We owe 1902's The Hound of the Baskervilles to Arthur Conan Doyle's good friend Fletcher "Bobbles" Robinson, who took him to visit some scary English moors and prehistoric ruins, and told him marvelous local legends about escaped prisoners and a 17th-century aristocrat who fell afoul of the family dog. Doyle transmogrified the legend: generations ago, a hound of hell tore out the throat of devilish Hugo Baskerville on the moonlit moor. Poor, accursed Baskerville Hall now has another mysterious death: that of Sir Charles Baskerville. Could the culprit somehow be mixed up with secretive servant Barrymore, history-obsessed Dr. Frankland, butterfly-chasing Stapleton, or Selden, the Notting Hill murderer at large? Someone's been signaling with candles from the mansion's windows. Nor can supernatural forces be ruled out. Can Dr. Watson--left alone by Sherlock Holmes to sleuth in fear for much of the novel--save the next Baskerville, Sir Henry, from the hound's fangs?

Many Holmes fans prefer Doyle's complete short stories, but their clockwork logic doesn't match the author's boast about this novel: it's "a real Creeper!" What distinguishes this particular Hound is its fulfillment of Doyle's great debt to Edgar Allan Poe--it's full of ancient woe, low moans, a Grimpen Mire that sucks ponies to Dostoyevskian deaths, and locals digging up Neolithic skulls without next-of-kins' consent. "The longer one stays here the more does the spirit of the moor sink into one's soul," Watson realizes. "Rank reeds and lush, slimy water-plants sent an odour of decay ... while a false step plunged us more than once thigh-deep into the dark, quivering mire, which shook for yards in soft undulations around our feet ... it was as if some malignant hand was tugging us down into those obscene depths." Read on--but, reader, watch your step! --Tim Appelo

From School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up-In what is arguably both the best Sherlock Holmes story in the canon and one of the classic all-time mystery novels, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle parlays his interest in the occult with keen scientific detection in a story that prominently showcases Dr. Watson. Upon hearing Dr. James Mortimer's saga of the haunted Baskerville family and the recent death of family head Sir Charles Baskerville, apparently from the hound of the legend, Holmes and Watson begin their investigation. When the estate's heir, Sir Henry Baskerville, arrives in London from Canada strange things immediately occur and Holmes dispatches Watson to accompany Sir Henry to Baskerville Hall. Situated in Dartmoor in Devonshire, the estate borders a tremendous moor that includes Grimpen Mire, the deadly quicksand-like bog, and provides the Gothic atmosphere that so beautifully saturates the storyAthe oppressive manor and nightly sounds of a wailing woman, Neolithic ruins and monoliths throughout the moor, a mysterious butler and his agitated wife, an escaped killer at-large on the moor, and the spectral and murderous hound. This expurgated version is wonderfully conceived and executed in every aspect, but particularly in the dexterous delivery of veteran British actor, Tony Britton. His diverse and distinctive portrayal of over a dozen characters is singularly commanding. This literary masterwork that has found its simpatico audio incarnation should be an obligatory purchase for all audio collections.Barry X. Miller, Austin Public Library, TX Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Reader Freddie Jones gives a riveting performance of Conan Doyle's most spellbinding novel. The story of the "hound from Hell" has haunted the Baskervilles through many generations. Now, Sir Henry Baskerville has more than the legendary hound to take on as Seldon, the infamous Notting Hill murderer, has escaped from prison and is known to be lurking around the moor. What a time for Sherlock Holmes to be detained in London! Thus, Watson is left to take on the case. This mystery is much more than elementary, however. The abridgment captures the dark, brooding nature of Dartmoor and the Grimpen Mire, providing the perfect backdrop for the story. Recommended for most libraries.?Theresa Connors, Arkansas Tech Univ., RussellvilleCopyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
The most atmospheric and suspenseful of the Sherlock Holmes novels concerns a ghastly fire-breathing canine that roams the Baskerville moors and threatens the Canadian-born Baskerville heir. In imitation of Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, Tony Britton gives Holmes a sharp, masterful voice and makes Watson a bit of a fool, a fool more than thirty years older than his roommate. The Canadian has a slight, intermittent Southern twang. Otherwise, this is satisfactory but is by no means the best of the many audio renditions on the market. Y.R. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Review
?The whole Sherlock Holmes saga is a triumphant illustration of art?s supremacy over life.? ?Christopher Morley


From the Trade Paperback edition.

ANNOTATION

When a second member of the Baskerville family dies, Sherlock Holmes investigates and finds murderous greed behind the supposed curse.

FROM THE PUBLISHER