Re-reading the original Sherlock Holmes stories. Our hero is returning the countryside in pursuit of both a killer and a horse in The Silver Blaze.

Facts of the case: Up in the English countryside, a prize racehorse has somehow been stolen, and its trainer has been found murdered. Holmes and Watson butt in on the case, which of course takes several twists and turns.

Great detective: What’s interesting in this one is that no one hires Holmes to take the case. He just reads about it in the newspaper and decides to solve it, whether the police want him to or not. (The local cops are cooperative with him, though.)

Good doctor: Watson comments that although he was familiar with the details of the case, he didn’t truly appreciate them until after hearing Holmes describe them. Make of that what you will.

Action hero: Holmes talks down a blustering tough guy by using deduction and tricking him into thinking Holmes had been following him all day.

Yes this is canon: Holmes has a big speech about the power of imagination as part of his deducing techniques, saying he imagined an outcome, acted on it, and was justified.

Indubitably: The Silver Blaze is very much a classic whodunit, a murder with a list of suspects. A lot of readers will like this one for that reason, but know that it’s all plot-based, with very few of the character moments that we’ve come to enjoy about Sherlock Holmes. It’s widely considered a fan favorite, but for me it’s always been more of a mixed bag.

Next: A field trip… to the box factory!

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