A collection of short stories, great for dipping in and out when you have a fair bit of time to kill. Most of the crimes are not only well thought out, but also very ingenious; the only obvious crime is the final 'Adventure of the Copper Beeches'. The criticism of Holmes appearing overly omniscient stands at times, but isn't as detrimental to the stories as some make out.

As I make my way through the Holmes canon, the atmosphere Conan Doyle creates using the characters, their brotherly relationship and their surroundings keeps these books amongst my favourites.