El signo de los cuatro

Por Arthur Conan Doyle

Este ebook presenta "El signo de los cuatro", con un indice dinámico y detallado. El signo de los cuatro es la segunda novela protagonizada por Sherlock Holmes, escrita por Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Se trata (junto a Estudio en escarlata, El sabueso de los Baskerville y El valle del terror) de una de las cuatro únicas novelas que Arthur Conan Doyle escribió con Holmes como protagonista, ya que el resto de sus obras acerca de este personaje son relatos cortos. La petición de una mujer a Sherlock Holmes para acompañarla a visitar a un hombre y la muerte del hermano del mismo, lo lleva descubrir, junto al Dr. Watson, el secreto que hay tras un tesoro encontrado en la India, un juramento entre tres indios, un blanco y una enloquecedora sed de venganza. Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (1859 - 1930) fue un médico y escritor escocés, creador del célebre detective de ficción Sherlock Holmes. Fue un autor prolífico cuya obra incluye relatos de ciencia ficción, novela histórica, teatro y poesía.

• Idioma: Español
• Editorial: e-artnow
• Fecha de lanzamiento: 27 nov 2013
• ISBN: 9788026803522

Arthur Conan Doyle

Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930) practiced medicine in the resort town of Southsea, England, and wrote stories while waiting for his patients to arrive. In 1886, he created two of the greatest fictional characters of all time: the detective Sherlock Holmes and his partner, Dr. Watson. Over the course of four novels and fifty-six short stories, Conan Doyle set a standard for crime fiction that has yet to be surpassed.

Vista previa del libro

Arthur Conan Doyle

El signo de los cuatro

(texto completo, con índice activo)

Título Original: The Sign of the Four (1890)

e-artnow, 2013

ISBN 978-80-268-0352-2

Nota Editorial: Este libro es una transcripción completa del texto original.

Contenido

Capítulo 1 La deducción elevada a la categoría de ciencia

Capítulo 2 Exposición del asunto

Capítulo 3 En busca de una solución

Capítulo 4 El relato del hombre calvo

Capítulo 5 El drama de Pabellón Pondicherry

Capítulo 6 Teoría de Sherlock Holmes

Capítulo 7 El incidente del tonel

Capítulo 8 Los voluntarios de Baker Street

Capítulo 9 En Kalta

Capítulo 10 Cómo pereció el insular de Andaman

Capítulo 11 El tesoro de Agra

Capítulo 12 La extraña historia de Jonathan Small

Capítulo 1 - La deducción elevada a la categoría de ciencia

Sherlock Holmes cogió el frasco sobre la chimenea y sacó una jeringa pravaz de un cajoncito. Ajustó la delicada aguja con sus largos, blancos y nerviosos dedos y se remangó la manga izquierda de la camisa. Durante unos momentos, sus ojos pensativos se posaron en el fibroso antebrazo y en la muñeca, marcados por las cicatrices de innumerables pinchazos. Por último, clavó la afilada punta, apretó el minúsculo émbolo y se echó hacia atrás, hundiéndose en la butaca tapizada de terciopelo con un largo suspiro de consuelo.

Desde hacia algunos meses habia presenciando esta escena tres veces al día, pero la costumbre no había logrado que mi mente la aceptara. Por el contrario, cada día me irritaba más contemplarla, y todas las noches me remordía la conciencia al pensar que me faltaba valor para protestar. Una y otra vez me hacía el propósito de decir lo que pensaba del asunto, pero había algo en los modales fríos y despreocupados de mi compañero que lo convertía en el último hombre con el que uno querría tomarse algo parecido a una libertad.

Su enorme talento, su actitud dominante y la experiencia que yo tenía de sus muchas y extraordinarias cualidades me impedían decidirme a enfrentarme con él.

Sin embargo, aquella tarde, tal vez a causa del beaune que había bebido en la comida, o tal vez por la irritación adicional que me produjo lo descarado de su conducta, sentí de pronto que ya no podía aguantar más.

––¿Qué ha sido hoy? ––pregunté––. ¿Morfina o cocaína?. Holmes levantó con languidez la mirada del viejo volumen de caracteres góticos que acababa de abrir.

––Cocaína ––dijo––, disuelta al siete por ciento. ¿Le apetece probarla?

––Desde luego que no ––respondí con brusquedad––. Mi organismo aún no se ha recuperado de la campaña de Afganistán y no puedo permitirme someterlo a más presiones.

Mi vehemencia le hizo sonreír.

––Tal vez tenga razón, Watson ––dijo––. Supongo que su efecto físico es malo. Sin embargo, la encuentro tan trascendentalmente estimulante y esclarecedora para la mente que ese efecto secundario tiene poca importancia.

––¡Pero piense en ello! ––dije yo con ardor––. ¡Calcule lo que le cuesta! Es posible que, como usted dice, le estimule y aclare el cerebro, pero se trata de un proceso patológico y morboso, que va alterando cada vez más los tejidos y puede acabar dejándole con debilidad permanente. Y además, ya sabe qué mala reacción le provoca. La verdad es que la ganancia no compensa la inversión. ¿Por qué tiene que arriesgarse, por un simple placer momentáneo, a perder esas grandes facultades de las que ha sido dotado? Recuerde que no le hablo sólo de camarada a camarada, sino como médico a una persona de cuya condición física es, en cierto modo, responsable.

No pareció ofendido. Por el contrario, juntó las puntas de los dedos y apoyó los codos en los brazos de la butaca, como si disfrutara con la conversación.

––Mi mente ––dijo–– se rebela contra el estancamiento. Deme problemas, deme trabajo, deme el criptograma más abstruso o el análisis más intrincado, y me sentiré en mi ambiente. Entonces podré prescindir de estímulos artificiales. Pero me horroriza la aburrida rutina de la existencia. Tengo ansias de exaltación mental. Por eso elegí mi profesión, o, mejor dicho, la inventé, puesto que soy el único del mundo.

––¿El único investigador particular? ––dije yo, alzando las cejas.

––El único investigador particular con consulta ––replicó––. En el campo de la investigación, soy el último y el más alto tribunal de apelación. Cada vez que Gregson, o Lestrade, o Athelney Jones se encuentran desorientados (que, por cierto, es su estado normal), me plantean a mí el asunto. Yo examino los datos en calidad de experto y emito una opinión de especialista. En estos casos no reclamo ningún crédito. Mi nombre no aparece en los periódicos. Mi mayor recompensa es el trabajo mismo, el placer de encontrar un campo al que aplicar mis facultades. Pero usted ya ha tenido ocasión de observar mis métodos de trabajo en el caso de Jefferson Hope.

––Es verdad ––dije cordialmente––. Nada me ha impresionado tanto en toda mi vida. Hasta lo he recogido en un pequeño folleto, con el título algo fantástico de Estudio en escarlata.

Holmes meneó la cabeza con aire triste.

––Lo miré por encima ––dijo––. Sinceramente, no puedo felicitarle por ello. La investigación es, o debería ser, una ciencia exacta, y se la debe tratar del mismo modo frío y sin emoción. Usted ha intentado darle un matiz romántico, con lo que se obtiene el mismo efecto que si se insertara una historia de amor o una fuga de enamorados en el quinto postulado de Euclides.

––Pero es que lo romántico estaba ahí ––repliqué––. Yo no podía alterar los hechos.

––Algunos hechos hay que suprimirlos o, al menos, hay que mantener un cierto sentido de la proporción al tratarlos. El único aspecto del caso que merecía ser mencionado era el curioso razonamiento analítico, de los efectos a las causas, que me permitió desentrañarlo.

Me molestó aquella crítica de una obra que había sido concebida expresamente para agradarle. Confieso también que me irritó el egoísmo con el que parecía exigir que hasta la última frase de mi folleto estuviera dedicada a sus actividades personales. Más de una vez, durante los años que llevaba viviendo con él en Baker Street, había observado que bajo los modales tranquilos y didácticos de mi compañero se ocultaba un cierto grado de vanidad. Sin embargo, no hice ningún comentario y me quedé sentado, cuidando de mi pierna herida. Una bala de jezad la había atravesado tiempo atrás y, aunque no me impedía caminar, me dolía insistentemente cada vez que el tiempo cambiaba.

––Últimamente, he extendido mis actividades al Continente ––dijo Holmes al cabo de un rato, mientras llenaba su vieja pipa de raíz de brezo––. La semana pasada me consultó Francois le Villard, que, como probablemente sabrá, ha saltado recientemente a la primera fila de los investigadores franceses. Posee toda la rápida intuición de los celtas, pero le falta la amplia gama de conocimientos exactos que son imprescindibles para desarrollar los aspectos más elevados de su arte. Se trataba de un caso relacionado con un testamento, y presentaba algunos detalles interesantes. Pude indicarle dos casos similares, uno en Riga en 1857 y otro en Saint Louis en 1871, que le sugirieron la solución correcta. Y esta mañana he recibido carta suya, agradeciéndome mi ayuda.

Mientras hablaba me pasó una hoja arrugada de papel de carta extranjero.

Eché un vistazo por encima y capté una profusión de signos de admiración, con ocasionales magnifiques, coups de maître y tours de force repartidos por aquí y por allá, que daban testimonio de la ferviente admiración del francés.

––Le habla como un discípulo a su maestro ––dije. ––¡Bah!, le concede demasiado valor a mi ayuda ––dijo Sherlock Holmes sin darle importancia––. Él mismo tiene unas dotes considerables. Posee dos de las tres facultades necesarias para el detective ideal: la capacidad de observación y la de deducción. Sólo le faltan conocimientos, y eso se puede adquirir con el tiempo. Ahora está traduciendo mis obras al francés.

––¿Sus obras?

––¡Ah!, ¿no lo sabía? ––exclamó, echándose a reír––. Pues sí, soy culpable de varias monografías. Todas ellas sobre temas técnicos. Aquí, por ejemplo, tengo una: Sobre las diferencias entre las cenizas de los diversos tabacos. En ella cito ciento cuarenta clases de cigarros, cigarrillos y tabacos de pipa, con láminas en color que ilustran las diferencias entre sus cenizas. Es un detalle que surge constantemente en los procesos criminales, y que a veces tiene una importancia suprema como pista. Si, por ejemplo, podemos asegurar sin lugar a dudas que el autor de un crimen fue un individuo que fumaba lunkah indio, está claro que el campo de búsqueda se estrecha mucho. Para el ojo experto, existe tanta diferencia entre la ceniza negra de un Trichinopoly y la ceniza blanca y esponjosa de un «ojo de perdiz» como entre una lechuga y una patata.

––Tiene usted un talento extraordinario para las minucias ––comenté.

––Sé apreciar su importancia. Aquí tiene mi monografía sobre las huellas de pisadas, con algunos comentarios acerca del empleo de escayola para conservar las impresiones. Y aquí hay una curiosa obrita sobre la influencia de los oficios en la forma de las manos, con litografías de manos de pizarreros, marineros, cortadores de corcho, cajistas de imprenta, tejedores y talladores de diamantes. Es un tema de gran importancia práctica para el detective científico, sobre todo en casos de cadáveres no identificados, y también para averiguar el historial de los delincuentes. Pero le estoy aburriendo con mis aficiones.

––Nada de eso ––respondí con vehemencia––. Me interesa mucho, y más habiendo tenido la oportunidad de observar cómo lo aplica a la práctica. Pero hace un momento hablaba usted de observación y deducción. Supongo que, en cierto modo, la una lleva implícita la otra.

––Ni mucho menos ––respondió, arrellanándose cómodamente en su butaca y emitiendo con su pipa espesas volutas azuladas––. Por ejemplo, la observación me indica que esta mañana ha estado usted en la oficina de Correos de Wigmore Street, y gracias a la deducción se que allí puso un telegrama.

––¡Exacto! ––dije yo––. Ha acertado en las dos cosas. Pero confieso que no entiendo cómo ha llegado a saberlo. Fue un impulso súbito que tuve, y no se lo he comentado a nadie.

––Es la sencillez misma ––dijo él, riéndose por lo bajo de mi sorpresa––. Tan ridículamente sencillo que sobra toda explicación. Aun así, puede servirnos para definir los límites de la observación y la deducción. La observación me dice que lleva usted un pegotito rojizo pegado al borde de la suela. Justo delante de la oficina de Correos de Wigmore Street han levantado el pavimento y han esparcido algo de tierra, de tal modo que resulta difícil no pisarla al entrar. La tierra tiene ese peculiar tono rojizo que, por lo que yo sé, no se encuentra en ninguna otra parte del barrio. Hasta aquí llega la observación. Lo demás es deducción.

––¿Y cómo dedujo lo del telegrama?

––Pues, para empezar, sabía que no había escrito una carta, porque estuve sentado frente a usted toda la mañana. Además, su escritorio está abierto y veo que tiene usted un pliego de sellos y un grueso fajo de tarjetas postales. Así pues, ¿a qué iba a entrar en la oficina de Correos si no era para enviar un telegrama? Una vez eliminadas todas las demás posibilidades, la única que queda tiene que ser la verdadera.

––En este caso es así, desde luego ––repliqué yo, tras pensármelo un poco–. Sin embargo, como usted mismo ha dicho, se trata de un asunto de lo más sencillo. ¿Me consideraría impertinente si sometiera sus teorías a una prueba más estricta?

––Al contrario ––respondió él––. Eso me evitará tener que tomar una segunda dosis de cocaína. Estaré encantado de considerar cualquier problema que usted me plantee.

––Le he oído decir que es muy difícil que un hombre use un objeto todos los días sin dejar en él la huella de su personalidad, de manera que un observador experto puede leerla. Pues bien, aquí tengo un reloj que ha llegado a mi poder hace poco tiempo. ¿Tendría la amabilidad de darme su opinión sobre el carácter y las costumbres de su antiguo propietario?

Le entregué el reloj con un ligero sentimiento interno de regocijo, ya que, en mi opinión, la prueba era imposible de superar y con ella me proponía darle una lección ante el tono algo dogmático que adoptaba de vez en cuando. Holmes sopesó el reloj en la mano, observó atentamente la esfera, abrió la tapa posterior y examinó el engranaje, primero a simple vista y luego con ayuda de una potente lupa. No pude evitar sonreír al ver su expresión abatida cuando, por fin, cerró la tapa y me lo devolvió.

––Apenas hay ningún dato ––dijo––. Este reloj lo han limpiado hace poco, lo cual me priva de los indicios

Comentarios para El signo de los cuatro

[jessiqa_1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

This is the second Sherlock Holmes novel. I was surprised to find that Holmes was already using cocaine this early in the series. I had been told in class that Conan Doyle had introduced Holmes' drug use in order to make him less likable, because he didn't wish to continue writing about him. That seems an unlikely motive for the second published work, so I guess I can throw that theory out the window.The client in this story is Mary Morstan, whose father disappeared under mysterious circumstances and who is now receiving very strange letters from an anonymous benefactor. This is learned to be Thaddeus Sholto, whose father had hidden a treasure that Miss Morstan's father also had a claim to. The treasure is located by Thaddeus Shoto's brother Benjamin, and when Holmes, Watson and Miss Morstan go with Thaddeus to his brother's home, they find Benjamin dead inside a locked bedroom with the windows all locked shut. Homes deduces the means of the killers' entry and exit and uses a dog to follow the trail, as well as his Baker Street Irregulars. He even uses a disguise to do a bit of snooping himself. This, of course, is what pays off. Once the killer is caught, he relates his whole tale to Holmes, Watson, and Inspector Athelny Jones.There is a bit of a love story in this one too: Watson and Mary fall in love and are engaged by the end of the book. Holmes sighs at Watson's decision to marry since love is so illogical, but he pays Mary the compliment in saying that she "had a decided genius in that way," meaning in investigative work. Quite high praise coming from him.I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading the next in the series.

[msaucier818 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

This was my second Sherlock Holmes book and I enjoyed it as much as the first. This book introduces us to Holmes' cocaine habit, and Watson meets a girl he likes, so it was nice to have that type of character development. The way Holmes uses logic to solve the crime of the story is again interesting and fun to read. I also liked the bit of history mixed into the story - this time dealing with British rule in India. A quick read and I will continue to read the Holmes' stories in the future.

[adilinaria · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

This one had a lot of the dated language and imagery I'd expect from a Victorian novel unfortunately, so be aware of that going in. Colonialism was strong here. Besides that it had something that I think a lot of the short stories lack, and I really found that fun. The 'high speed boat chase' was absolutely hilarious to me, though I enjoyed it. After reading Lindsey Faye's Sherlock shorts now I'm seeing the constant romanticized descriptions of women and it's just so over the top and ridiculous. I did like seeing Watson and Mary's relationship though, that was very cute. Sadly the mystery in this one was not very mysterious, I was a bit bummed on how simple it worked out to be. Ah well!

[spoko_1 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

Right up front: There are some definite racist elements here, and that certainly diminished my ability to enjoy the book. But even without those, it was disappointing.

I like reading Holmes & Watson as characters, but the other characters weren’t interesting at all, and the mystery itself wasn’t much to chew on. Mostly it seemed like Doyle imagined this tale of the purloined loot itself, and the whole book was a lead-up to the retelling of that tale. But it would have been better as a standalone story, really, and even then I don’t think I’d have loved it.

[muumuumousie · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

This is my least favorite of all the Sherlock Holmes novels. I’d probably give it 3.5 stars, if we had half-star ratings. What I liked: Even though its tone is very dark, it fits the story, since this novel is all about the evils of colonialism. Its villain is well fleshed out, as are the supporting characters. It’s got a strong female character, whom Sherlock even praises for her “genius” (his word). There is some good humor here, too, as when Watson, overcome by Mary’s beauty, gets tongue-tied and says some really goofy things. There is subtlety here, too, with Sherlock’s character. He seems vulnerable here in a way that he generally doesn’t, and I get the strong impression that he is lying to Watson when he mentions how little notice he (Holmes) takes of the opposite sex. He seems very much affected by women, both here and in later stories, and his denial seems forced, almost desperate. There’s definitely some room for interepretation here. My impression is that Holmes likes being in control of everything, and women, who can prompt strong emotional reactions in men, are a threat to that control. And I really love that Doyle went out of his way on a couple different occasions to mention Watson’s limp. His army backstory is a constant presence here, and it adds still more depth to an already interesting character. And romance! Watson does not talk about himself enough in these stories, so it was nice seeing him get a love story here.

What I didn’t like: Okay, I’m gonna come right out and say it. Sherlock is mean to Watson! This is the story where he crosses the line from lovably egotistical to just plain rude, and Watson must really love this man to keep on forgiving him like that. I do like that Holmes’ behavior isn’t excused; Watson really IS hurt by the comments, and Holmes even apologizes in one place. But Holmes’ egotism and self-centeredness reach their peak in this story, and that can be difficult. I also didn’t like how bleak everything turned out. So many characters are corrupt, and even the decent ones aren’t always great, and most elements of the story don’t really end well (although some do). There is a fairly long flashback scene near the end, but it doesn’t really add much. It doesn’t really make the villain more sympathetic; neither does it flesh out the victim in any meaningful way. The flashback in “Scarlet” did both of these things. Although this book has some beautiful moments, it’s just not my cup of tea.

[beentsy_1 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Excellent!

[danielstj · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

I'm not typically a fan of Sherlock Holmes, but this one struck a chord in me. The plot was well-paced, Holmes and Watson were good, breathing characters and the conclusion was satisfactory. Everything that I had come to expect from these sorts of tales was there and there were even moments of surprise amidst the mystery and adventure that Doyle took me on. Overall, a good book and one that should not be missed.

3.25 stars.

[marcusbastos-1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Holmes and The Science of Deduction
This is chronologically the second book of Sherlock Holmes cases. The story evolves around a treasure that came from India in an exquisite manner. The possession of the treasure’s riches cause, as one can expect, some murders. Holmes is called to discovery the reason for the disappearance of Mary Morstan’s father, which appears to have direct connection with the treasury. With the help of Watson, the famous “consulting detective” used all his abilities to solve the mystery. Careful observation added with the special ability of deduction help Holmes to find the answers. In this adventure Watson knows someone who will have an important place in his heart and ultimately in his life. The story has a lot of action and the finish is somewhat surprisingly. After “A Study in Scarlet”, the reader knows a little bit more of Holmes and Watson and the relationship both build.

[she_climber · Calificación: 2 de 5 estrellas]

Interesting enough story about lost and stolen treasure, interesting characters, poison arrow darts, brilliant deductions, and even some romance for Dr. Watson. Even the First time in the classic Holmes that I recall hearing of his drug use.

Normally I love Sherlock Holmes but this one just drug on for me. I'm going to blame it in part of the Audio, the music in between scenes just didn't do it for and I'm guessing I just wasn't in the right frame of mind for some classic Holmes.

[seriousgrace · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Originally published in 1889, this is the second Sherlock Holmes mystery. We meet Dr. Watson's future bride-to-be, Mary Morstan.
One of the most prominent characteristics of Sherlock Holmes's personality is his cheeky hubris, especially when he makes comments like, "Yes, I have been guilty of several monographs" (p 4), or "I cannot live without brainwork" (p 8). Aside from his ego, Holmes carries a sharp sense of reasoning and deduction and of course, the acute ability to draw unsuspecting witnesses out of their privacy, getting them to spill the beans by pretending to know everything they do already. An age-old police tactic.

To sum up the complicated mystery: it involves a secret pact between four criminals, a treasure and Mary Morstan. Mary's father has been missing for ten years. He disappeared without a trace. Four years after his disappearance Mary started received a pearl a year from an unknown benefactor. Where's rumor of a hidden treasure.

[nx74defiant · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

A client walks in and Watson falls in love.

At the end there is a long section with Jonathan Smalls back story leading up to the case.

[fictionzeal · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

Mary Morstan becomes a client for Sherlock Holmes and a very beautiful and interesting lady for Dr. John Watson. She reports that her father, Captain Arthur Morstan, has disappeared. However, the disappearance was not recent … it was ten years before when he’d telegraphed her to meet him at the Langham Hotel in London. Once there, she was informed he’d not returned to the hotel from the night before. Later, she begins receiving anonymous packages – one for the past six years – each containing a precious pearl inside.

Holmes, Watson, and Mary set up a meeting with Thaddeus Sholto. He was the son of her father’s best friend, Major John Sholto. He confirms that his father had met with Morstan on the night he died. They had quarreled over treasure Sholto had brought back from India. Sholto confesses to his two twin sons, Thaddeus and Bartholomew, that he’d murdered Morstan. Before giving them the location of the treasure, they were purposefully distracted. When they returned to their father, he’d been killed. A note was left upon him, “The Sign of Four”.

This is the second novel of Sherlock Holmes written by Arthur Conan Doyle and published in 1890. It is the first which details Sherlock Holmes use of cocaine, or as he would put it, his seven percent solution. I felt the pace in this full-length story tapered off mid-way, but picked back up toward the end. As always, I enjoyed Holmes’ powers of deduction. The story is more convoluted than A Study in Scarlet. The contemporary adage of ‘follow the money’ seems to have been just as true in the late 1800’s as it is today.

[vlcraven_1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Sherlock Holmes, the world’s first consulting detective, is bored. And when he’s bored he injects himself with one of two types of drugs–cocaine or morphine. His housemate and biographer, Dr Watson, hates to see the genius in such a state so when Mary Morstan turns up at 221B Baker Street with a puzzling case he is relieved. Relieved, and other things. Miss Morstan is rather fetching.

The young woman presents her story, which involves her long-missing father, pearls that began arriving mysteriously a few years ago and, now, a note promising to explain everything if only she meets a stranger that very evening and doesn’t bring any police. She may bring two friends, though. Holmes and Watson will do nicely and they’re certainly up for it.

Off they go and are soon mired in a story involving a locked-room murder and missing treasure and a boat race on the Thames.

And casual racism. Sakes alive, the casual racism. One has to be prepared for it in fiction from 100+ years ago–the Victorians in particular loved some anthropologically-based racism. They started stumbling across new races of people and immediately began ascribing all sorts of negative and offensive characteristics to them. This novel is particularly rife, though.

Story-wise I’d give this one a 4/5. Holmes is doing his typical deductive thing, which is why I like reading the stories and why I assume others do, too. If you’re a completest and want to read all of them then it’s a fine read, though if casual racism puts you off stories, this one is going for gold.

The Sign of Four is the second story featuring Sherlock Holmes. The first was A Study in Scarlet .

[Completely off-topic editorializing: Dang, white people are awful. Just because you own the world doesn’t mean you’re the barometer against what everything else should be measured. Reading it from the point of view of a person writing from the country that had the largest empire on Earth at the time is interesting in terms of getting a sense of ego. It’s a digression, but I kept thinking about it while reading the book so it became part of the experience of the novel for me.]

[passion4reading_1 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

A young woman appeals to Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson for help. During the course of the investigation, the detective and his friend are called upon to solve a locked-room murder and discover the story of the disappearance of the Agra treasure from India over twenty years ago.

I believe this novella was written at the start of Conan Doyle's career, and it shows: the pacing is quite uneven, and individual plot strands are quite preposterous. Still, some of the usual Sherlock Holmes trademarks are there: the bumbling police inspector out of his depth, the use of the Baker Street irregulars, Holmes's drug use and playing of the violin, Watson being used as a sounding board for the great detective's fanciful - yet inevitably accurate - ideas. This story introduces the character of Mary Morstan, who later becomes Watson's wife, but has otherwise little to say or do, apart from being the subject of Watson's immediate adoration. One for completists.

[oscarwilde87_1 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

The Sign of the Four is the second novel featuring Sherlock Holmes and was published in 1890. It is actually not that easy to sum up the plot of this novel in a few words as it is very complex. The novel is about a stolen treasure, kept secret by a group of four convicts, and about the disappearance of Captain Arthur Morstan, father of Mary Morstan, Sherlock Holmes' new client. Soon, the detective finds a connection between the treasure and Captain Morstan's disappearance. Thaddeus Sholto, the son of a former comrade of Arthur Morstan, reveals that Morstan died of a heart attack and that Sholto had come into possession of information about the stolen treasure. During the investigation, Dr. Watson falls in love with Mary Morstan, who is to become his wife.

What I found more exciting about The Sign of the Four than its plot, though, was the depiction of its main character, Sherlock Holmes. Compared to the first novel, there is a change in the depiction of Holmes right in the beginning of The Sign of the Four when the reader learns about Holmes using cocaine. While the first novel depicts Holmes as a great detective with a vast knowledge in various fields of study, and someone who perfected the art of deduction, the second novel makes him seem more human. He is less perfect than in the first novel and this makes him a rounder character.

While I liked the character development in this novel, the plot was not really too exciting and a little too complex at times. On the whole, the second Sherlock Holmes novel is still a fairly good read. 3 stars.

[ctpress_1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Watson: I fear that it may be the last investigation in which I shall have the chance of studying your methods. Miss Morstan has done me the honor to accept me as a husband in prospective.

Sherlock Holmes gave a most dismal groan. “I feared as much,” said he. “I cannot really congratulate you.”

I was a little hurt. “Have you any reason to be dissatisfied with my choice?” I asked.

“Not at all. I think she is one of the most charming young ladies I ever met….But love is an emotional thing and whatever is emotional is opposed to that true cold reason which I place above all things. I should never marry myself, lest I bias my judgment.

"I trust,” said I, laughing, “that my judgment may survive the ordeal.”

Sorry for a lengthy quote but I couldn’t resist. I will remember this second novel in the Sherlock Holmes series for the blooming romance between our dear friend Dr. Watson and the woman in peril, Miss Mary Morstan. When you get romance in Sherlock Holmes you have to cherish it. And Holmes’ cold reaction towards it. There’s a guy who stays true to character.

Of other novelties in the novel one can mention the opening scene where Holmes with much indifference is sniffing cocaine out of boredom. Watson is shocked and warns Holmes of his dangerous cocain habit.

So we come to the mystery itself. Well, all I have to say: This is a short, fast-paced story that takes place all over London - about Miss Morstan and her missing father, a hidden treasure, treachery, murder and greed among the ingredients. Here’s the books concluding remark:

Watson to Holmes: You have done all the work in this business. I geet a wife out of it, Jones (the police investigator) gets the credit, pray what remains for you?

“For me,” said Sherlock Holmes, “there still remains the cocaine-bottle.” And he stretched his long white hand up for it.

[theokester · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

Similar to the first full length Holmes novel, The Sign of Four lets us get to know more about Sherlock Holmes through the unraveling of an intricate case. It gives a greater glimpse into Holmes’ drug habit and his pompous and abrasive personality. This time, Holmes and Watson are presented with a mystery at least ten years in the making when a young woman approaches Holmes with a story of her father who vanished ten years ago and her subsequent receipt of precious jewels and now an invitation to meet someone who promises to shed light on the mystery.

Many times through the story, Holmes makes it a point to say that he has a number of theories but doesn’t want to expound on any of them until he has the appropriate facts. Contrary to Holmes’ abundance of theories, the reader walks alongside Watson in confusion as more and more diverse elements pile up without having any clear indication as to their relationship to one another or to the central case. What starts off as the hope of solving a decade old disappearance turns into a case of murder and grand larceny as the crew stumbles upon a corpse and a missing treasure.

As the case grows more intricate Holmes annoyingly goes “off stage” a few times to work on some of his own theories. I found these moments annoying because Watson remains in Baker Street waiting for Holmes and as a result we only get a few sentences of explanation as to these elements of Holmes’ adventures or investigations. Some of these moments involve moments of disguise and subterfuge. It’s entirely possible, based on some of the other elements in this book and the previous novel, Study in Scarlet, that these scenes were deemed to be too dull for inclusion and if that is the case then I applaud Conan Doyle for leaving them out. Still, part of me wanted to see more of Holmes in action rather than Holmes in narrative.

As the mystery wraps up and we reach the conclusion, we once again receive a lengthy narrative retelling a story that happened decades prior. I found this story a bit more interesting to read than the story told at the end of Study in Scarlet, but I was still a little bored by the lengthy narrative. Much of the action and intrigue of the story was boiled down to its most basic elements or left out entirely as the narrator simply presented the base facts from memory.

The overall concept of this particular mystery was fairly intriguing and I liked the way that it played out. I found myself liking this novel slightly better than the first Holmes story but still felt a little underwhelmed as to the overall style and structure. The nature of his intelligent deductions is fun and while his character is abrasive, I enjoy getting to know more about Holmes. A solid sequel.

***
3 out of 5 stars

[justabookreader · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

I used to read a lot of Sherlock Holmes stories. Of course, this was years ago and I think I must have overdid it because I avoided Conan Doyle for years. Like the plague. Then I came across a few short stories when purging the shelves and thought it would be nice to take a look again, and it turns out, I still like me a bit of Sherlock and his handy sidekick, Doctor Watson. Feeling confident, I downloaded The Sign of Four from The Gutenberg Project and decided I would get re-acquainted with the duo. Not so much joy ensued.

Here’s the general overview: a man has gone missing, a treasure has been misplaced, and Sherlock is asked to stick his nose in and sort out the conflicting mess. It’s wildly more complicated than that but I’ll be honest, I couldn’t get into this one and barely trudged to the end. The mystery was bland to me and this is supposed to be one his most revered Sherlockian works. People supposedly love this one and to a high degree I might add.

I may not have had much interest in the actual mystery but what I did find interesting in this story was the drug use. Yep, right at the start Sherlock is getting high on cocaine. It made me wonder why anyone would hire someone who seemed, at least here, to be mildly stoned for most of the day to solve a mystery. Also of interest, we get to meet the future Mrs. Watson.

I want to tell you more but I fear that my boredom with the story will cause me to give too much away. Besides, there are many favorable reviews of this book out there that if you like Sherlock, google it then read it. It might do wonders for you.

[ursula_2 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

What is there to say about Sherlock Holmes and Watson that everyone else hasn't already said? That won't stop me, though. I am reading them in order, so this is my second encounter with Holmes and Watson. Here you begin to see what would become the basis for endless film and tv representations of their characters. Holmes is treating his boredom with cocaine; Watson is a bit of a nervous aunt as he inquires as to the wisdom of the treatment. But before we have to delve too deeply into Holmes' psyche, a case comes calling in the person of Mary Morstan. The case involves a death, and a hidden treasure from India.

We get a lot of brilliant deduction, followed by various methods employed by Holmes to fill in the gaps in his knowledge - the Baker Street irregulars (street urchins he employs from time to time), disguise, a chase, etc. Ultimately, once the villain is discovered and safely in custody, it's time for him to spill the entire back story so we can see how right Holmes was.

Recommended for: everyone (come on, it's Sherlock Holmes!).

Quote: "How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible whatever remains, HOWEVER IMPROBABLE, must be the truth?"

[hashford_2 · Calificación: 2 de 5 estrellas]

I’m sorry, I have tried to like Sherlock Holmes, I really have. But I just can’t get on with the superior attitude, and the casual racism and sexism scattered throughout the stories.

As other reviewers have said, this isn’t one of Conan Doyle’s best. The story is incredibly slow, and doesn’t seem to know when it’s finished. The whole of the last CD (a quarter of the book!) is unnecessary and feels very unrealistic – why would the criminal feel the need to tell his tale quite so thoroughly?. Also, Watson’s “love interest” seems contrived and isn’t followed through anyway, so why is it there?

And I’m really sorry (and I know I’m in a minority here!), but I didn’t like Derek Jacobi’s reading either. I would have liked more differentiation between Watson’s and Holmes’ voices – often, picking up the story after a few hours gap I had to work out who was speaking from the content (when I think it should be immediately obvious from the voice). His regional / international accents are wobbly to say the least and he struggles to do women effectively.

All in all, listening to this in the car on the school run with my daughter felt far too much like hard work!

[port22_1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

It seems that Holmes is an early discoverer ("I have chosen my own particular profession, or rather created it...") of a new didactic method of working out crimes: "Detection is, or ought to be, an exact science, and should be treated in the same cold and unemotional manner." Three qualities are necessary to make the ideal detective -- power of observation, deduction, and technical subjects; it is all a work of precision: "No, no: I never guess. It is a shocking habit, destructive to the logical faculty."

Holmes uses cocaine as a substitute of craved mental stimulant which detective's work provides to him: "My mind rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram or the most intricate analysis, and I am in my own proper atmosphere." When confronted by Watson he is not irritated, "On the contrary, he put his finger-tips together and leaned his elbows on the arms of this chair, like one who has a relish for conversation."

And that morning, to Watson's astonishment, Holmes demonstrates that "For example, observation shows me that you have been to Wigmore Street Post-Office, but deduction lets me know that when there you dispatched a telegram."

The plot arch is uncovered in a straight forward story which Dr. Watson recounts in first person: A young lady, Mary Mortan, seeks the assistance of able men to accompany her to a meeting with a mysterious someone who promises to reveal to her how her father died and a commitment to relinquish her fair share of a supposed treasure she inherited. Then, the entire action is compressed into the following 3 days.

Reading Conan Doyle is also a bit of an archeological window into the language of the 19th century. For me, the smattering of quaint phraseology only adds an element of authenticity to the book.

The book excels in unfolding the detective story (the "what"). Tightly paced and compact. One mildly unsatisfactory element is the choice of a deus-ex-machina plot device in explaining the "why". An entire chapter of the book is filled by a guy who sits in a chair and tells a story that puts put the motives behind the crime that was investigated by Holmes and Watson. One defense to this decision could be that this way Conan Doyle preserves the consistency of the book of being entirely told from the point of view of Dr. Watson and written in the first person.

[jwhenderson_1 · Calificación: 4 de 5 estrellas]

Having already read The Hound of the Baskervilles, I turned to another one of the published Holmes novels, The Sign of Four, in part because it is available in a Penguin Classics edition. Felicitously, I found it to be one of the best detective novels of its time.
The story is wonderfully paced with plenty of excitement, from chasing down the criminals through the use of a dog to another appearance by the Baker Street irregulars, and a thrilling boat chase for the climax of the story. More than a century after it was first written, the novel shows little sign of its age. The Sign of Four is well-paced, exciting, and even action packed story. It represents Doyle at his finest in many ways.
The mystery is somewhat bizarre with its use of exotic weapons and strange footprints, but not too outre as seemed to be the case in some of the later Holmes stories such as "The Creeping Man." As is often the case it involves a young woman, with the added attraction of a treasure making the case even more interesting.
I think that while in Study in Scarlet, we learned about Holmes, in this book we begin to see Holmes' personality: the genius who is so driven to avoid hum drum existence, who seeks problems and trouble to find some problem to keep his attention.
The novel is also noteworthy for its focus on Holmes' use of Cocaine in the beginning and end. Dr. Watson (and by extension Dr. Doyle) were concerned about the use of Cocaine in the late 19th Century and its negative effects. However, Doyle wasn't heavy handed in his approach, and so Watson's concern sounds more like a modern doctor's concern with any popular addiction. And Holmes is blaise about it, leading to some interactions and statement that may seem surreal or humorous to the modern reader.

[bookworm12_1 · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

Watson and Sherlock are back in this delicious mystery, one of only four full Sherlock novels. This one has it all and is my personal favorite. It opens with Sherlock shooting cocaine as a concerned Watson questions the addiction. Things just get better from there. We have a mysterious treasure from India passed down from father to son, murder, great disguises from Sherlock and even a bit of romance for Watson.
 
I love that this novel gives us the full range of Sherlock’s emotions. He is obviously troubled, both when he is bored and when he is frustrated by a case. At other times he is completely joyous and playful as his mind ticks at a rapid pace, miles ahead of everyone else as he connects the dots.
 
The relationship between Watson and Sherlock is at its best here. It’s still in its infancy in A Study in Scarlet and it’s almost completely missing in The Hound of the Baskervilles. This book captures the core of their friendship. They balance each other, Sherlock needs someone to think of the emotional side of things and Watson loves being involved in the thrill of a new case, though he wouldn’t pursue this line of work on his own.
 
We also have Sherlock’s fussy landlady, Mrs. Hudson, who worries about her tenant and the client, Miss Mary Morstan, who catches Watson’s eye. Then there’s the Baker Street Irregulars, a ragtag group of boys who occasionally help Sherlock with his cases. The novel also has a helpful dog named Toby and some of Sherlock’s most infamous lines. You can’t go wrong with this one.
 
BOTTOM LINE: This is definitely my favorite Sherlock Holmes novel so far. I also think it would be a great starting point for anyone who is new to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s work.
 
"My mind," he said, "rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram or the most intricate analysis, and I am in my own proper atmosphere. I can dispense then with artificial stimulants. But I abhor the dull routine of existence. I crave for mental exaltation. That is why I have chosen my own particular profession, or rather created it, for I am the only one in the world."
 
"The chief proof of man's real greatness lies in his perception of his own smallness."
 
“No, I am not tired. I have a curious constitution. I never remember feeling tired by work, though idleness exhausts me completely."
 
“Miss Morstan and I stood together, and her hand was in mine. A wondrous subtle thing is love, for here were we two who had never seen each other before that day, between whom no word or even look of affection had ever passed, and yet now in an hour of trouble our hands instinctively sought for each other.”
 
“Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.”

[lisamaria_c · Calificación: 5 de 5 estrellas]

For me this second Sherlock Holmes novel is what defines a classic. By no means is Doyle the master stylist of a Thomas Hardy or Oscar Wilde, and I'm not going to claim there are profound insights into the human condition, but this novel wears its age very lightly indeed. There are books written decades later that feel far more dated, and the few times anything in it feel the slightest bit old fashioned, it lends it more the piquant flavor of the Victorian Age than anything that feels like a flaw.

This is a fun, fast read--barely novel length, only 12 chapters and barely over 40 thousand words and along with its mystery and adventure even provides a soupçon of romance. I don't think this is as good as The Hound of the Baskervilles, the most famous Sherlock Holmes story and novel, but it's holds up well compared to the first, A Study in Scarlet and there's so much here that makes Holmes such an immortal character. There are his brilliant deductions such as his tour de force with Watson's watch, there's his sense of humor that ameliorates his sometimes cold ratiocination, his flare for the dramatic seen in his revelation of his disguises, and even his flaws like his addiction (or close to it) for cocaine, which is highlighted here at the beginning and end of the novel.

So much here made me smile. The Holmesian aphorism: "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." The Baker Street Irregulars. Toby the master tracker, a mongrel that's a mix of spaniel, collie and greyhound. The exotic mix of things from the height of the British Raj, which includes nothing less than hidden treasure to be found.

I don't know that I'd recommend this as an introduction to Sherlock Holmes. I'd point someone first perhaps to the collection of short stories The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes or the best Holmes novel, The Hound of the Baskervilles, or even the first novel, A Study in Scarlet. But certainly if you've already discovered you love Sherlock Holmes, you shouldn't be disappointed in The Sign of Four.

[slpenney07 · Calificación: 3 de 5 estrellas]

Summary: A young lady has been sent pearls. Sherlock and Watson investigate their origin, along with a cryptic letter that promises to explain all.

The Take-Away: My love of the classics is two-fold: I love stories that well told even by modern standards; I love seeing how the world has changed. For instance, Sherlock Holmes was a cocaine user. When he wasn't solving mysteries, he was so bored with life, that a 7% solution was one of the two things that made life tolerable -- the other being morphine.

I also love seeing how writing has changed. "Editing" the title helps me to think through what would need to be done to make it sell in today's market. Working out that muscle also helps my own writing.

Sherlock isn't nearly as interesting as Watson. Sherlock is cool and undistribed, always right whereas Watson is emotional and often overlooks what Sherlock considers a clue. Indulge me a bit here: Sherlock is always right, because the author makes sure he is. If Sherlock missed a clue, here and there, like Watson often does, would the books be considered as great? Is it because Sherlock is a larger than life character that they've carried through the years?

Recommendation: If you like classics, Sherlock is a great detective.