“The world is moving, Watson, and we must move with it.”

The eight short stories in this collection featuring the inimitable Sherlock Holmes begins with a short report at the start from Dr. Watson that Holmes is retired in the English countryside and more interested in beekeeping than solving cases. These tales showcase Holmes in all his brilliance—decoding cryptic messages, unravelling international conspiracies, and exposing the darkest corners of Victorian and Edwardian society. Yet the collection also carries a new note of gravity: the title story finds Holmes emerging from retirement for a final, patriotic mission on the eve of the First World War.

The stories included in this collection are:

• The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge
• The Adventure of the Cardboard Box
• The Adventure of the Red Circle
• The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans
• The Adventure of the Dying Detective
• The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax
• The Adventure of the Devil’s Foot
• His Last Bow: The War Service of Sherlock Holmes

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859—1930) was born in Edinburgh, where he qualified as a doctor before going on to create Sherlock Holmes, one of the most vivid and enduring characters in English fiction. Holmes, whose talent for deduction was modelled on the skill of Doyle’s professor, Dr. Joseph Bell, first appeared in the full-length novel, A Study in Scarlet, in 1887. While Doyle wrote other works of fiction and non-fiction, none of those captured the public’s imagination in the same way as consulting detective Sherlock Holmes and his friend and chronicler, Dr. John Watson, who have become one of the most well-known detective duos in literature.

Later in life, Doyle became a prominent public figure, known for his humanitarian campaigns and his controversial interest in spiritualism. His legacy endures in the enduring popularity of Sherlock Holmes and the countless adaptations inspired by his work.

This audiobook is fully indexed. Once downloaded, each book and chapter will be listed so you can easily navigate to the individual section.