How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes by Daniel Smith

The book, How to Think Like Sherlock: Improve Your Powers of Observation, Memory and Deductionby Daniel Smith uses examples from the fictional detective to offer guidance for improved skills of observation and reasoning.

Some of the exercises are old riddles borrowed from other texts.  Many of the exercises require extensive knowledge of the books by Arthur Conan Doyle.

His admonition to gather facts, bounce your ideas of your own personal Watson, and test hypothesis makes sense.  He offers up examples of the educated guesses that Holmes uses in his books.  We need to be careful when we do this as there may be alternative explanations.  Do not become overly enamored of a particular explanation until all the facts are in.