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The Sign of Four (Penguin Classics) By Doyle, Arthur Conan, Sir & Peter Ackroyd (Introduction by) Our Price $ 7.92   Retail Value $ 9.00   You Save $ 1.08  (12%)   Item Number 424061   Buy New Item Quantity: 1              2              3              4              5              6              7              8              9              10              11              12              13              14              15              16              17              18              19              20              21              22              23              24              25 ABOUT TRUST ONLINE

Classic Starts: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Classic Starts Series) Item: 597928

	Lust for Money Leads to Murders  Jan 6, 2010
The Sign of Four, by A. Conan Doyle This story begins with Dr. Watson advising Sherlock Holmes against dabbling with drugs because of the long-term dangers. Holmes observes a watch and deduces the habits of the previous owner. Miss Mary Morstan visits with her problem. Her father disappeared ten years earlier. For the last six years she received a large pearl in the mail. Now she received a letter telling her she was wronged and asking for a meeting. Holmes and Watson will accompany her. Their carriage arrives at a house in a new terrace. They meet Thaddeus Sholto, one of the sons of Major Sholto, the best friend of Mary Morstan's father Captain Sholto. Thaddeus tells why what he knows about the story. His brother Bartholomew discovered the hidden treasure. When they arrive they find Bartholomew murdered in a locked room and the treasure missing! The police are called. They arrest Thaddeus and the servants as accomplices. Sherlock Holmes borrowed a dog to follow the scent of the small man who stepped in creosote. They follow the scent to the water's edge; they look around and find information. Holmes sends the Baker Street Irregulars to search for the missing steam launch. Holmes himself locates the `Aurora', and the police launch later chases it downstream in a wild chase. Holmes and Watson shoot the Andaman islander, then Jonathan Small is captured with the treasure chest. Watson gained a treasure (Chapter 11). Small tells about the Agra treasure from the time of the India Mutiny, and has the last laugh (Chapter 12). The story about the Agra fort and the mutiny shows the attitudes of the English public. The English conquered India for its loot, just as in other wars. But the Four decided to enrich themselves and follow the example set by the royal rulers, English or Indian. A double-dealing rajah straddled the conflict and split his assets; it failed because of others who took advantage of their position. But their plan failed because of an unforeseen watcher. The Four who killed for riches were swindled out of their fortune by a clever liar who took advantage of his position. Was Doyle mocking the English system of purchased offices in his story of Sholto and Morstan?
	Doyle's Holmes is Better in His Short Stories  Dec 20, 2009
Synopsis: The Sign of the Four starts with a short intro involving Holmes and Watson sitting around the Baker Street apartment. The story quickly develops into a "closed room" mystery--there is a dead man in a closed locked room. Unfortunately, Holmes quickly solves the mystery and the remainder of the book is spent catching the culprits. Then, when one of the murderers is caught, the narrative Watson is telling breaks off and the captured man tells a tale of pirates, stolen treasure, and horrific cannibals. Oh, and a love story for Watson is thrown in. Review: This Holmes tale is extremely inconsistent. This is one of Doyle's earlier works. It seemed to me that he was successful with the short stories and then struggled when he tried to extend the formula into novel form. A Study in Scarlet, the first Holmes' book is set up in a similar way. Watson is narrating, then another person interrupts and the reader is told of a strange, far away place. In Scarlet, the alternate setting is Utah, with tales of the Danites and an appearance by Brigham Young. In this book, the tales of treasure and cannibals are more ridiculous than interesting. These plot devices may have been used because Doyle's predilections for the strange and occult, or due to a desire to titillate the reader. In either case, they may have worked originally, but they don't translate well for today's modern reader. In all, I found the book extremely boring. Skip this one and buy one of the short story collections such as The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes or The Return of Sherlock Holmes instead. Read more reviews on [...]
	Mysterious  Nov 16, 2009
In 1890, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle published "The Sign of Four", his second work featuring the famous detective Sherlock Holmes and his trusted associate, Dr. Watson. The tale begins with a bored Holmes wallowing in cocaine before a young woman named Mary Morstan turns up at 221B Baker Street with an irresistible mystery. Her father mysteriously disappeared several years earlier, but for the last six years she has received a pearl from an anonymous source. However, that gift comes into question when she receives a summons to find out what happened to her father. Morstan engages in the help of Holmes and Watson, and the three meet Thaddeus Sholto, a man who is taking great pains to keep secret his dealings with Captain Morstan. As the group reaches the house of Thaddeus's twin brother Bartholomew, they come upon a terrible scene: Bartholomew is dead, and a mysterious treasure is missing. Scotland Yard is quick to make arrests, but Sherlock Holmes is convinced that they are wrong. What follows is an extraordinary tale involving the British Empire in India, an extremely short cannibal, a treasure box full of precious stones, double-dealing, a man with a wooden leg, and a steam ship that has seemingly disappeared into thin air. Will Holmes find his man in time? How do all of the events relate to Miss Morstan's father? And where exactly is this treasure everyone is preoccupied with? In "The Sign of Four", Doyle once again creates a mystery that is worthy of the great Sherlock Holmes. More interesting than his earlier Holmes novel "A Study in Scarlet", this one is truly captivating.
	A Stunning Holmes Caper  Sep 3, 2009
I have not long completed "A Study In Scarlet" which was Doyle's first jump into the world of Sherlock Holmes, and it was a jump I thoroughly enjoyed. Now, after just finishing "The Sign Of Four", I am now set in my convictions to make sure I read every single Holmes adventure written by Doyle. This is a longer and, indeed, more complex case than "A Study In Scarlet" yet the writing style takes a slightly different approach as it remains focused on the investigation of Holmes & Watson rather than split into two the story to try and explain the motive behind the investigated crime. The skills of Holmes this time are called upon by a young woman of the name of Mary Morstan who tells Holmes of her father's disappearance four years ago and then a mysterious appearance of yearly gifts which started to arrive four years ago. This leads them unexpectedly to the scene of shocking murder which reaches to the depths of far off India and the investigation is engaged upon with the help of a stereotypical detective, a gang of street Arabs and the keen nose of a canine. There are some fantastic aspects to this piece of Holmes fiction compared to his first outing. Still told from the perspective of Watson it touches upon the most interesting aspect of Holmes' personality that being his inherent drug use. This seemingly large flaw in what appears to be a man with an almost perfect skill is something that makes the character all the more human. It also gives a brief look towards the end of the story as to Holmes' perspective on emotional affairs such as love which he sees as opposite to truth and reason. This is another fantastic Holmes investigation and just makes me anticipate the further stories that I will delve into. For those not familiar with the Holmes stories, I strongly recommend that you begin your quest with the fantastic "A Study In Scarlet" and then move swiftly onto this as it is truly a gem of class English literature.
	Thrilling again.  May 27, 2009
The Sign of Four is the second book, after A Study in Scarlet, featuring Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick Dr. John Watson. There are new changes that would set the tone for many later adventures. One interesting change occurs to Dr. Watson, as we learned in the first book, is that the war wound has been relocated from the shoulder to the leg. I know Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a brilliant writer, but I find this oddity perplexing. At the end of the story, Dr. Watson undergoes a life-changing event which I had, like his friend Sherlock Holmes, hoped that wouldn't occur. The tale of The Sign of Four is as thrilling as the one of A Study in Scarlet, and this time, the author makes improvements in how he presented the story. I complained of the first book being less thorough for an experience of being there for the reader due to the lack of sleuthing details, but in The Sign of Four, the author almost makes it entirely possible for the reader to actually think what the best course of action would be and which suggestion is the best possible before application. In other words, The Sign of Four is a real thinking man's mystery adventure. Again, there is a ton of wisdom contained within the lines that are quite useful for anyone. I found two quotes in the story that struck me the best parts of the book. One is Sherlock's instance of disallowing emotion to be factored in the equation by stating, "I never make exceptions. An exception disproves the rule." Another is quite true when Sherlock offers a political advice, "The main thing with people of that sort is never to let them think that their information can be of the slightest importance to you." In both tales, the motives are quite similar in the manner of Edmond Dantes, but in A Study in Scarlet was vengeance for a loved one while in The Sign of Four for a robbed treasure after an act of betrayal. When the chase is on in Chapter 10 of The Sign of Four, that's when the excitement sets in à la Patriot Games with Harrison Ford and Sean Bean. As Jonathan Small relates his tale of misfortune, I was left off the track when he failed to mention the fate of the other three men after the realization of the betrayal and also the life-saving of Tonga. The most disappointing moment, as it occurs in the beginning and also in the end of The Sign of Four, is Sherlock Holmes' cocaine addiction. I understand that this shooting up business of Sherlock happened in the latter part of the nineteenth century when its dangers weren't well-known. I am positive that it would be a very despondent moment when a kid says, "But Sherlock Holmes did it." as an excuse. All in all, The Sign of Four is another thrilling tale of the Sherlock Holmes stories and promises more of the same in other works.

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