Helpful Score: 2
The plot involves Sherlock Holmes and Watson becoming involved in investigating the murder of Sir Charles Baskerville, who seemingly died of fright outside his home one evening, but a disturbing family legend/ curse makes people question whether it was an accident or not. The heir to the estate, Henry Baskerville, is brought in from Canada and family friend Dr. Mortimer wants to make sure nothing happens to him. Holmes sends Watson to stay with Baskerville and to send back reports of anything that might help him solve the case. A suspicious married couple (the butler and housekeeper at Baskerville Hall), an escaped convict on the run, and a few slightly eccentric neighbors give Watson enough information to fill his reports and keep him on his toes. But will they discover who or what is out to get Henry Baskerville before it is too late! Sir Arthur Conan Doyle really knows how to create imagery in his books. There is a lot of description of landscape, so you can really picture the moor, Baskerville Hall, etc. What I found interesting is that Sherlock Holmes is pretty much absent for the bulk of the story. Watson is sent to investigate since Holmes states that he cannot leave London at the moment due to other cases, so we hear much of the story from Watson's investigative POV. I enjoyed that because many movie versions portray Watson as a bumbling fool but this novel illustrates that he is an accomplished investigator in his own right.
