Do we like Sherlock Holmes?
A character from A Study in Scarlet (and the Sherlock Holmes stories) (1887–1927)
Our score: 8 out of 10. Yes, with caveats. He's brilliant and fiercely loyal, and he's on the side of the wronged. He's also prickly, vain and a nightmare flatmate, but we'd still ring him first.
Sherlock Holmes is the creation of Scottish writer Arthur Conan Doyle. He first appeared in 1887 and went on to star in four novels and 56 short stories. He lives at 221B Baker Street in London and works as a 'consulting detective'. Police and private clients bring him the puzzles they can't solve. He solves them by sharp observation and cool logical deduction, picking up startling conclusions from tiny details everyone else missed.
The stories are narrated by his friend and flatmate, Dr John Watson, who starts as a bewildered new lodger and becomes Holmes's loyal partner. Holmes is a mixed bag as a person. He's vain, moody and cold, and he gets bored easily. He plays the violin at odd hours, runs chemistry experiments at home and sulks when no case comes along. But he's honest and brave, and he's deeply loyal to the few people he lets in. He cares about the victims more than about the fee or the credit.
That's why he scores well. He does a great deal of good, and the harm he does is mostly rudeness and recklessness. He's also willing to use his own judgement about justice rather than the letter of the law. We'd back him, though we wouldn't want to share a kitchen with him.
Conan Doyle grew tired of his hero and tried to kill him off in 'The Final Problem' (1893), in a struggle with his nemesis, Professor Moriarty. Public outcry was so great that Holmes eventually came back, and Doyle kept writing his adventures into the 1920s.