The Hound Of The Baskerville

THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLE by SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE  
                                                                     

No “Best Novel List” is accurate without the mention of “The Hound of The Baskerville”.

In this engaging classic novel the legendary Sherlock Holmes – who doesn’t need any introduction – and his stalwart partner, Dr. John Watson are at their best against a witty villain who is both dangerous and resourceful.

The story begins with what most of us mystery lovers love – a dead body. Baron Sir Charles Baskerville, a middle-aged man, is found dead with a ghastly expression on his face, his dead body lying among some trees on the grounds of his own country house, Baskerville House, located near Dartmoor at Devon – a land infested with peculiar mires and giant bogs.

Even more mysterious than the death of Sir Charles is the myth surrounding his death; the myth speaks of a family curse on Baskervilles, according to which all of the Baskervilles will be punished by a demonic dog for the ill deeds of their predecessor, Sir Hugo Baskerville, who was regarded as the epitome of vileness and debauchery in his time.

To make matters more curious, the footprints of a humungous hound has been discovered near the dead body of Sir Charles.

Fearing for the life of Sir Charles’s nephew and only known heir, Henry Baskerville, a vibrant young man who now could be the next potential victim of the hellhound, Dr. James Mortimer, a family friend of Baskervilles, seeks Holmes’s help.

Intrigued by the complexity of the case and the foreboding circumstances surrounding it, Sherlock Holmes decides to take the case which leads him into the grand mansion to ominous Dartmoor, into the lives of elite social class to lives of servant class and ultimately to the hidden secrets of Baskerville family itself.

In this detective novel, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has set an eerie stage against the backdrop of folklore and precarious landscape of Dartmoor, Devon – where his most famous creation, Sherlock Holmes  solves the most baffling yet intriguing case of his career.

The threatening atmosphere, the confusing events and their logical explanation by Sherlock Holmes – that is a trademark of his novels – makes up to be a story, which is both intellectually and appreciatively satisfying. Moreover, it sets the perfect stage for the final showdown between Sherlock Holmes and nemesis of Baskerville family – the diabolical antagonist with his hellhound.

The gripping plot of the novel is throughout haunted by the presence of the ghostly hound that makes it both exciting and compelling to read. Moreover, Sir Arthur’s wicked sense of timing, abundance of suspects who may possibly turn out to be next dead body and the presence of charismatic Sherlock Holmes with his keen eyes, acute intelligence and super sense of deduction, makes this novel a treat to read that demands five out of five stars.