Problem: After trying to write other material, mostly travel books, Doyle eventually agreed to start writing Sherlock Holmes stories again. The Hound of the Baskervilles was Doyle's first Sherlock Holmes novel after his break. Readers at the time would have read this story keenly aware that this is a remembrance by Watson and that Holmes is actually now dead. After a few more stories, Doyle retconned the story of Holmes' demise as a daring undercover act to fake his own death and Doyle started writing Sherlock Holmes stories regularly again. Today, The Hound of the Baskervilles is considered to be one of the best Sherlock Holmes stories and a classic of English-language literature.
If you have not read other Sherlock Holmes stories, the tone of this novel is a bit different. It is not unusual that Watson gives very little back-story on Holmes, as the character would have been as well-known to Victorian readers as, say, Batman is to readers today, but Holmes' presence is very limited for a large chunk of the novel. By the end we are back to the usual Sherlock Holmes' famous gifts for detection saving the day. In what ways do you see Doyle limiting Holmes' role in this novel, and giving Watson much more focus than the usual trusty sidekick?