A review by shannenlc
The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle

3.0

I found the first book in the Sherlock series, A Study in Scarlet, to be pretty mediocre as far as mystery novels go, but I enjoyed reading about Sherlock and Watson and was willing to continue with the series to see if my feelings would change. Unfortunately, they haven't. The Sign of Four was generally a pretty "meh" read for me. I preferred the structure and pacing in this one, but it wasn't a particularly enjoyable or memorable read. Sherlock is a fascinating character and it's not surprising that he's been cemented in literature and pop culture as one of the most famous fictional detectives of all time. However, the stories feel too formulaic and are dominated by description and explanation of the crimes. Generally, there's something about the way the mystery is presented that makes me feel disconnected and uninvested. Consequently, the explanations when the mysteries are revealed are underwhelming. Throughout the story, I felt like I had a birds eye view of the events - I could witness what was happening, but I was unable to become fully immersed, involved or invested in the story or the characters. Unfortunately, I don't think the Sherlock series is for me and I won't be continuing with it.