The most celebrated Holmes novel and the most widely read entry point into the canon, set on the fog-bound Dartmoor moors where the Baskerville family is apparently cursed by a spectral hound. Written and published as a standalone after Holmes's apparent death in The Final Problem, it occupies an unusual position in the canon - chronologically set before Reichenbach but published after, allowing Doyle to revisit the character without formally resurrecting him. The atmospheric Gothic setting distinguishes it from the London-centred earlier novels, and Watson's extended solo investigation gives him unusual prominence. Critical and popular reception was exceptional, reviving public enthusiasm for Holmes and contributing to pressure for his full return.