Although The Hound of the Baskervilles is the most popular of the Holmes adventures, the series consists primarily of short stories, with only four novels.

The short stories are consistently entertaining and each Holmes enthusiast has his own favorite. The one that is most often included in anthologies and textbooks is "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," because it was Conan Doyle's favorite Holmes story, and teachers think it is a good example of Conan Doyle's style and skill in plotting. Nearly every story is told in the first person by Watson (a few of the later ones are in the third person), and Watson tends to take an active role in helping Holmes. In most of the stories, the plot is set in motion much as it is in "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," with a potential client bringing an unusual mystery to Holmes...