THE CANON PART NINE

The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier - A soldier in the Boar War has mysteriously vanished. This is a skilfully written piece that creates a mounting terror in the reader and no actual crime is committed. Brilliant. 9/10

The Adventure of the Retired Colour Man- A man's wife has done a runner with his chess partner. This is a great story and Holmes is at last in a world that every much resembles the reality. 8/10

The Adventure of the Lion's Mane- A swimmer has been torn to death. There are problems in this story in that the character of Holmes seems odd. 5/10

The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger- A circus performer tells Holmes about an old crime. A poor story. 4/10

The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place- A racehorse owner is seen with a body. This was the last Holmes tale and it's such a pity it's a poor one. Holmes deserved a better end than this. 4/10


So that's it - the entire canon - 56 short stories and 4 novels. Reading them all over a space of a couple of months has left me jaded in places but it is evident how good some of these tales are. And of how much of a remarkable creation Holmes and Watson are - their influence was felt within months of their original publication - Sexton Blake had offices in Baker Street and would go one being felt forever. Agatha Christie owes much to Conan Doyle has do almost every crime writer out there.

So raise a glass to the first and the best - Mr. Sherlock Holmes