The story in one page
After three years of public mourning, the world's most famous consulting detective reappears to resume his practice in London. Between tracking down an air-gun assassin and deciphering cryptic messages written in dancing stick-men, the investigator applies his meticulous, often abrasive, observation skills to a string of baffling domestic and political enigmas. From the lethal scratching of a bureau keyhole to the recovery of a state-threatening document hidden in plain sight, he systematically disassembles the false narratives of both local police and desperate suspects to reveal the quiet, singular truth behind each case.
Who's who
- Sherlock Holmes
A man who returns from the grave to solve crimes.
- Dr. Watson
A loyal, perpetually surprised observer of Holmes's methods.
- Stanley Hopkins
A young police detective frequently corrected by Holmes.
- Abe Slaney
An American criminal identified through a series of stick-figure ciphers.
- The Prime Minister
A high-ranking official who witnesses the recovery of a secret.
What it's really about
- Evidence
- Observation triumphs over assumption.
- Secrets
- Information hidden in plain sight.
Why it's memorable
- A man falling dead while an empty house appears occupied.
- A letter of state discovered right where it was never lost.
The ending, explained
Spoilers — show the ending
The detective finds the missing document hidden within its own dispatch-box, then smugly refuses to explain the mechanics of his success.
For your book club
- The detective's return is handled with more shock than logic.
- Police officers are consistently outperformed by a man without a badge.