It's elementary: fictional detectives come and go, but only Holmes is immortal. His inventor, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, named four novels as his special favorites, comprising the very best of Holmes.
They span his full career, from the edgy initial encounter with Watson in A Study in Scarlet to their most famous (and eerie) joint investigation, The Hound of the Baskervilles. In The Sign of the Four, secrets of empire claim a terrible price. The Valley of Fear is a late work, a revenge tale that stretches from America to Africa.
These and the stories in Volume 1 inspire the 2011 film, A Game of Shadows.
