The True Crime Files of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle by Arthur Conan Doyle

by Arthur Conan Doyle

It might come as no surprise that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, after creating the first world-renowned fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes, started to believe that he could solve real-life crimes. What is surprising is that Doyle was sometimes successful. While the muscular, mustachioed author and his thin, hawk-nosed character would never have been mistaken for one another, they did share an abhorrence for injustice. And Doyle's association as a student with a medical professor named Joseph Bell--who, through close observation, could deduce extraordinary amounts of information from his patients--gave him both a model for the brilliant Holmes and an appreciation for careful forensic methodology. The True Crime Files of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle focuses on a couple of curious British cases, both involving men Doyle believed were innocent. The first, which drew Doyle's attention in 1906, involved a shy half-British, half-Indian lawyer named George Edalji, who'd allegedly penned threatening letters and mutilated animals. Police were dead set on Edalji's guilt, though the mutilations continued even after their suspect was jailed. The second case examined here--that of Oscar Slater, a German Jew and gambling-den operator convicted of bludgeoning an 82-year-old woman in 1908--excited Doyle's curiosity because of inconsistencies in the prosecution case and a general sense that Slater was framed.

Editor Stephen Hines has compiled Doyle's passionate writings about these criminal probes as well as myriad missives to the press and other background material. This accumulation of arcana will delight passionate Doyle fans, though it's probably too much for the average reader, who may be satisfied with Steven Womack's introductory synopsis. --J. Kingston Pierce

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime, Mystery, Classics, Historical

Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for A Study in Scarlet, the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Holmes and Dr. Watson. The Sherlock Holmes stories are milestones in the field of crime fiction.
Doyle was a prolific writer. In addition to the Holmes stories, his works include fantasy and science fiction stories about Professor Challenger, and humorous stories about the Napoleonic soldier Brigadier Gerard, as well as plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction, and historical novels. One of Doyle's early short stories, "J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement" (1884), helped to popularise the mystery of the brigantine Mary Celeste, found drifting at sea with no crew member aboard.

Reviews

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

A faithfully-copied rendition of two REAL CRIME files that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the chad, just decided to try and solve for himself when he determined (correctly, as it turns out!) that the arrested defendants were falsely accused!

It was tough to read at times due to the age and repetition of the documents (over 100 years old) but I can't really fault the compiler for what actually happened. I skimmed more than I would have liked to. All the introductions and the little notes about certain goings-on were super helpful, though, and made the process more seamless.

The term "kangaroo court" is used unironically and I think that might be my perfect summation of what I just read. It's horrible how these two men were both assumed guilty in their sham trials. And these were REAL people who were pretty much saved by the skin of their teeth and a ton of letters from Conan Doyle's behalf.

What a horrifically fascinating bit of history!

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

*4.5* it was interesting but tedious at times.

[Nancy Oakes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't expect an easy read here. This book is for people who are genuinely interested in a specific aspect of the life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, in which he takes up two cases to bring about some sort of justice where the defendants fail to receive it either from the police or from the courts. The first case is that of George Ernest Thompson Edalji, a 20-something young lawyer living with his parents at their Vicarage home. For years he had been the receiver of some very bizarre and often threatening letters; his family had been plagued with some very strange events as well. Edalji was arrested for a series of animal mutilations and taken away to prison for seven years. Now, if this sounds familiar, it may be because this was the case upon which Julian Barnes based his book (which was outstanding, by the way) Arthur and George. Conan Doyle got involved when out of nowhere, the Crown released Edalji for no known reason about halfway through his sentence, but would not grant him a pardon. He wrote to Sir Arthur to see if there was anything that the famous author could do to help. As the book notes, Conan Doyle's campaign to obtain pardon or Edalji took place mainly in the form of letters to various newspapers. Also, as the author notes, the newspaper was where most people got their info on the issues of the day -- our equivalent to newsradio, CNN and the internet combined.

The second case was that of probably wrongly-convicted Oscar Slater, who was accused of murdering a woman who lived barricaded in her flat with her collection of jewelry. Conan Doyle got on this case after Slater had been in prison for some time, and quite possibly saved him from being executed. In both cases, you get a good feel for the ineptness of the police of the time, the politics of the courts and the legal system, and especially in the Edalji case, you get a brief insight into the power of the press.

As I said, not an easy read; this one I think would be appropriate for those interested in true crime, or in the life and career of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Most of the story is told in AC Doyle's words; there is only minimal interference by the editor. Recommended.

[Susan Gaston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great resource material for a presentation I'm doing.

[Gürkan Çoşkun · Rating 3 out of 5]

5/10

[Cheryl]

Interesting book. I can't say I read it cover to cover as I had already read a lot about the Edalji case and it was a lot of it was a repeat of the other books. Knowing Doyle's involvement in the case was what attracted me to the book, having his actual writings quoted in the book. The other case on Slater I hadn't read about so I did look at that section much more closely. Not as much of the book was devoted to that part. I don't know if Doyle took a less interested view of it or if the author just chose not to include as much information. Both these cases, I feel, highlighted the prejudice of the time period. Edalji father was East Indian and Slater was Jewish. You have to wonder if these cases would have dragged on so long or if they would have been charged at all if they had both been "white" men

[Lilja · Rating 3 out of 5]

My star rating is not fair for this book. I gave it three as I did not finish it. I read the introduction to the book written by Steven Womack, where he actually goes into great, if at times confusing, details about each of the cases the rest of the book examines. After I read said introduction I felt that reading the rest of the book would be a waste of time. All the main points and most intriguing facts and outcomes were pretty much summed up before you even got to the first chapter.
A case where one authors good intentions ruined my interest in another authors book.

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh, good heavens. Interesting enough for how it reveals both Doyle's interest in law and real-time detection as well as his ingrained social biases but as dry a slog as any you could imagine since it was composed almost entirely of first-hand accounts from turn-of-the-century England.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit tedious and confusing at times, but otherwise fascinating.

[Jessica]

I don't have this book yet.

[Maida]

A ComPlEtE PAcKagE Of iNteReSt wId A TiNgE oV IntElleCt To mOuLd tHe ciRcUmStAnCeS tO EvAde tHe mOoD oF HoMoGeNiTy :)

[Hannah]

The introduction was interesting. What followed not so much.

[Yosef Shapiro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good idea.But, not as interesting as one would think.

[Norman Howe]

Science-Fiction

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everything I needed to know was in the first 26 pages, called "Introduction." As for the rest, nah.