The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes

How it reads

The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes is mystery (detective mystery, specifically), and its dominant mood is tense. The suspense is the kind you feel in your shoulders. It moves fast: plot-driven and hard to put down, the kind of book that carries you along even when you're tired.

It's set in a big city setting, in the historical past, told in the first person by a single narrator. Its central concerns are justice, secrets and friendship. In weight it sits in the middle: substantial without being heavy going.

It's a later book in a series — you'll usually want to start earlier. The ending resolves happily. At 303 pages it's a quick read. It's a mega-bestseller — the book everyone seems to have read.