When I read ‘His Last Bow’ few months back, impression was good enough to make me revisit Sherlock Holmes. Since there was already so many suggestions for ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’ (THOTB), above all by Deepak (@deepak27), the recommendations of whom I always hold high, more so for mystery thriller kind of reads, I picked up THOTB for my next Sherlock Holmes read.
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THOTB is considered to be the best book by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (SACD) in the Sherlock Holmes series. What more, few pages in the book and you find Sherlock Holmes himself calling it the most intriguing and difficult case that he had ever come across and keeps his words intact till the end. For me, all these recommendations and the self proclamation of Sherlock Holmes have raised the expectations to quite a high level. But, did it deliver? Were all these notions that lead me to read THOTB proved out to be true? To answer that lets first get into the plot part. Rest assured, my coverage is nothing but a meager hint of the plot, just to whet the appetite.
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ABOUT THE PLOT: Dr Mortimer presents Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson with the strangest and most intriguing case that they have ever come across. Dead body of Sir Charles Baskerville was found in the garden outside his house, Baskerville Hall. Various investigations, carried out by police, ascribe Heart Attack to be the cause of death. Dr Mortimer knows that Charles had a weak Heart but he, however doubts it to be the cause of his death, as he has another theory that could explain the death with a completely different approach.
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There’s a legend in Devon that many years ago Hugo Baskerville made a pact with devil, offering his soul, for accomplishing one wicked task. A huge monstrous Hound then appeared to help him in the deed but later killed Hugo as well. Legend says that since that horrific day the Hell Hound is slaying all the members of Baskerville Family, whoever arrives at Devon.
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Now that Sir Charles Baskerville is dead his nephew, Henry Baskerville is the heir and he is coming to Dartmoor to claim his inheritance. Dr. Mortimer, being a good friend of Charles, doesn’t want to put Henry’s life in danger but at the same time he knows how important Baskerville’s presence is, in the village for progress. So, he approaches Sherlock Holmes for the advice on whether it will be safe for Henry to live in Dartmoor. On arrival of Sir Henry in London some curious and very singular incidents take place that make Holmes even more interested in the case, as you find someone very elegantly outsmart the great detective.
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Holmes believes it not to be a case of supernatural nature and feels it can be solved within the boundaries of scientific limitations. He knows that his antagonist this time is not some ordinary man. So he sends Henry and Dr Mortimer to Devon accompanied by Dr Watson, who is supposed to protect Henry and concurrently gather information in relation with the case.
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Whether it’s a case of paranormal nature with Hound from the Legend slaying his preys from the Baskerville family or is it just a case of someone making use of the legend to accomplish some personal motives? There is a Hellhound in the Village; many villagers have witnessed it furious appearance and petrifying howls across the moor. What reasons can explain the presence of this beast. Read ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’ to know.
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ABOUT THE BOOK: Before THOTB, The only book of Sherlock Holmes that I have read was ‘His Last Bow’ which is a compilation of short stories. They were quite fast paced covering each of the case within 30-40 pages. But in THOTB, you have just one case covered in the length of 175 pages. So SACD had ample time to define his characters. He has taken the liberty to be more descriptive - when required - and it has added lot value to the content. The horror that Dr. Watson and Henry Baskervilles face in Dartmoor is so well described that it proves to be quite a spine chilling experience for the reader as well. SACD has meticulously managed to keep the interest intact with minimum possible characters. All the time, reader finds himself indulged in one or more puzzling circumstances.
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On guessing, there are few things that one can manage to guess before the unveiling affair towards the end, but the best part is: one may succeed in guessing the ‘WHO DONE IT?’ part but no one will ever be able to guess the ‘HOW IT WAS DONE? and WHY IT WAS DONE?’, and that’s where the beauty of THOTB lies and that’s where it scores.
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Alongwith being an excellent mystery thriller, THOTB could well be considered under horror fiction category (infact it is considered). I read it in later part of August with rain falling heavily and winds blowing around making frightening sounds, a perfect ambiance to read a horror mystery like THOTB. Each time Dr Watson or Henry B walk towards the moor, I felt excited and filled with same horror as the they did and when Sherlock Holmes arrives on the scene reader gets a breathe of relaxation, just like Dr Watson, as you have the company of the master now to face it all, but restlessness and uncertainty still remains. Dr Watson unexpected rendezvous with Sherlock Holmes and their later adventures in the Moor forms most thrilling part of the tale alongwith the climax wherein they let Sir Henry to walk alone on the Moor in the dead of night, to work as a decoy. Can’t explain the horror I felt when the trio (Holmes, Watson and Lasteride) first observe the Hound for what it really is, with fire blazing from its mouth and its whole body shining, all in accordance with the Legend. Just like Watson, I felt Henry to be to be dead in a minute or two. I will stop myself here, as anymore words will spoil the mystery.
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FINAL WORDS: THOTB is a perfect blend of Mystery Thriller Horror, for the readers who love any of this genres, this book forms an excellent read. Those who have read THOTB know what I am talking about and others need to read the book to know what I am talking about.
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PYAR HUMEIN PHIR MILAAEGA......
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