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One morning in London, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson receive an intriguing visit.  Dr. James Mortimer, of Devonshire, has come to London to report strange happenings on Dartmoor.  First his friend, Sir Charles Baskerville, was found dead under suspicious circumstances – apparently frightened to death in his own yew walk, not a mark on the body, but mere feet away from the print of a giant hound.  Dr. Mortimer believes the baronet was haunted to his death by a spectral hound that has plagued the Baskerville family for generations – and now he fears for the safety of the heir, Sir Henry Baskerville, recently arrived in the country to claim his title.  Sir Henry has already experienced strange and mysterious circumstances – since arriving in London, he has been followed by a strange man, had two single boots stolen (and one returned), and received a cryptic warning.

Holmes is intrigued by the case, but he doesn’t believe for a moment in the ghost-dog theory.  He dispatches Watson to Dartmoor to guard Sir Henry and report his findings, and what Watson finds is a complicated web of intrigue surrounding the new baronet.  The danger seems to mount daily – will Holmes unravel the threads of the mystery in time, or is Sir Henry destined to meet the same fate as his uncle?

I really enjoyed my first visit with Holmes and Watson.  The mystery was absorbing, the characters intriguing, and the setting spooky.  This is one that has been on my list for some time, and I’m so glad I finally made time for it.  As a reader of both classics and mysteries, there was no excuse for my continuing unfamiliarity with Sherlock Holmes!  And after this delightful encounter, I’ll be seeking him out again very soon.

I am submitting this review to The Classics Club challenge.  Check them out here!

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