars. Wow. This story... It’s so sad and somber. This tale shows plainly the hardships of life. A wicked, beastly sot of a man. A passionate, miserable, beautiful wife who takes a handsome, selfish coward for her lover. A murder… And then there is nothing left but the scars and haunting memories of sin. Though this story has almost nothing to do with Holmes’ powers, it shows his character splendidly. His words to the woman are amazing... and the ending is wonderful. I recommend it for ages 18+, but it is nevertheless a good addition to the Sherlock canon.

Content: Poor devil (x2); deucedly; for G*d’s sake; I wish to G*d; Lo*d bless you (as an exclamation).

XI. The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place
5 stars. This isn’t my favourite of the Sherlock stories, and I always confuse it with n  The Retired Colourmann... but it involves a man up (and over) the ears in debt, a loving sister who suddenly acts mysterious, and a dog given away… I love the Sherlock & Watson element (both being fantastic) and the humour. I used to find it disturbing, but now I just find it fascinating and thought-provoking. I think the villain definitely didn’t get what he deserved…

Content: Language; disrespect to the dead. Violence/Disturbance Level: 3/5 (medium)

XII. The Adventure of the Retired Colourman
4 stars. Well, this is an interesting story. I just wish the evildoer had met Justice… It’s hard to share the plot without spoilers, but it involves murder, a wizened old man, a young wife, a boyish doctor, and a mysterious stranger. A. was terrible, but B. was fascinating and I so do wish he too shown up in more of the stories!! This is another of the stories where Watson investigates and Holmes tears his work to shreds, and then Watson plays decoy. Both Holmes & Watson were as splendid as ever, of course, and what I really loved was all the doses of Sherlock’s satirical humour…

Content: D*mned; de**l; a wife may have been unfaithful.

A Favourite Quote: “‘Your life is not your own,’ he said. ‘Keep your hands off it.’
“‘What use is it to anyone?’
“‘How can you tell? The example of patient suffering is in itself the most precious of all lessons to an impatient world.’”
A Favourite Beautiful Quote: “Inside it was all panelling and tapestry and half-effaced old pictures, a house of shadows and mystery.”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “The prize-fighter ... stood ... looking about him with a puzzled expression. Holmes’s debonair manner was a new experience, and though he vaguely felt that it was hostile, he did not know how to counter it. He turned to his more astute comrade for help. ‘What’s the game now, Count? What’s this fellow want? What’s up?’
“[I]t was Holmes who answered. ‘If I may put it in a nutshell, Mr. Merton, I should say it was all up.’
“The boxer still addressed his remarks to his associate. ‘Is this cove trying to be funny, or what? I’m not in the funny mood myself.’
“‘No, I expect not,’ said Holmes. ‘I think I can promise you that you will feel even less humorous as the evening advances.’”

There's something preposterous about these short stories, always summed up into nicely convenient bite-size chunks and this volume #9 is no different, which is a good thing as I was expecting mostly dregs and out-takes. None of that, this is solid stuff in the continued Sherlock Holmes canon of works.

Stories consist of far-fetched investigative secrecy that lead up to sudden conclusions. Rarely does Holmes discuss his doubts or mental reasonings, even with Watson, but in this volume he goes into more detail about his methods and results, which lends to a more inclusive and realistic experience. Many stories seem like reprints of previous tales though, with the same scopes and ideas, but volume #9 feels like even more mature writing. It's a shame that this back-end work will be missed by many people as excessive bloat, or maybe I'm accustomed to the writing style now and expect less from it, always remembering that it’s entertainment first and foremost and not science.

Some of the stories are excellent, there's even an unusual vampire tale of sorts. There are two stories told from the first-person perspective of Sherlock Holmes himself, which are super rare, including more detailed descriptions on how he goes about his investigative business, making it easier to second-guess the mysteries through your own detective work.

Unfortunately, there are negative racial stereotypes abound and multiple uses of the N word - tolerable back then - but intolerable today and should be edited out. There are also repeat descriptions of mysteriously beautiful women in so many chapters, each being incredibly attractive and always out of reach, suggestive of rehashed ideas but also, and more importantly, emphasizing the permanent bachelor status of Holmes as a man too engrossed in his own affairs to get involved with fickle relationships, indicative of the incorrigible and almost perfect detective we know and love.

This literally is the final volume - volume #9 out of #10 - because the final set of short stories is really brief and not directly focused on Sherlock Holmes. Also, by completing this book, you will have read everything about the great detective. It's a challenge and a slog in places, but worth it.

This is the way that Holmes ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.

The stories in this collection feel slap dash and coarse. Some are clear retreads of earlier tales - the exact idea with only details changed. Others have villains that act in nonsensical ways. Some simply have outrageous and unbelievable conclusions. Sir Arthur stoops to mining humor from crude racist tropes. By this point, ACD was writing these stories simply for the money, and it shows. It is such a disappointing end to a dynamic series.

*WARNING: VERY, VERY LONG!*
Don't read this if:
1.tYou have not read the book yet
2.tYou have no sense of humour
“The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes“ is the final collection of Sherlock Holmes stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle.
The collection I have has 10 stories:
1.t"The Adventure of the Illustrious Client"
2.t"The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier"
3.t"The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone"
4.t"The Adventure of the Three Gables"
5.t"The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire"
6.t"The Adventure of the Creeping Man"
7.t"The Adventure of the Lion's Mane"
8.t"The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger"
9.t"The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place"
10.t"The Adventure of the Retired Colourman"


1. The Adventure of the Illustrious Client
This story is set in September 1902 and is narrated by Doctor Watson. This is a case from the latter years of Sherlock's career.
The case: Sherlock Holmes receives a letter from Sir James Damery who asks him to help stop the marriage between Baron Gruner and Violet de Merville. Baron Gruner's wife supposedly died in an accident, but it's suspected that the Baron killed her. Sherlock and Doctor meet Miss Kitty Winter who decides to help them convince Violet that Baron is a dangerous man. She admits she was his last mistress. He used her and ruined her and now she wants revenge. Miss Winter tells them about Baron's book with a lock which contains list of women he used. (Does this remind anyone of Cruel Intentions? :D )
He takes the case but soon is beaten by Gruner's henchmen, so Doctor Watson is sent to the Baron disguised as a collector to get some information out of him. However, the Baron realises he's a spy. Luckily, Sherlock appears and Gruner goes after him in rage.
When he tries to exit his house, a woman appears and attacks him with something and the Baron ends up screaming with his face burned and mutilated.
Sherlock later reveals he stole the diary while the doctor was talking to Gruner. Soon, they find out there will be no marriage and that Kitty Winter will stand trial.
Sherlock is prosecuted for burglary.
Interesting facts: Doctor Watson is no longer Sherlock's flatmate. He now lives at Queen Anne Street.
Sherlock Holmes has an assistant called Shinwell Johnson, an ex-villain, who is working for him as an underground agent.
Interesting scenes/quotes:
When Sherlock meets Violet he actually shows interest in her. Too late for that now, Sherlock old man.
After Sherlock is seriously injured in an assault, Watson goes to him and offers to beat the guys up. AWWW
There is also a scene where John muses about his relationship with Sherlock. It's a beautiful, but also sad:
„I was nearer him than anyone else, and yet I was always conscious of the gap between.“
Sherlock asks John a favour:
Sherlock: „Now, Watson, I want you to do something for me .”
John: “I am here to be used, Holmes.“ Ahhh… Ok? This is very ambiguous, Doyle. LOL
I liked: This is a very dark and disturbing story. It's different from the other stories by Doyle and I liked it a lot.

2. "The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier"
Unusually, this story is narrated by Sherlock Holmes. Why? Because, as SH, explains:
1.tJohn Watson's accounts are superficial.
2.tHe needs to stick to facts and figures.
Yeah, just admit you're missing Watson, Holmes.
The story is set in January 1903.
The Case: Holmes is visited by Mr. James M. Dodd who asks him to help him find his friend, Godfrey Emsworth. They were in the army together and after the war he sent him a letter but got no response. He tried to contact him again, but Emsworth's father replied his son had gone on a voyage round the world. Dodd is suspicious of this and tells Holmes he went to his friend's house and after he spent some time there, got an impression his friend is involved in some scandal. His suspicion was confirmed when he saw Godfrey's pale face outside the window. He is convinced he is hiding, but does not know the reason.
Of course, Sherlock and John help the young man. They discover that after Godfrey was shot, he ended up in a place where everyone was disfigured. He later found out it was a hospital and that he slept in a leper bed. That is the reason why the young man has been hiding and could not see anyone. However, the story has a happy ending. A doctor informs them it's not leprosy but some other disease and that he is going to be all right.
Interesting scenes/quotes:
Sherlock admits how important John is to him:
„Watson had at that time deserted me for a wife, the only selfish action which I can recall in our association.I was alone."
… And how much he needs him and misses him. AWWWWWW
You can also find one of Sherlock Holmes’s most famous quotes in this story:
When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.
I liked: Although I think this is a sad story, it's also one of the best Doyle's stories about friendship. Here we have a young man who is determined to find his old friend and we have Sherlock who misses his faithful companion.
The only thing I did not like is that the story is short and has ends abruptly. You wait to see the happy reunion of two friends who have not seen each other in a long time, and all you get is a woman fainting. What an anti-climax!

3. "The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone"
The Case: Sherlock is involved in the Case of the Crown Diamond. He confesses to John he expects to be murdered and that is the reason why he has the wax figure in his house again (read The Empty House if you want to know why he used it before). The main suspect is Count Negretto who comes to see him and find out how much Sherlock knows. Sherlock cleverly uses the wax dummy, a gramophone, the curtain and John to get the stone. Happy End.
Interesting facts: Sherlock has a page called Billy. Sherlock likes to dress as a workman, and old man etc.
Interesting scenes/quotes:
Sherlock: “Yes, you can, Watson. And you will, for you have never failed to play the game. I am sure you will play it to the end.”
Of course he will, Sherlock. He loves you. *evilgrin*
I liked: Sherlock sounded so bitter, and alone in this story. He sounded human. I felt sorry for him. *sigh*

4. "The Adventure of the Three Gables"
The story is narrated by John Watson.
The Case: A house agent comes to see an old lady to make an offer. He will buy her house and everything in it. Her lawyer warns her it’s a strange agreement; if she signs the document she won’t be able to take anything out of the house, including her possessions. Sherlock Holmes concludes that the person who hired the agent wants something she recently obtained. Soon, after she refuses to sell the house, someone brakes into the house and steals something, leaving a torn piece of a paper. It turns out the paper is from a book written by her son. The culprit? A woman who was involved with her son. She decided to leave him because he wanted to marry her. He did not take it well and wrote a story about her. Ah, crazy people!
In the end, Sherlock makes a deal with the woman and the case is closed.
Interesting facts: Sherlock likes to gossip. LOL
I liked: I did like the story, especially the end but I think it was too short. The woman was an intriguing character. I wish Doyle wrote more about her. 

5. "The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire"
The Case: Mrs. Gibson was found murdered but before that, her servant girl saw her trying to suck blood of her child. A vampire! Oh, interesting... The servant girl is accused because they found a gun in her wardrobe. Sherlock is not fooled; he is convinced someone placed it there. She explains how Mrs Gibson was jealous of her and hated her. Sherlock works his magic and discovers-it was suicide. Oh, noes. What about vampires?
I liked: No, I did not. This could have been a great story. It started off well, but then you got a crazy, jealous woman who killed herself. I am very disappointed.

6. "The Adventure of the Creeping Man"
The story is narrated by Doctor Watson and it’s set in September 1903.
The Case: Mr. Trevor Bennett believes his colleague, a well-known professor, is crazy. He has begun acting strangely after his engagement. The things get worse after he comes back from Prague with a box. He starts receiving mysterious letters marked with a cross. He was also attacked by his dog twice. One night he even saw him crawling in a hallway.
Because Sherlock does not want the dog to bite his master again, he goes to solve the case. 
After Sherlock and John become spies hidden in the bushes and the dog attacks again, it’s revealed the poor professor has been taking an elixir of life made by some charlatan. The love affair gave him the idea he could turn himself into a young man.
See what loves does to you? Next time, dear professor, go find someone your age!

Interesting facts: This is the story in which Holmes sends Watson his famous message (BBC Sherlock, anyone?! :D):
“Come at once if convenient-if inconvenient come all the same. SH”


6. "The Adventure of the Lion's Mane"
The story is narrated by Sherlock. It’s set in July, 1907.
The Case: After Sherlock whines more about his life and how our dear doctor does not visit him anymore, he goes for a walk and meets a man called Harold. Harold was walking to the river when he saw a man dying. His last words were “lion’s mane” and his back was covered with dark red lines. Sherlock does his magic, it seems it’s some sort of a love affair, forbidden love and stuff like that, but... NO! The secret is revealed when a dog dies in the exact same place as its master. The main suspect has also been attacked and Sherlock figures out that, in fact, an animal killed them all! Oh. Ok.
I liked: Not really. This story has a bad ending.

TBC