Background
Doyle’s first Holmes novel combines detective reasoning with a substantial backstory that changes how the crime is understood. The shift in setting and time is part of the book’s design, not a detour from the central case.
Reading notes
- Pause at each clue and make your own explanation before Holmes supplies his.
- Mark where the narrative changes place, time, and point of view.
- Compare the evidence Holmes observes with the conclusions other characters reach.
Version note
Text source: the Standard Ebooks EPUB edition identified on this page. This site extracted the English text and retained the source edition’s chapter order. Public-domain status must be checked for the territory where the text will be distributed.