The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm don't blame the British for never getting over Sherlock Holmes! Read a Sherlock Holmes novel two years after your first or 200 years after the original was first written, you'd never ever be bored by it, and it will never fail to grip you, enchant you, or make the lamp by your bedside burn throughout the night despite the fact that you're suffering from a sore throat and a headache!

What's perhaps even more gripping for me , other than Benedict Cumberbatch, is this particular novel was set in two places I have lived in and loved. The first of course was London, which isn't really where I lived but still had tonnes of memories from, and the second was Port Blair, Andaman Islands, where I grew up as a child. What took me by surprise was how accurate the descriptions of both these cities were, so accurate, you can use this book as a location map! I was almost chasing Toby with Sherlock and Watson and could see everything clear as a picture while I flipped through the pages. It was that good that even the mystery seemed secondary!

Another thing that charmed me was the details of the Revolt of 1857. Sir Arthur, you deserve that knighthood just for being so thorough in your research in times when the best of people had limited access to knowledge, least of all of colonies and their situations.

That you weren't derogatory towards Indians even when racism was at its peak, that you had such in depth knowledge of the tribals of Andaman Islands, every thing, every single detail has made me an even bigger fan of yours!

Without doubt, one of the most 'Elementary' Sherlock Holmes novel ever! At least for me.

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