The Sign of Four (Sherlock Holmes, #2) in Catching up on Classics (and lots more!)

Jul 04, 2018 RJ - Slayer of Trolls rated it liked it

Shelves: guardian-1000-read

The Sherlock Holmes sequel has it all! Locked room murder! Romance for Watson! Lost treasure! Island cannibals! And COCAINE!

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May 17, 2017 Brad rated it it was ok

Shelves: detective, mystery, hopes-dashed-like-an-egg-on-cement, read-in-2017, audio-book

Granted, I listened to this rather than reading it, and I struggled to stay focused to the words read by Patrick Tull (whom I usually thoroughly enjoy), but having never read The Sign of Four and loving most Sherlock Holmes stories, I was shocked by how bored I was with this novella.

I can think of two things that interested me: Holmes' focus on and jonesing for a cocaine hit and ... nope, I guess it was just one thing. Everything else was weak to me, but weakest of all was Watson taking centre ...more

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Sep 28, 2017 Kelly_Hunsaker_reads ... rated it liked it

Shelves: mysteries-thrillers

I expected Sherlock Holmes to be my favorite protagonist, Watson my favorite sidekick, Doyle my favorite mystery novelist. Unfortunately none of that is true. This is the second book of the collection and the second one I have read. The first is full of hateful prejudice, and this one is just dull. I am so disappointed.

However, Stephen Fry, who is narrating the audio version I am listening to is definitely as good as I expected. In fact, he is better. It is apparent that he loves the characters ...more

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Jan 30, 2010 Laura rated it really liked it

Shelves: audio-books, british-literature, fiction-19th-century, suspense-thriller, read-2014

From BBC Radio 4 Extra - Sherlock Holmes:
A young woman comes to Holmes and Watson looking for her father.

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May 02, 2018 Tom Britz rated it it was amazing

I am beginning to see how and why Sherlock Holmes has become such an icon. These tales are well written and despite the fact that they are all over a hundred years old, they read just as fresh today as I can imagine they were received then. The Sign of The Four deals with a hidden treasure stolen from India during one of India's rebellions, and the revenge of those that had it stolen from themselves. I am beginning to pick up on the origins of Sherlockian lore, such as The Baker Street Irregular ...more

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Jul 21, 2020 Julie rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: fin-2020, classic-mystery

Oh my. Barely two stars. I have a weakness for vintage mysteries that focus on clues like footprints and the ash from a cigar. Quite a difference from current day procedures! I also like the borderline rudeness and hyperfocus of Sherlock. It's a nice chance of pace from the likable lead detective/sleuth.

What I did not like about the book were the grotesque descriptions of black people and Indians. Yes, yes, I understand the book was written at the height of England's colonial powers and merely d ...more

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Oct 06, 2013 Suvi rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: _book-shelf, crime-mystery, _great-britain, cities_london, 1800s, novels

Whereas A Study in Scarlet had problems with pacing, The Sign of Four is slightly more balanced, although it's not without issues either. The problems lie mostly with the lack of suspense and an uninteresting mystery. India under the British rule is a fascinating era, but the treasure as a plot device was boring to say the least. The racism wasn't as bad as I initially thought, and because it was a part of the Western brain at that time, there's no point analyzing it here (although it is a fasci Whereas A Study in Scarlet had problems with pacing, The Sign of Four is slightly more balanced, although it's not without issues either. The problems lie mostly with the lack of suspense and an uninteresting mystery. India under the British rule is a fascinating era, but the treasure as a plot device was boring to say the least. The racism wasn't as bad as I initially thought, and because it was a part of the Western brain at that time, there's no point analyzing it here (although it is a fascinating thing to explore). The locked room aspect could have been explored even further, but the solution was very simple. Yet again, the recount of the events leading to the crime was superfluous.

Tonga was a painful cliché and a heap full of implausibility, but fortunately he didn't appear that often. Holmes seemed strangely passive, not to mention that he (view spoiler), which to me was unconvincing considering how sharp Holmes usually is. Watson was flat as usual, and he got to meet someone as flat as himself in the form of Mary Morstan. Their relationship is the same "you're pwetty, let's get mawwied" -thing that litters Victorian era literature, and Mary seemed to spend her time staring out of the window in a haze and dressed in one pretty gown after another. Wouldn't mind if we never saw her again.

I realize I may sound critical, but overall I did enjoy this as much as I did the first installment. They both have problems but still manage to be entertaining. Here we see for the first time how Holmes is shooting cocaine to "cure" his boredom (at that time cocaine was still used widely as a local anesthetic and recreationally in various forms, both demonstrated in the pilot of the new series The Knick , and which naturally led to hilarious and nutty advertisements), although it's not entirely presented as a good thing, since Watson tries to steer Holmes away from it. Maybe Holmes had read Freud's Über Coca: "You perceive an increase of self-control and possess more vitality and capacity for work." Holmes's habit makes him human instead of a completely virtuous person who catches evil criminals. Watson is the cheerleader, but Holmes is the meat and bones.

Still, I do expect the short stories to improve mystery-wise, since I don't see a point reading a crime story if the crime itself isn't interesting or puzzling. Interesting characters aren't enough if the actual crime-solving doesn't satisfy. ...more

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Nov 03, 2016 Nadine in NY Jones rated it really liked it

Shelves: classic, saw-the-movie-b4-i-read-the-book, mystery, detective-mystery, gutenberg

Sherlock Holmes is so delightfully conceited, with a childlike bluntness and honesty that makes him impossible to dislike. It doesn't hurt that he has the chops to back up his conceit. I love the banter between Holmes and Watson, Holmes' odd combination of ennui and ready enthusiasm balanced by Watson more level (almost irritable) nature. ...more

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Jul 08, 2019 Kris rated it liked it · review of another edition

I listened to this book for a few days on my way to/from work, which was easy to do. I hadn't heard of this story before and I'm not really surprised. It was okay, and I liked it, but I don't think I'd bother to listen to it again, or to read it. ...more

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