The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Hello bookworms!,

          I’ve been blogging about reading through the original Sherlock Holmes stories (after being a fan of the Granada Series and The BBC series Sherlock, I wanted to explore the original writings of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle). While I have been trying to read them in order, after the grand finale of Series 3 of Sherlock, I went back to watch the Granada version of The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton, and I became curious as to what the original story looked like compared to the two incarnations I’ve watched.  So, I skipped ahead to The Return of Sherlock Holmes, found the story, and now I want to share my thoughts on it!

Summary

       Lives are being ruined left and right in England. The elite are suddenly being blackmailed by a ruthless man. Who is he? Charles Augustus Milverton. A young lady is in danger of having her marriage ruined by this man and she has now entrusted herself to the care of Mr. Sherlock Holmes. But how is Sherlock to stop a man who makes the issue very black and white: give me what I want, or face ruination. Sherlock will go to new lengths to put an end to Milverton’s reign of terror, and it could cost him everything.

Review

          This is one of the most famous Sherlock Holmes cases. This is the villain that, after Moriarty, every adaptation of Sherlock Holmes must pay tribute to. It is also one of the shortest stories. So much of the details that you see in television, movie, and theater adaptations is actually not written down in the original story. However, it is still a very enthralling story to read.

          You really feel like there is no way out of the situation. Sherlock’s only solution is absurd and has little chance of working. And then, BANG!! The resolution comes and it doesn’t come in a way that the reader will have expected.

 

A note on the adaptations:

          If you do want to watch one of the adaptations, I recommend the one from the Granada Series with Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes. For me, they did the best job of bringing and the details, both implicit and explicit to life and it’s a thrill to watch.

 

          If you’ve already seen that and you’re interested in what other adaptations have been done, another one that I enjoy is the recent retelling from BBC’s Sherlock, His Last Vow. While it is vastly different from the original, it is still very recognizable and absolutely thrilling.

 

This is the book I'm currently reading from. Its missing some of the stories, but it does include the illustrations and the text as it appeared in The Strand Magazine so its really a gem!

Purchase it here

 

 

This is the box set that I bought to complete my Sherlock Holmes novels/stories collection. the two volumes in the box are small and portable making them perfect for travel or dropping one in your bag for those opportune moments of down time to read wherever you are! You can buy a copy here

Until next time,

                Lizzie <3