The Adventure of the Dying Detective by Arthur Conan Doyle [PDF]
by InfoBooks
Sherlock Holmes lies bedridden at Baker Street, apparently dying from a disease no doctor can cure, and he refuses to let Watson help.
Arthur Conan Doyle crafted one of his tightest plots in this 1913 story, where the detective becomes the bait in his own trap.
What looks like a straightforward sickbed vigil quickly turns into a carefully orchestrated sting operation. Watson, and the reader, are kept in the dark until the very last moment, making the reveal hit harder than in most Holmes cases.
The Adventure of the Dying Detective (Article) by Arthur Conan Doyle
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Information: The Adventure of the Dying Detective (Article)
- Author: Arthur Conan Doyle
- Publication Date: 1913
- Main Characters:
- Sherlock Holmes: The famous consulting detective who fakes a deadly illness to trap a murderer into confessing.
- Dr. John Watson: Holmes's loyal friend and narrator, genuinely distressed by Holmes's apparent condition and kept in the dark about the plan.
- Culverton Smith: A planter from Sumatra who murdered his nephew Victor Savage and attempted to kill Holmes using a poisoned spring box.
- Mrs. Hudson: Holmes's landlady who alerts Watson to Holmes's alarming condition at Baker Street.
- Inspector Morton: The police officer who arrives at the end to arrest Culverton Smith based on the evidence Holmes has gathered.
- Brief Summary: Sherlock Holmes appears to be dying from Tapanuli fever, a rare and deadly tropical disease. Dr. Watson is called to his side by a desperate Mrs. Hudson, only to find Holmes delirious and refusing medical treatment. Holmes sends Watson to fetch Culverton Smith, a planter with knowledge of the disease, who arrives expecting to watch Holmes die. In a sharp reversal, Holmes reveals he was never ill at all. The entire performance was designed to get Smith to confess to murdering his nephew Victor Savage using a poisoned spring-loaded box, the same method he attempted on Holmes.
- Thematic Analysis: The story explores deception as a tool for justice, blurring the line between manipulation and moral duty. It also examines the limits of friendship and trust, since Holmes deliberately deceives Watson to make his act convincing, knowing Watson's genuine distress would fool Smith.
- Historical Context: Published in Collier's magazine on November 22, 1913, and in The Strand Magazine the following month, this story appeared during the later period of the Holmes canon. It was later collected in His Last Bow (1917), reflecting Doyle's continued public demand for Holmes stories even after he had tried to retire the character.
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