As a dense yellow fog swirls through the streets of London, a deep melancholy has descended on Sherlock Holmes, who sits in a cocaine-induced haze at 221B Baker Street. His mood is only lifted by a visit from a beautiful but distressed young woman - Mary Morstan, whose father vanished ten years before. Four years later she began to receive an exquisite gift every year: a large, lustrous pearl. Now she has had an intriguing invitation to meet her unknown benefactor and urges Holmes and Watson to accompany her. And in the ensuing investigation - which involves a wronged woman, a stolen hoard of Indian treasure, a wooden-legged ruffian, a helpful dog and a love affair - even the jaded Holmes is moved to exclaim, 'Isn't it gorgeous!'
A good read though it has some pacing issues, just as the first one did. I really enjoyed the search for clues, meeting Toby, and learning more about both Watson and Sherlock...but the moment the explanation of the crime begins the story itself begins to slow in an odd way. It's almost as if the explanation comes to late in the story to keep the momentum going.
I will be continuing the series however as I really do like Watson and Sherlock, and I can sort of see that Doyle was trying to find his stride with these stories.
Reading updates
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Started reading
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6 January, 2017:
Finished reading
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6 January, 2017:
Reviewed