Best Sherlock Holmes Books To Read (2023)

Sherlock Holmes Books

1. A Study in Scarlet

As we have mentioned earlier this one is the first full-fledged novel where Sherlock Holmes first makes an appearance. It was released in the year 1887. The story and the main characters attracted lots of attention from people. And it was also the first novel to features the magnifying glass as an investigative tool.

The story features the characters of Watson who just returned to London after War and he isn’t able to rent an apartment but somehow he met Sherlock and his life changes. The story is as usual narrated by Watson and his interpretation of Sherlock. It may not be the best novel of the series but for a first book, it has definitely done nice work. You would wanna read it for the introduction of characters and see what kinda detective writing you can expect from the author.

2. The Sign of The Four

This is the second novel in the Sherlock Holmes series and it was published in the year 1990. This is far better than the first one as it starts off with a complex plot. Everyone has loved this book for its interesting plot and humanizing the lead character which wasn’t done in the first book.

The story starts with Sherlock who is under drug influences and shows that he is, in fact, a drug addict. The story features the rebellion movement of India in the year 1857 which features the story about a stolen treasure and a secret pact among the four convicts. Meanwhile, it also features the character of Mary who is going to be one of the lead characters of the series.

Mary is asking help from Sherlock and Watson to find her father, who disappeared without leaving any traces just after returning from India. There are many times when you will find yourself completely lost in the stories and asking yourself how this happened and perhaps why this happened. This is the book that should be read by every detective genre fan.

3. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

This novel is a collection of twelve short stories and it was published in the monthly The Strand Magazine from the year 1891 to 1892. This will be a blessing for the fans of Sherlock Holmes, who have just watched the series or movies or who have just started with the books first because these stories haven’t been adapted in any fictional adaptations of the series.

The stories feature the popularity of Holmes and Watson as a famous detective duo.

The plot of these stories is a bit different from their traditional writings because Sherlock and Holmes are portrayed as the new new, fairer sense of justice. The first short story, A Scandal in Bohemian features the character of Irene Adler who is portrayed as a love interest of Holmes in its adaptation as a TV series.

The short stories include:

• A Scandal in Bohemian
• The Red-Headed League
• A Case of Identity
• The Boscombe Valley Mystery
• The Five Orange Pips
• The Man with the Twisted Lip
• The Adventure of Blue Carbuncle
• The Speckled Band
• The Adventure of the Engineer’s Thumb
• The Adventure of the Nobel Bachelor
• The Adventure of Beryl Coronet
• The Adventure of the Copper Beeches

This story will truly entertain you and your inner detective. The common characters in these stories are Holmes and Watson. And they are narrated in the first-person point of view by Watson.

4. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

This is another book in the Sherlock Holmes series which features a collection of short stories. These stories were published in the monthly issues of the Strand Magazine and these are in continuation of the last stories in its predecessor book, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

There are a total of twelve short stories in the book. The author meant these stories as the last installment in the Sherlock Holmes series as he wanted to kill off the character in The Final Problem, which was the last short story of the book. But due to the demand of the public, he again published the next book features Sherlock Holmes.

The short stories include:-

• The Adventure of the Silver Blaze
• The Adventure in the Cardboard Box
• The Adventure of the Yellow Face
• The Adventure of the Stockbroker’s Clerk
• The Adventure of the Gloria Scott
• The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual
• The Adventure of Reigate Squire
• The Adventure of Crooked Man
• The Adventure of Resident Patient
• The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter
• The Adventure of Naval Treaty
• The Final Problem

5. The Hound of the Baskervilles

This is the third full-length novel out of the four of Sherlock Holmes series, it was eventually serialized to be published in the Stand Magazine. The story is largely set in the West Country and it revolves around the death of Sir Charles Baskerville was found dead in the park surrounding his manor, in the moors of Devon. The story somehow involves a gigantic hound as the footprints are found near the dead body. The appearance of supernatural creatures even makes Holmes doubts on his own intelligence. And he and Watson trying very hard to find out what’s going on in this strange place.

6. The Return Of Sherlock Holmes

The book was released in the year 1905 and it actually features the revival of Sherlock Holmes. As fans were devasted by how things ended in The Last Problem, they were eagerly waiting for the book. This one too features a collection of thirteen stories of Sherlock Holmes. The book features many amazing adventures that happen in the life of Sherlock Holmes and what was he up to during all this time.

As he makes a return to his companion Watson and to his homeland London, he realizes that London has never been this dangerous, a series of crimes happening around the city and he desperately wants to solve the cases, with Watson of course!

The stories include:-

• The Adventure of the Empty House
• The Adventure of the Norwood Builder
• The Adventure of the Dancing Men
• The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist
• The Adventure of the Priory Schools
• The Adventure of the Black Peter
• The Adventure of the Charles Augustus Milverton
• The Adventure of the Six Napoleons
• The Adventure of the Three Students
• The Adventure of the Golden Prize-Nez
• The Adventure of the Missing Three Quarters
• The Adventure of the Abbey Grange
• The Adventure of the Second Stain

7. The Valley of Fear

This one is the fourth and the final novel in the Sherlock Holmes series. The story starts with a message received by Sherlock from Fred Porlock, a pseudonymous agent of Professor Moriarty. He sends him a cipher that needs to be deducted. Meanwhile, a murder has been reported and everyone is trying to figure out the connection between the two events. Will he be able to solve the case snd find out the truth about the secrete cult organization? It would be interesting to see Sherlock going to new lengths to solve the case.

8. His Last Bow

His Last Bow is another collection of short stories for Sherlock Holmes narrated by Watson. In the book, Watson is narrating the adventurous cases that fall into the lap of Sherlock Holmes and how he deals with them. The 8 stories of Sherlock Holmes includes:-

• The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge
• The Adventure of the Cardboard Box
• The Adventure of the Red Circle
• The Adventure of the Bruce Partington Plan
• The Adventure of the Dying Detective
• The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax
• The Adventure of the Devil’s Foot
• His Last Bow: The War Service of Sherlock Holmes

9. The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes

The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes is the final set of short stories by Sir Arthur featuring the several adventures of Sherlock Holmes. It was published in the Strand Magazine in the year 1921 and being published until the year 1927.

The short stories include the titles:

• The Adventure of the Illustrious Client
• The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier
• The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone
• The Adventure of the Three Gables
• The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire
• The Adventure of the Three Garridebs
• The Problem of Thor Bridge
• The Adventure of the Creeping Man
• The Adventure of the Lion’s Mane
• The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger
• The Adventure of the Shoscombe Old Place
• The Adventure of the Retired Colorman

So these are the last stories of the Sherlock Holmes series that you might wanna read.

Conclusion

So these are the popular Sherlock Holmes books and short stories collection that you were looking for. We hope you found the article helpful. So thank you for visiting us and keep coming for more such articles for different authors and book series.