A solid suspense thriller with some nice creepy Gothic touches, Hound never slackens in it's pacing. Doyle plays fair with the readers by subtly underplaying the clues Holmes and Watson discover in the mystery of what really killed Sir Charles and now may be after Sir Henry. Doyle's handling of the various characters is also quite good, with the best moments belonging to Watson, who, acting on his own for most of the book,comes off as intelligent and self-reliant when away from Holmes' shadow. And don't forget the atypical dark and foreboding atmosphere that permeates throughout the novel. - See more at: