I am someone who loves to read mystery, detective and spy stories so I thought I would try reading a Sherlock Holmes book as they were the first detective novels written.
I found that the book was quite old fashioned (unsurprising, since it was written in the Victorian era). The language was very formal and written in the style of an educated man as it is a retelling of the case by Sherlock Holmes' partner Dr Watson. I learnt a lot of new vocabulary from reading this book, but at times I found the writing a bit slow moving. The central character, Sherlock Holmes, is intelligent, unpredictable and a master of deductive reasoning – in summary, a fascinating character.
It was interesting to read a book that was published long ago and I could see that modern kids books I've read share the same basic plot structure. The story was very good; gripping with a good sense of mystery. It was nail biting and I felt a bit nervous at times.
The story revolves around the curse that is supposed to be on the Baskerville family and the sinister events which take place on the "melancholy moor" of Devonshire. You have to concentrate quite hard to understand the language in places but I would recommend this book to confident readers from about age 11 who enjoy mysterious, slightly spooky crime novels.
• Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop.
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