Another Adventure of Sherlock Holmes

The Hound of the Baskervilles is one of the most celebrated detective novels ever written, following Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson as they investigate a centuries-old curse plaguing the Baskerville family on the desolate moors of Dartmoor, Devon. The story begins when Dr. James Mortimer visits Holmes at 221B Baker Street with a disturbing tale. Sir Charles Baskerville, the wealthy lord of Baskerville Hall, has been found dead under mysterious circumstances near the yew alley of his estate. While the official cause of death is heart failure, Mortimer reveals a chilling detail he withheld from the inquest: beside Sir Charles's body lay the footprints of a gigantic hound. This discovery takes on sinister significance in light of an old family manuscript describing a curse placed upon the Baskervilles since the time of the wicked Hugo Baskerville, who was supposedly torn apart by a demonic hound on the moor in 1742. With Sir Henry Baskerville, the last surviving heir, arriving from Canada to claim his inheritance, Holmes takes on the case. Strange events immediately unfold in London — a warning letter assembled from newspaper clippings, a stolen boot, and a mysterious bearded man following Sir Henry in a cab. Unable to leave London due to other cases, Holmes dispatches Watson to Dartmoor as Sir Henry's protector and his own eyes and ears. At Baskerville Hall, Watson encounters a web of suspicious characters and eerie occurrences. The butler Barrymore and his wife are caught signaling someone on the moor at night — revealed to be Mrs. Barrymore's brother, the escaped convict Selden. The naturalist Jack Stapleton and his beautiful sister Beryl live nearby at Merripit House, and Beryl urgently warns Watson to leave the moor immediately. Stapleton reacts with inexplicable fury when Sir Henry courts his sister. Meanwhile, the eccentric Mr. Frankland watches the moor through his telescope, and the haunting cry of a hound echoes across the bog at night. Watson discovers a mysterious figure living secretly among the ancient stone huts on the tor — who turns out to be Holmes himself, conducting his own covert investigation. Holmes has uncovered the truth: Stapleton is actually a Baskerville, a distant relative and secret heir who stands to inherit the estate if Sir Henry dies. His 'sister' Beryl is actually his wife, whom he uses as bait. Stapleton has acquired an enormous hound, painted it with phosphorus to give it a spectral glow, and used it to literally frighten Sir Charles to death. In a climactic confrontation, Holmes, Watson, and Inspector Lestrade lie in wait as Stapleton releases the monstrous hound upon Sir Henry after a dinner at Merripit House. The beast — enormous, fire-breathing in appearance, and terrifying — attacks Sir Henry on the foggy moor. Holmes and Watson shoot the creature dead just in time. Stapleton flees into the great Grimpen Mire and is swallowed by its treacherous depths, never to be seen again. Beryl Stapleton is rescued, Sir Henry recovers during a restorative voyage around the world, and Holmes elegantly ties together every thread of the mystery back at Baker Street.