Fiction

His Last Bow: Some Reminiscences of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
1 The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge
4 The Adventure of the Red Circle
2 The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans

Despite the title, this isn't the final volume of Sherlock Holmes stories (that's Case-Book), although maybe I should've saved it for last because, according to my Pocket Essentials guide, it has the highest concentration of five-star stories in the series. The numbering above is the order I read them in, because I began with the two stories said guide considers the weakest of the collection, rated three- and two-stars respectively.

I rather enjoyed Wiseria Lodge, though The Red Circle is one of those ones where Holmes basically hangs around, pulling off some very minor deductions, until everything has concluded itself and a participant explains the plot to him. The Bruce-Partington Plans, on the other hand, is rated five-stars by the guide, and has been well-regarded by both Doyle (he ranked it in his top 19 Holmes stories) and fans (who ranked it 9th in a 1999 poll). It is, indeed, a fairly clever mystery.


With a Mind to Kill by Anthony Horowitz
Chapters 20–23 [the end]