This does everything a biography should do – it describes the life and work of its subject. Clearly and accessibly written, well-researched, balanced and fair. But, as another Goodreads reviewer puts it, it’s no more than serviceable. It’s a curiously flat account of a very interesting man and I never felt that I was really getting to know Conan Doyle in any meaningful way. For me personally, there was also too much detail about the Sherlock Holmes stories (as well as too many spoilers). If I want to know the plots, then I can read them for myself. And I also found the lengthy expositions about Conan Doyle’s spiritualist activities rather tedious. All in all, adequate but uninspiring.