Mastermind by Maria Konnikova: book review

Mastermind:How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes (2013) is written by psychiatrist and journalist Maria Konnikova. Written in four parts: Understanding (Yourself); From Observation to Imagination; The Art of Deduction; and The Science and Art of Self-Knowledge, the book explores how people store information and organize knowledge. The author maintains that, with practice and experience, readers can learn from the detective’s astute observation and methods of logical deduction. The readers too can become perceptive, creative problem-solvers.

Detective Sherlock Holmes, the fictional character created by Arthur Conan Doyle in 1887, has fascinated readers for 127 years. Movies continue to be made depicting the famous detective. In Mastermind the author includes extracts and examples from Arthur Conan Doyle’s four novels and 56 short stories featuring Sherlock Holmes and his side-kick Dr Watson as they solve the most baffling crimes using logic and “systematized common sense.”

Konnikova dissects the detective’s thought processes from observation to logical conclusion. But as Holmes says: “Elementary … it is one of those instances where the reasoner can produce an effect which seems remarkable to his neighbour, because the latter has missed the one little point which is the basis of the deduction.” Whether it’s solving a crime, making a decision, or coming to a personal determination, the process of deduction remains the same – “you take all of your observations … you put them in order, starting from the beginning and leaving nothing out” (the chain of reasoning and the test of possibilities) and you determine what feasible answer remains.

The mind-set of a detective is: ever-ready attention to detail; environmental appropriateness (the context); adaptability; acknowledging limitations; cultivating quiet; constant vigilance, and habit, habit, habit.

Mastermind is an interesting read with generous references to the greatest fictional detective of all time. It includes tips to master reasoning and deduction - especially for beginners because, while the approach may be innovative, the tips don't extend the average reader to explore their depths of reasoning. Rather, it does emphasize the science of habitual observation - and transforming 'seeing' into 'observing.'

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