Sherlockck Holmes is an imaginary character and an excellent example of a good detective. He shows that, in three interesting stories, "The Speckled Band", "The Dancing Men", and "The Red-Headed League". These stories present Holmes as a detective who is very observant, pretty good listener and prepared. .
In "The Dancing Men" Holmes shows that he is a prepared person, when he sends a letter to the most dangerous crook in the U.S.A., Abe Slaney. He tells Abe to come here immediately; while the criminal comes Holmes is preparing how to receive him. He sends for more policemen and he gives instructions to the servants that when Abe comes, they are to let him come in and send him to the sitting room where Holmes is waiting for him, with a gun in his hand. Holmes shows that he is a prepared person too in "The Red-Headed League", when he is waiting for the robbers with Watson, some policemen, weapons and lanterns in the cellar of one of the most important banks in London, and he spreads a group of policemen in Wilson's shop, into Saxe-Coburg Square because if they try to escape the only way they have, is to go back to Wilson's shop where the policemen are waiting. Holmes shows that he is a prepared detective in the "The Speckled Band" when he tells Watson to bring a gun with him, and tells Helen to turn on the lamp when Dr. Roylott goes to bed as a signal for them to go to the house. .
Holmes is an observant detective also. He shows that in the "The Speckled Band", when he goes into Julia and Dr. Roylott's rooms. He observes in Julia's room, that the bed is fixing to the floor and the bell rope is fake as the ventilator. Holmes goes to Dr. Roylott's room too and he observes that he has a large iron safe, and it has a small saucer of milk on top. Holmes observes additionally that there is a short stick with a thin rope attached to it, and one end of the rope is tie into a noose. In "The Red-Headed League" Holmes shows that he is an observant person also, when he looks at the knees of Vincent Spaulding's trousers, and from that he knows if he is working on something different that his normal work at Wilson's shop.