Best of: books for ages 14-18 #5: ‘The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’ by Arthur Conan Doyle

Famous with younger people today mainly because of the many adaptations, including the vastly popular BBC TV series ‘Sherlock’, the character of Sherlock Holmes, with his incredible intelligence and skills of perception, is well known.

As anyone who reads mystery novels of any genre – but most obviously crime – will know, the art of the mystery novel lies in the suspense, and finding the exact balance of what to let the reader know. The Sherlock Holmes stories are perfect in both of these respects.

Each story is short, making them ideal for dipping into, or reading one story per day. Whilst they follow an order, and the characters of detective Holmes and his faithful companion Watson are developed throughout, for the most part they can be enjoyed as a stand-alone read. At times frightening, and sometimes funny, the stories are a great way to see where the best and biggest crime stories evolved from. Whilst they lack some of the punchy descriptions and witty banter of today’s crime thrillers, the ‘Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’ are in some senses shockingly modern for stories written before 1892.

By the same author: Loads of other Sherlock Holmes stories, plus other important stories, such as ‘The Lost World’.