Reviews tagging 'Death'

His Last Bow by Arthur Conan Doyle

6 reviews

leosaki's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Sherlock Holmes you aroace icon with asperger's syndrome, go back to your bees!!🐝✨️

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Content Warnings

Minor: Alcoholism, Blood, Colonisation, Death, Cannibalism, Kidnapping, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Classism, Drug use, Murder, Racism, Terminal illness, Violence, War, and Xenophobia

chalkletters's review

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

I keep thinking I've reached the end of the Sherlock Holmes series, only to discover there's more books still to come. In the case of His Last Bow, that feels forgivable; both the title and the final story feel like the intended end of the series. I don't own a copy of The Case-book of Sherlock Holmes, so it might be a while before I find out exactly how that fits into the chronology, but I'm pretty sure I've heard at least some of the stories before, so His Last Bow will always been the last book that was new to me.

His Last Bow takes some time to get going. The first three stories (The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge, The Adventure of the Cardboard Box and The Adventure of the Red Circle) aren't particularly memorable. Things pick up with The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans (which Sherlock viewers will recognise as the basis for The Great Game) which, despite being a story of naval plans, poses an interesting mystery. 

The second half of His Last Bow is definitely the stronger, and feels themed around the winding up of Sherlock Holmes' career. Both The Adventure of the Dying Detective and The Adventure of the Devil's Foot serve to place a neat cap on the Holmes-Watson relationship, showing how much both men care about their friendship. Admittedly, this is somewhat undermined by Holmes' irritation with Watson in The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax, but at least that story has an interesting solution which somewhat makes up for the sting. Finally, in His Last Bow (the story), Arthur Conan Doyle offers a glimpse into the future, bringing Holmes and Watson back together for one final case.

Overall, while His Last Bow has few stories that stand out individually, the overall impression is cohesive in a way that feels appropriate. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Murder, and Kidnapping

Minor: Infidelity and Suicide

happysami's review

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Murder, Violence, and Death

meganpbennett's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I had the opportunity to take part in Letters from Watson, where the short stories of Sherlock Holmes were emailed out in (more or less) chronological order. Having read about half of them, this was a wonderful chance to revisit the stories. This collection was the beginning of the short stories I hadn't read before, and it was very interesting to read about an older Sherlock Holmes.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Death, Blood, Misogyny, and Murder

orchidlilly's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Classism, Death, Colonisation, Murder, and War

Minor: Blood, Chronic illness, Confinement, Medical content, Animal death, Racism, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Alcoholism, Torture, Violence, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, and Misogyny

anniereads221's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Death, Drug use, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Murder, and Misogyny