What are the features which make a good detective story?

Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle’s novel The Hound of the Baskervilles was originally published as a novel in 1902, and even though it is over 100 years old it is still a very popular book and one of the only Conan-Doyle books not to be out of print.

Around the time of 1902 it was an age when many people were interested in historical matters to do with their ancestors. Most of the popular books in this age were in the supernatural and detective genres. The Hound of the Baskervilles was first done in series in a magazine from August 1901 until April 1902, and each month the chapter would end with a cliffhanger. The Hound of the Baskervilles is regarded as Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle’s best novel was a classic in the genre of detective stories.

Detective stories have special features which make them good and The Hound of the Baskervilles definitely contains some of the features that do make an exciting and gripping detective story that a reader will enjoy and almost feel part of. The novel is all about finding out how the late Sir Charles Baskerville died and who or what was responsible for his death.

There is a lot of mystery which is an important element to include in a detective story. There is the myth about the Baskerville family being cursed due to the actions of Hugo Baskerville who is now dead. Hugo captured and imprisoned a young country girl at his estate in Devonshire, this girl escaped and Hugo chased her across the Devonshire moors. He was found by his friends with a great hound eating from his neck after killing him. Ever since this the Baskerville line has been plagued by a mysterious and supernatural black hound. This sets the scene for the reader, and they will be interested in what other mysteries and horror will await them in the novel.

Twists and turns in the plot make it harder for the reader to put the clues together, with different people looking guilty or suspicious. Mr. Barrymore is seen skulking around the Baskerville family mansion at night; this draws the reader’s attention towards him and what his involvement could be in the death of Sir Charles. Watson (Sherlock Holmes side-kick) spots a lonely figure keeping watch over the moors; this could be another possible suspect and adds more mystery as we don’t find out who it is until it is later revealed that it is actually Holmes himself. Holmes said he didn’t have time to deal with this case and sent Watson and Mortimer there to solve it themselves. This shows Holmes’ arrogance and how he will be the only person capable of solving the case. The main detective is always arrogant and has the right to be as it is always them that solves the case and pieces the puzzle together.

The Hound of the Baskervilles includes many of the features which make a good detective story. Mystery, twists and turns, a detective who seems so clever compared to everyone else and making the reader feel part of the investigation are all features portrayed in this novel. These features are why The Hound of the Baskervilles is recognized as a classic in the detective and supernatural genre, and is extremely popular to this day.