The Mystery of 31 New Inn

Sherlock Holmes investigates a riverside murder where the only witness is the victim's son. A single Holmes case that walks through deduction step by step, ideal as a short introduction to the detective.

Arthur Conan Doyle

Holmes and Watson untangle a stolen treasure, a one-legged fugitive, and a poisoned dart in this short Holmes novel. The case that introduces Mary Morstan and sets up Watson's marriage.

Arthur Conan Doyle

The first Sherlock Holmes novel, opening with Watson meeting Holmes and following a revenge murder back to its roots in the American West. Short enough to read in a sitting and essential for any Holmes reader.

Arthur Conan Doyle

The twelve canonical short stories that established Holmes as a global icon. Includes A Scandal in Bohemia, The Red-Headed League, The Speckled Band, and other puzzles solvable in a coffee break.

Arthur Conan Doyle

Philo Vance investigates the strangling of a Broadway showgirl in her own apartment, with every plausible suspect alibied. A long-form puzzle that established the gentleman-detective formula of the 1920s.

S. S. Van Dine