I also found myself less pleased with this story than in the past, certainly less then when I first read the Sherlock Holmes books when a YA. This may be in part because for the first time I was reading it with an eye to later discussing and criticizing it. Mainly though I just could not be as credulous about Holmes and his supposedly infallible logic. I just kept seeing gaps and other alternate explanations for his 'obvious' conclusions. The sudden switch in the middle from Watson's personal account, to an omniscient observer in America, and then back again to Watson did not really bother me. I recalled enough about the story from previous reads to expect that. So it was not as good for me as back when when I could believe in Holmes' deductions. Back when I dreamt of being Holmes.