Each episode has a story of its own, but the stories are not all equally solid as detective stories. I think they are in general pretty good, however. The stories may always not intrigue the viewer or keep the viewer guessing 'whodunit', but they have their own special character. Sometimes there are nice twists, sometimes the culprits are predictable but the revelations of their motivations or methods are interesting. There are many sorts of detective stories, and I personally won't expect all of them to conform to a single standard.

Perhaps the best representation of how good this series can be is Episode 9 (the murder of a chef), an episode with interesting revelations (the story can go in many possible ways, and one is kept guessing). The characters in Episode 9 also have interesting back stories that make them human and fallible whether they are the culprits or not. There is a lot going on even though the scenes are largely set in a restaurant, and there isn't a boring moment.

Because the series is centered on the equivalent of Sherlock Holmes (Shishio Homare, same initials), it is important to have an intriguing or likable enough character here. Of course, Shishio has to be ingenious at solving cases, but beyond this necessary trait, there has to be something that makes the viewer care enough about him. The character of Wakamiya (the equivalent of Watson) becomes useful as his relationship with Shishio gives an additional dimension to Shishio.

With some attention on the interactions between Shishio and Wakamiya that do not become distracting, there is something that keeps the different stories together, and the series is not just one of a detective solving one case after another. The changing relationship between the two over the episodes, especially as narrated by Wakamiya, is nicely done. There are hints/teases of BL that are not excessively done, and one could see the relationship one that becomes more like bromance too. From someone in a case investigated by Shishio and someone Shishio imposes on (by making a unilateral decision to live with him), Wakamiya eventually grows rather attached to Shishio and he is the one who reacts most strongly when Shishio falls into the water in Episode 11. (By Episode 8-9, we can already see from the way Wakamiya looks at Shishio that he has totally accepted Shishioi into his life.)

The final part about "Sherlock's" confrontation with Moriarty (Moriya) turns out to rather anti-climatic, with a strong suggestion that the Moriya we see isn't the real one. Perhaps it is meant to keep things open for a second season while also being faithful to the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in which Sherlock Holmes "dies". But perhaps ending the first season this way isn't the best way to make a second season attractive to viewers. (The special episode, however, does give a better sense of temporary closure.)