Well, I've now read the nine books in the Sherlock Holmes canon, and what a ride! After the initial two disappointing novels came three very good short story collections, a great novel, a better-than-average novel and a slightly-better-than-average short story collection. To finish off the series, "The Case-Book" is... well, not that great. On the one hand, Conan Doyle's prose skills have developed considerably from the early days of A Study in Scarlet and his handling of both atmosphere and the Holmes/Watson relationship is rivalled perhaps only by that series peak, The Hound of the Baskervilles. However, there's not really a lot to recommend here. In truth, it's 2 stars for a non-Holmes fan, and 2-and-a-half if you know and love the guy already.The bad:One of the most frustrating elements of this book (admittedly a collection of individually-published short stories) are how often similar character tropes pop up. There are three - maybe four - fiery foreign ladies whose ethnicity is a key part of the solution.The Adventure of the Creeping Man - the biggest letdown in the canon. This story features the single most arresting, chilling images that Holmes and Watson ever encounter, but is ruined by a gobsmackingly bad denouement.The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone - adapted from a play, this story not only relies on previously unheard-of architectural features at Baker Street, but fails to capture the reader's interest or render the characters particularly realistically.The Illustrious Client - can barely even remember it. Moving on.The thoroughly averageIntriguingly, many of the stories herein are structured less as 'whodunnits' and more as 'howdunnits'. Very few of the stories (indeed, only really two) feature more than one suspect. Some stories never even attempt to hide the perpetrator, the question is instead "what is going on?". This is not unprecedented in the canon by any means, but is highly concentrated here. Thor Bridge - while it has a clever denouement and some good characterisation, it is another story that doesn't stick in the mind.The Three Gables - this story is noted most for the questionable racial stereotype character who opens the piece. Personally, I'd argue he has at least two dimensions, and he is a bad guy who happens to be black rather than any kind of argument being made, but it's still a bit edgy, I'll concede. The story itself is quite readable, but no great secret or particularly intriguing characters jump out at us. (Indeed, the story has mild echoes of other stories in the canon.) The unsatisfyingThe Lion's Mane - one of two stories in this volume to be narrated by Holmes (and not to feature Watson at all), the tone of voice is delightful, and the atmosphere electric. However - as with the much earlier story The Five Orange Pips - it is ultimately unsatisfying. This ISN'T Conan Doyle's fault for once; but as with that story, most modern readers will pick up the solution the minute the clues arrive, as it is no longer something mysterious... The oddPerhaps most interesting is to see how public sensibilities changed over the years. The early works could only hint at impropreity, while the crimes in this and the previous collection are far more wide-ranging. Bodies - when they appear, which is actually quite rare here - are often brutally destroyed; people having affairs are clearly now having sexual ones; alcohol is far more prevalent. A window into a world.The Veiled Lodger is a strange, haunting little piece. It is one of the better stories in the collection, although a bizarre addition. It isn't really a mystery at all, but a retelling of a "cold case", with a dark and brooding central figure who has spent years following Holmes' career. Unsettling, but also un-Holmesian.The Sussex Vampire - atmospheric and ripe for adaptation, yes. Silly? Even more so. Along with one of our many fiery Latin women, the solution hearkens back to the exotica and melodrama of the early Holmes novels. While the true villain of the piece is deftly handled, the vampirism is a tad overdone. The ... satisfactory?One shouldn't assume this book is a 'write-off', it's just that even the four most typical Holmes stories, as outlined below, are somewhat lacking.Shoscombe Old Place and The Blanched Soldier - have some intriguing set pieces, but aren't particularly memorable (aside from the latter being written by Mr. Sherlock Holmes himself).The Retired Colourman - the most Holmesian story in the collection, but - as mentioned before - lacks suspects. However, it is also possibly the best story in the collection as it features some lovely secondary characters.The Three Garridebs - well-plotted but, aside from lacking in suspects, is basically a shot-for-shot remake of an early (and very memorable) Holmes short story.I apologise for the length, but this sums up both the story and the collection: Conan Doyle had tired of Holmes to an extent, and what we get here are stories that focus on the complexity of how the crime was done, rather than making the surrounding elements - suspects, primarily - a mystery. As a result, we generally get a puzzle followed by a chase. Not always unsatisfying, but never as captivating as the earlier works.In closing, if you're new to the wonderful world of Holmes, there are many other better ideas. Read The Hound of the Baskervilles and any of the other, earlier short story collections - Adventures, Memoirs or The Return. If you like those, read The Valley of Fear, His Last Bow and (to know how it all began)A Study in Scarlet. If ALL of those suit you, then come crawling to this one. (Don't bother with The Sign of Four as no good can come from that.)

And with this I finish reading the Sherlock Canon. Although some of the stories in this collection have the classical characteristics Holmes being a prick and using his deductive and acting skills to solve mystery, Watson with his modesty and loyalty and a range of queer cases; yet mostly this novel is rather disappointing. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was rather tired of this character by the time he wrote this book. He had almost killed him off in some previous part and the lack of enthusiasm is reflected in some of the cases. This collection has two stories from Holmess P0V. Reading them made me realise how fond I am of Watson as a character. Thus for me, the best part of the book was when Watson gets shot and Holmes drops his impersonal facade and for the first time shows his love for his good old pal. Other than that, the climax of most of the cases will make you stare at the last line for a few seconds, then shake your head and move on to the next chapter. I sensed a bit of repetition in a few cases, and some like the Tigers Mane and Veiled Tenant lacked any notable elements. Reading the canon has been an immensely enjoyable experience. Study in Scarlett and Sign of Four were perhaps the most disappointing stories while Valley of Fear and The Hound of Baskervilles were my favourite. I liked Sherlock from the very beginning but it is only on finishing the last novel that I have realised how much I adore Watson too. Thank you Sir Doyle for these memorable characters and such amazing cases.

My least favorite of Doyle's Sherlock Holmes story collections. Probably 3.5 stars, all but a couple stories remind me of listening to the Rolling Stones post 2000 (appreciate the work, but it is obvious the exceptional stuff was done 20 years previous). Still here and there I found the Case-Book enjoyable, the rest of the stories seemed phoned in. Doyle wasn't carving new channels here, but his craft was still formidable.