Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Author Page - Biography and Books

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The Valley of Fear By Arthur Conan Doyle

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The Valley Of Fear Sir Arthur Conan Doyle The novel The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle is a captivating mystery about the murder of a man who calls himself by the name of John Douglas. A sawed-off shotgun blast to the head carried out the gruesome killing. John Douglas was found in his study, face mangled on the floor with a card laid beside his body and a hammer laying feet from the crime. John Douglas and his wife lived in the Manor House of Birlstone which surrounded by water acquired a draw bridge that was raised at sunset every evening. Every night Douglas did his rounds checking the house's safety through every room. Around 11 p.m, when Douglas made his round to the study he was shot dead. As Holmes and Watson investigated the crime, behind the curtain there were muddy footprints appearing as if the murderer was hiding. On the window sill there was a bloodstain from a shoe print. The window was opened and one of the two dumb bells was missing. The draw bridge being raised around six p.m. and the killing occurring at 11 p.m. Holmes figured that the murderer could not have entered the house any later than 6 or before 4 o'clock due to the arrival of guests. As the two detectives were investigating the housekeeper, a good friend of the Douglas's and, Douglas's wife, they found that Cecil Barker, the good friend of John Douglas seemed to act peculiar when questions were being asked. As did John Douglas's wife. One would think that the wife of the murdered husband would be exceptionally melancholy but this was not the case and it appeared as if she was faking her emotions. Holmes recognized Barker's footprint and saw that it was his shoes that made the muddy and bloodstains. Barker claimed that a secret society found Douglas.Douglas had a very unique background.

In the town of Vermissa Valley murder and criminal rate was very high and it was governed by a man named BodyMaster McGinty. He ordered his followers on who to kill and take care of. John McCurdo arrived in Vermissa and became one of his followers. He became the most intelligent and clever man in the two and was well-known. A detective named Birdy Edwards supposedly was arriving in town to investigate how McGinty was taking care of things. McCurdo set a plan to capture Edwards so he couldn't investigate. McCurdo reveals that he is Birdy Edwards and throws some of the criminals in jail and sentences the majority to the death. Vermissa was now free of criminals and a safer place to live in. He ran away to England to escape the criminals who were after him. He changed his name to John Douglas and married his wife.

Sherlock Holmes informed Cecil Barker that he was draining the moat and Holmes watched from a distance while Barker fished up a bundle and in the end was the missing dumb bell. The bundle was a pair of clothes that matched the missing convict's clothing. Mr. Douglas appears and explains that he ran into an old enemy from the Valley of Fear and he tried to kill Douglas. Douglas killed the enemy and dressed him up as himself, threw his clothes in the moat, and hid in the basement for days. He did this to protect himself against further crime. Mrs. Douglas and Barker helped make this possible. Sherlock Holmes informs Douglas that a greater threat is above him from Professor Moriarty and he should leave England. However, when Douglas left England he was mysteriously lost overboard on the vessel that would have brought him to Africa.

The Sign of the Four - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

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The Sign Of The Four Sir Arthur Conan Doyle A secret shared by four convicts and two prison guards, a daughter in search of her missing father, a strange gift of a single pearl received every year, a fabulous treasure buried in the ancient Agra Fort in India, an eccentric detective being consulted to solve a deadly puzzle. All these events are set against the turbulent backdrop of the Great Indian Mutiny of 1857 in the second Sherlock Holmes novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Sign of the Four. Mary Morstan, a lovely young woman, comes to the Baker Street lodgings shared by Holmes and Dr Watson. Her mother died when she was very little and her father, an army Captain stationed in India, sent the child back to England to live in a boarding house. She had never seen her father, but ten years earlier, when she was seventeen she received a letter from him saying he had retired, was on his way home and asking her to meet him at the Langham Hotel in London. However, at the Langham, she discovers that her father stepped out the previous evening and never returned. Since then, every year, on her birthday she has been receiving a present from an anonymous giver. It is a very expensive, lustrous, single pearl. And now, she has received a mysterious letter asking her to come to the Lyceum Theater at seven in the evening, bringing two friends with her. For Sherlock Holmes, this is an enigma that's simply crying out to be solved!

Added to this are masterly touches that provide more insights into Holmes' unconventional persona. His uncanny ways of tracking through sight, sound and smell, his knowledge of diverse subjects and his fondness for obscure quotations in foreign languages are all aspects that went into the creation of the immortal detective.

Following the publication of The Sign of the Four, Doyle began concentrating on the short story format featuring Holmes and Watson. This met with immediate success and led to a revived interest in the novels and the rest, as they say, became literary history.

The Sign of the Four has been adapted extensively on stage, screen, TV and radio. In fact, more than eighteen different film versions have been made since 1913-2013, marking a century of perennial interest in the maverick sleuth and his faithful assistant!

A Study In Scarlet By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

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A Study In Scarlet. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes fans who haven't yet read A Study in Scarlet would be delighted to discover this book in which the iconic detective makes his grand entrance into the world! From hence on, the deer stalker hat, his Stradivarius violin, the occasional descent into cocaine induced hell, the Persian slipper in which he stores his tobacco and of course, his meeting with the eternally loyal Dr. Watson and so many other details become common for generations of enthralled devotees. Strangely enough, Sherlock Holmes' first outing went almost unnoticed in the 1887 Christmas Annual edition of Beeton's Magazine. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was just 27 years old when he wrote the story after giving up a less than successful medical practice. He famously modeled the London sleuth on several people he knew, most notably, one of his medical school professors, Dr. Joseph Bell. Gradually, the story gained popularity and before long, Conan Doyle was commissioned to write a sequel The Sign of the Four. He soon began churning out a stream of short stories featuring Holmes for the Strand Magazine and his fame, fortune and popularity exceeded his wildest dreams. In the decades to follow, Sherlock Holmes came to represent the definitive detective. Scotland Yard and other investigative agencies soon adopted methods employed by the eccentric genius of 221B Baker Street.

A Study in Scarlet is set in 1881. It begins with Dr. Watson, a wounded Afghan war veteran who is looking for shared lodgings in London. An old friend recommends that he try 221B Baker Street, which is presently occupied by an eccentric acquaintance, Sherlock Holmes. At their very first meeting, Holmes dazzles the company with his detective skills as he makes a casual remark about Watson's previous experiences. Watson moves in and discovers that Holmes is in fact a consulting detective. Watson accompanies Holmes on a crime scene visit and from here on, the plot takes a series of bizarre twists and turns, leading the reader through flashbacks, across various continents and different periods. We are transported to nineteenth century America, where the Mormons of Salt Lake City, Utah, play a decisive role and watch in amazement as Holmes cracks the puzzle.

A Study in Scarlet has remained a firm favorite on radio, stage, television and spawned a hos-t of comics and abridged versions. As the debut of the most famous fictional detective, A Study in Scarlet remains unparalleled and valuable read for any fan of the author's work.

The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

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The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes Arthur Conan Doyle A concoction of twelve stories, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is the third book in the original Sherlock Holmes series. It shadows the experiences of detective Sherlock Holmes, an enigmatic genius, as he tries to unravel the mystery of each investigation he partakes in. Set in late 19th century London, the novel not only creates a successful mystery plot, but also circulates through real locations including Hyde Park, the river Thames, St George’s Church in Hanover Square, as well as adding fictional places to spice things up. The vibrant reoccurring illustrations of London’s means of transportation are also worth noting.  The novel begins in the famous apartment 221B Baker Street, home to Sherlock Holmes who is visited by clients in need of assistance in resolving various issues. Unsurprisingly, Sherlock Holmes works his magic in order to find a logical solution to each mystery. Narrated through the perspective of Dr. Watson, Holmes’s close friend and companion, he serves as a monitor as he accompanies or is given a full account of the sequence of events surrounding investigation details. Watson then documents each adventure and shares it with the readers which in turn act as memoirs of Holmes’s achievements. This type of narration only enhances the sense of mystery surrounding each case because of the occasional missing detail and leaves the reader wondering about the next course of action. Interestingly, Holmes offers logical explanations for each of his solutions, but nevertheless manages to keep the audience on their toes. Family fortune, reputation, social status and moral weakness are just some of the themes Doyle explores in his novel of suspense and mystery.  Doyle’s use of 19th century English jargon proves to be a delightful read, whilst still maintaining a lucid style easy to follow and understand. For those embarking on their first ever encounter with the pipe-smoking, violin-playing sleuth, this is just the beginning of an unforgettable journey.

The Hound of the Baskervilles By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

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The Hound of the Baskervilles Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Conan Doyle thought he had finished forever with his immortal sleuth Sherlock Holmes and his chronicler, Dr Watson. Exhausted and bored with the Holmes saga, he wanted to turn to more serious writing. In the short story The Final Problem, published in 1893 as part of the collection The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, the author had sent Holmes plunging to his doom into the Reichenbach Falls. However, by 1901, Doyle found himself in severe financial difficulties. It was then that he resurrected his popular detective. The Hound of the Baskervilles is set in time before the Reichenbach and as the publishers had predicted, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle once again struck gold! The Hound of the Baskervilles is thrilling, tightly-plotted and full of atmosphere. Set in the misty and sinister landscape of Dartmoor, it was inspired by the true story of a wicked 17th century Squire who lived in the West Country. Tales of the man's villainous ways were whispered about and when he finally died, his evil spirit continued to roam the moors, leading a pack of supernatural hounds who were often seen at his tomb! In the novel, Sir James Mortimer, a physician and friend of the Baskervilles, a noble country family consults Holmes in London and seeks his help. Sir Charles Baskerville, the owner of a mansion called Baskerville Hall has been found dead under mysterious circumstances, which lead Sir James to fear that he was the victim of a strange and fatal family curse. A remote ancestor, notorious for his debauched ways, had been violently killed by a hell-hound with supernatural powers. People in the neighboring village report having seen an enormous hound on the moors at night. Mortimer now fears that Sir Charles has been visited by this terrible creature whose mission is to destroy the Baskerville family. The heir to the estate, Sir Henry Baskerville, is on his way home from Canada to claim his inheritance. Mortimer is apprehensive that Sir Henry will be the next target of this terrible creature. Holmes and Watson set out for Baskerville Hall. As he remarks, “The game's afoot!” The Hound of the Baskervilles is a masterpiece of chilling detective fiction. It has been extensively adapted for radio, film and television all over the world. The story has lent its name to a psycho-medical condition called the Baskerville Effect – heart ailments caused by psychological stress! In all, a great read for that cold and rainy night!