About the book

If there's a return, there's got to be a departure. You might be surprised to learn that Sherlock Holmes made a departure despite the popularity of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Holmes-based stories, the ophthalmologist-turned-writer grew weary of the detective and his antics. In 1891, Doyle told his mother he wanted to kill off Sherlock Holmes and stop writing about him for good. As a doctor, his practice was floundering; writing gave him a way to pass the time. Yet it was also a distraction. His mother begged him not to. Two years later, Doyle did it anyway, using his work 'The Final Problem,' as Holmes' last mystery. In the story, Holmes meets his end tumbling over Reichenbach Falls. Much like a soap opera that keeps resurrecting dead characters, Doyle brought Holmes back after a nearly ten-year absence and lots of pleading by readers. He explained that Holmes--hoping to elude his enemies--had merely faked his death to protect himself. This book is a collection of thirteen Holmes cases published in 1903 and 1904. Let's take a look at the stories featured in The Return of Sherlock Holmes.