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A secret pact between four convicts and two prison guards over the division of buried treasure can only lead to one thing: murder and another case for Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson. The Sign of the Four is the second Sherlock Holmes novel and in many ways presents a more human side to the great detective. For instance the reader finds out about his drug habit and we discover that Holmes is not as omnipotent as we might imagine. And for the fortunate Dr Watson there is the opportunity to meet a person who will change his life forever. This edition includes An Introduction to Sherlock Holmes by J. S. Williams.

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Library Journal Review

This story contains all the prerequisites of a good mystery: a missing person, murder in a locked room, buried treasure, and an exciting chase. When Doyle added his already popular characters-Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson-listeners knew there was a great tale ahead. He also included historical elements, using the Indian Mutiny of 1857 as a backdrop for the story of the Great Agra Treasure. The author continued to flesh out the personality of Sherlock, little knowing that one day he would come to loathe this literary detective. Musical interludes help create the atmosphere that is an important part of Doyle's writing. David Timson seems attuned to the characters, and his narration seems better with each NAXOS presentation. Highly recommended for libraries with mystery and literature collections.-Theresa Connors, Arkansas Tech Univ., Russellville (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Notas de autor provistas por Syndetics

The most famous fictional detective in the world is Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. However, Doyle was, at best, ambivalent about his immensely successful literary creation and, at worst, resentful that his more "serious" fiction was relatively ignored. Born in Edinburgh, Doyle studied medicine from 1876 to 1881 and received his M.D. in 1885. He worked as a military physician in South Africa during the Boer War and was knighted in 1902 for his exceptional service. Doyle was drawn to writing at an early age. Although he attempted to enter private practice in Southsea, Portsmouth, in 1882, he soon turned to writing in his spare time; it eventually became his profession. As a Liberal Unionist, Doyle ran, unsuccessfully, for Parliament in 1903. During his later years, Doyle became an avowed spiritualist.

Doyle sold his first story, "The Mystery of the Sasassa Valley," to Chambers' Journal in 1879. When Doyle published the novel, A Study in Scarlet in 1887, Sherlock Holmes was introduced to an avid public. Doyle is reputed to have used one of his medical professors, Dr. Joseph Bell, as a model for Holmes's character. Eventually, Doyle wrote three additional Holmes novels and five collections of Holmes short stories. A brilliant, though somewhat eccentric, detective, Holmes employs scientific methods of observation and deduction to solve the mysteries that he investigates. Although an "amateur" private detective, he is frequently called upon by Scotland Yard for assistance. Holmes's assistant, the faithful Dr. Watson, provides a striking contrast to Holmes's brilliant intellect and, in Doyle's day at least, serves as a character with whom the reader can readily identify. Having tired of Holmes's popularity, Doyle even tried to kill the great detective in "The Final Problem" but was forced by an outraged public to resurrect him in 1903. Although Holmes remained Doyle's most popular literary creation, Doyle wrote prolifically in other genres, including historical adventure, science fiction, and supernatural fiction. Despite Doyle's sometimes careless writing, he was a superb storyteller. His great skill as a popular author lay in his technique of involving readers in his highly entertaining adventures.

(Bowker Author Biography)