Book Review: The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle

Hello Fellow BookNerds!

If you’re like me, then you can hardly keep yourself composed and calm when thinking that the third season of Sherlock is waiting just on the other side of the Summer break. This fall, the secret to Sherlock’s survival shall finally be revealed, and we shall see what new and exciting mysteries await or crime solving duo.

In the meantime, here is a look at yet another one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s original masterpieces which inspired the creation of this modern day spin on the classic. This one is much shorter than all the previous works of his I have presented to you, not that any of them are all that long. These are the kind of stories that would appear in the daily newspaper, allowing for only so much detail in such a limited space.

This story is from chapter 7 of ” The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes 2009″, and it is called The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle. The following is my interpretation of the story, and may contain some spoilers which I apologize for in advance.

While most people spend the Christmas holidays preparing feasts, purchasing gifts and adorning their pine trees with decor, Sherlock Holmes, not being most people, spends his holidays much the same as he spends any other day; solving a mystery. The case he is currently working on is not entirely unrelated to the season, although it seems like nothing more than a strange waste of time in the eyes of dear old Dr. Watson. Coming home to 221B Baker Street, Dr. Watson discovers Mr. Holmes examining a rather tattered old hat, which he is later told belonged to someone who had gotten himself into a bit of a scuffle with some ruffians. Just as you would expect, Sherlock believes wholeheartedly that everything they need to identify the owner of this hat, and what exactly he had gotten himself into, could be deduced from this single piece of evidence. What was seemingly a waste of effort and time soon became quite the mystery when a small, blue diamond was discovered in a frozen turkey recovered from the scene of the crime, seemingly belonging to the man who also owned the hat. This, of course, was not just any diamond; this was the Countess of Morcar’s blue carbuncle! What could that man have been doing with the jewel? Were the people who attacked him after the jewel as well? Is this how Watson and Holmes will spend their entire Christmas Holidays?

This story is another classic example of what makes Sherlock Holmes such a memorable character. Dr. Watson is still unable to grasp the way in which the cogs move within the mind of his detective friend, although that doesn’t stop him from trying to apply his own deductive skills. It’s also a classic example of how something which most people would overlook, like a ripped up old hat, could actually be a big clue to an entire series of events pointing to a much greater plot. This one would definitely make a nice holiday episode of the BBC show Sherlock, but we’ll just have to wait and see how that modern twist of this classic series is going to unfold.

That’s all for today. If you’ve read this book already, let me know what you thought of it in the comments below. Also, feel free to leave any of your own book reviews or recommendations in the comments on the Book Recommendations from You page. Life is full of books waiting to be read, so until next time, happy reading!

Cheers,

BookNerd