Looking for a resolution? How about reading all eleven of the Dorothy L. Sayers mysteries starring Lord Peter Wimsey, plus the three marvelous post-S...
I've certainly seen quite a few adaptations of Sherlock Holmes. So I feel as prepared as anyone who is not a member of the Baker Street Irregulars to tackle the wave of Holmesiana that has arrived on DVD.
In the US we create unidimensional detectives because we're focused on one-upping each other on plot devices that show the weirdest ways to die or the coolest tricks in the lab.