Where I Stand

I would like to share with you at this time a few opinions which I have of Sherlock Holmes in general. This way you can learn just a bit more about me as a reviewer. From the original canon I will share the following. Of the four novels, my favourite is without a doubt, "The Hound of the Baskervilles." Even though Sherlock Holmes is absent for about a third of the book, it still stands out as the best of the four novels.

Short-story wise, if I was stranded on a desert island with only five short stories from the canon, I would choose:

• "The Speckled Band"
• "The Six Napoleons"
• "The Problem of Thor Bridge"
• "The Red-Headed League"



Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes

• "The Dancing Men"

Then when it comes to actors who have portrayed the great detective, I would have to say my favourite is a four-way tie between Basil Rathbone, Jeremy Brett, Peter Cushing and Benedict Cumberbatch. Honourable mentions would go to Ian Richardson, Clive Merrison and Nicholas Briggs.

Lastly, when it comes to pastiches, there are almost too many to talk about now, but suffice it to say that David Stuart Davies' "The Scroll of the Dead" as well as Anthony Horowitz's "The House of Silk" stand out in the sub-genre as some of the best.