TALES FOR A WINTER’S NIGHT <i> by Arthur Conan Doyle (Academy Chicago Publishers: $4.95) </i>

Eight brief, pleasantly convoluted mysteries that resemble Sherlock Holmes stories without Sherlock. Doyle titilates the reader with seemingly unsolvable conundrums, but Baker Street Irregulars can easily imagine the master detective uncovering the dark secret of the Man With the Watches, detecting the paste stones substituted for the priceless gems in the ancient Breastplate of the Jewish High Priest or rescuing a ne’er-do-well young heir from the claws of the Brazilian Cat. In the introduction, Doyle stated that he would like these stories to be “read ‘round the fire’ upon a winter’s night,” a suggestion that offers a family or group of friends a cozy respite from television.