The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire

The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes #5

by Arthur Conan Doyle

Mr. Robert Ferguson thinks his wife might be a vampire. He's caught her sucking their baby's neck and since that discovery, she has locked herself in her room, only allowing their Peruvian maid to bring her food. Her behaviour had been strange before that and she had struck Ferguson's son from an earlier marriage twice. The boy, fifteen, has been left handicapped by a childhood accident. Holmes is immediately convinced he has solved the case upon hearing the story but he follows Ferguson back home to clear the mystery.

The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire is part of The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes.

Genres: Short Stories, Mystery, Classics, Fiction, Crime, Audiobook, Vampires

34 pages, ebook

First published January 25, 2012

About the author

Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was a Scottish 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

[MischaS_ · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the all-time favourites! I read it a long time ago when I was staying with my grandparents, and there was a huge collection of A.C.Doyle's stories, and I loved this one.
After leaving, I still remembered this one (the story but not the title), and tried to find it somewhere but I could not find it. And when I went back, I could not even find the book. (My Grandma was not even sure what book I was talking about, a bit creepy).
So when I stumbled upon this one, I realised it was the one I was searching for.
I am ecstatic right now! No other Sherlock story has stuck with me so much that I remembered it for years.
A quick and very fun read.

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh. This was alright, but it's not one of the better Sherlock Holmes stories. I was hoping for more of a gothic tale, a la The Hound of the Baskervilles, but there was absolutely zero spookiness. I can't say much about the big reveal without giving it away, but the actions of the wife/mother were absolutely insane and not how any reasonable person would choose to solve such a ... problem. Holmes' suggested solution for the issue was also completely bizarre.

And let's talk about the One Voice Recordings audiobook for a second. It has to be a recording of a vinyl record on a casette tape turned into a digital audiobook. The static was constant and drove me slightly bonkers. Oddly, the static would stop when the narrator wasn't speaking but was a constant background when he was. I was not at all a fan and would suggest a different audiobook for this one.

Overall rating: 2.45 stars, rounded down. It's a short read (or listen) and probably worth the time if you're a huge Sherlock Holmes fan, but there are much better Holmes stories out there.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sherlock Holmes receives a letter asking him to investigate why a woman has been seen biting a child's neck & drinking his blood. Surely vampires are a work of fiction, or is this something beyond even the powers of the great detective ? Another fine story from Arthur Conan Doyle, in which Holmes solves the crime even before leaving the comfort of 221B Baker Street.

[Exina · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars!

The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire is a great story, it is one of my favorite SH stories.

"What do you see in it, Mr Holmes?"
"A confirmation of what I had already thought."
"For God's sake, what do you think, Mr Holmes? It may be a mere intellectual puzzle to you, but it is life and death to me!"

Yes, it's only a puzzle for Sherlock Holmes, which is solved fast and brilliantly.

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shelock and Watson, Criminal investigator and a vampire case, whats not to love. Definately ticks the big box of yes.

[Clara Mun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Relato breve bien al estilo Sherlock. Tal vez por haber leído tantos otros cuentos de Conan Doyle, el final se me hizo predecible como por la mitad... Daba para escribir algo más monstruoso, que nos hiciera temblar hasta perder las medias.

[Liliana · Rating 3 out of 5]

En este caso Sherlock Holmes es llamado para un caso de vampirismo, en el que una dama parece alimentarse de su bebé ya que encontraron la herida en el pequeño y sangre en los labios de la madre.

Sherlock analizará si intervenir en un caso tan sobrenatural pero reflexionando lo suficiente, aceptará tomarlo y una vez hablando con todos los que viven en esa casa, resolverá la situación solo como él lo sabe hacer.

Una historia corta pero interesante, la mirada de Sherlock es única.

[wiki · Rating 5 out of 5]

czego ja sie spodziewalam... liczylam na wampiry ale plot genialny naprawde nigdy nie jestem w stanie zgadnac zakonczenia

[Katja Labonté · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars & 5/10 hearts. Such a dramatic tale, and so unique! A quintessential Englishman marries a beautiful Peruvian woman, as sweet and devoted a wife as she could be. However, their differing cultures and beliefs has begun to alienate him a little, when the woman suddenly exhibits vampire-like tendencies towards their baby and cruel behaviour towards her stepson. Horrified and bewildered, the man reaches out to Sherlock Holmes as a last hope…

Needless to say, B. does not shine as a father and husband, but at least his family loved him. Poor Mrs. F. was fascinating and wonderful; Mrs. M. was a dour but trustworthy woman; D. was a sweet and excellent maid; and the villain was horrid—I was disappointed that no stronger steps were taken against them. Holmes did excellently in the story and it brought out some of the best parts of his character. The story ends on a hopeful note, and with a “happily ever after” insinuation that I appreciated.

Overall, it’s quite a unique, fascinating story with heartwarming portions and, as such, I love it.

Content: For G*d’s sake (x2); for He**en’s sake; good G*d.

A Favourite Quote: “One forms provisional theories and waits for time or fuller knowledge to explode them.”
A Favourite Beautiful Quote: “I know that country, Holmes. It is full of old houses which are named after the men who built them centuries ago. You get Odley's and Harvey's and Carriton's—the folk are forgotten but their names live in their houses.”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “Give me some advice, for I am at my wit's end.”
“Very naturally, Mr. Ferguson. Now sit here and pull yourself together and give me a few clear answers. I can assure you that I am very far from being at my wit's end, and that I am confident we shall find some solution.”

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my n-th read of this particular canonical work.
Apart from spawning numerous pastiches by continuing from "No ghosts need apply" premise, it also gave us a lot of ideas regarding fashion and dysfunctional families. Most importantly, it is a supremely well-written story.
If you haven't read it yet, please rectify the situation ASAP.

[Chiara · Rating 4 out of 5]

L'atmosfera di A.C.Doyle è la mia preferita tra tutte quelle degli autori di gialli/mistery/crime. Bellissimo!

[Federico DN · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok.

This was ok, but not going to review it.

For the moment at least.

It’s public domain. You can find it HERE.

-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE :
[1927] [30p] [Crime] [Not Recommendable]
-----------------------------------------------

★★★★☆ 1. A Study in Scarlet [3.5]
★★★☆☆ 2. The Sign of Four [2.5]
★★★☆☆ 3. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
★★★★☆ 4. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes [3.5]
★★★★☆ 5. The Hound of the Baskervilles
★★★★☆ 6. The Return of Sherlock Holmes
★★★☆☆ 7. The Valley of Fear
★★★★☆ 8. His Last Bow [3.5]
★★★☆☆ 9. The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes [2.5] <--
★★★☆☆ 10. The Complete Sherlock Holmes

-----------------------------------------------

Ok.

Esto estuvo ok, pero no voy a reseñarlo.

Al menos por ahora.

Es dominio público, lo pueden encontrar ACA.

-----------------------------------------------
NOTA PERSONAL :
[1927] [30p] [Crimen] [2.5] [No Recomendable]
-----------------------------------------------

[Amanda Artist Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very clever! Perfectly ingenious, in fact. I'll bet Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had his Victorian readers running around screaming at the thought of vampires!

[wakeupf*ck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Güzel ve akıcı ama bana hitap etmedi :3

[Mateusz · Rating 4 out of 5]

fine, more of a developing sherlock story, but quite entertaining

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25⭐
The Peruvian wife of an English gentleman had lately taken to flying into a rage with her fifteen-year-old stepson Jacky and had physically attacked him on more than one occasion. More damningly, she was also witnessed by Robert Ferguson, her husband sucking the blood of her own baby leaving her husband to believe she is a vampire.

Whilst dismissing the notion of supernatural vampires out of hand, Holmes doesn’t hesitate to investigate the strange case of the Sussex Vampire and discovers it's not about vampires but deep-rooted family problems.

[Fatima Khorshid · Rating 2 out of 5]

التفاف حول الاحداث بصراحة معجبتنيش

[Flami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Molto carino, molto molto simpatico!
Sherlock Holmes è sempre una garanzia!

--> Se ti piacciono le mie recensioni, passa a dare un'occhiata al mio bookstagram! Mi trovi come marginalia.tales. Grazie! 🥰

[فاطِمة طه · Rating 4 out of 5]

بحب قصص الأزواج في مغامرات شيرلوك.

[Alicia en el País de los libros · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me gustó mucho la forma en que está escrito, con un estilo claro y directo, lo verdaderamente interesante es como Sherlock resuelve el crimen, más que la resolución final del mismo la cual puedes ver venir desde el principio, aunque las pistas falsas pueden confundir en algunos momentos.
El relato nos muestra la lucha entre la superstición y la razón, como los sentimientos pueden distorsionar la percepción de la realidad. Es un relato con diálogos perspicaces, convincentes y descripciones detalladas que le dan un tono de misterio y suspenso que te mantienen en vilo hasta que lo terminas

[Anabella (anabellasbooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Corto pero muy bueno ya que nada es lo que parece y Sherlock como siempre todo lo deduce al segundo

[Aby · Rating 3 out of 5]

ؤرواية بوليسية لطيفة من مغامرات شارلوك هولمز، و أعتبرها من أفضلهم رغم أني توقعت النهاية، و ذلك لأني دائما ما أضع بالحسبان - عند قراءة الروايات القديمة- الفرق الزمني، فلابد من أنها حين كتبت كانت رواية مثيرة، على عكس اليوم، فنحن أجيال قد حضرت الكثير من الروايات و الأفلام مما جعلنا معتادين على الحبكات، و بالتالي لا نتحمس أو ننبهر بها بسهولة.

بداية لطيفة لقراءات 2025م

4 يناير 2025

[Kimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and sweet Holmes story with a small twist.

[ansar · Rating 3 out of 5]

nice lil short story but unfortunately i thought it would be spookier or atleast somewhat gothic

[Dr.Abdulwahab Alnaif · Rating 4 out of 5]

الى اين ممكن ان تصل حدود الحقد ؟؟ لا سيما بين اقرب الناس وهل للحقد اسباب تجعله يصل الى حد القتل ؟ حتى وان كان الطرف الثاني بريء ؟.

هولمز وواتسون يحلان القضية بشفافية عالية وعقلية فذة وذكاء خارق

[Martina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Banalotto

[Selmouch · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick short read of Sherlock solving supernatural shenanigans 🤭

[Realini Ionescu · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Adventure of The Sussex Vampire by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – according to the Mystery Writers of America Association the best author of detective novels, creator of The Hound of The Baskervilles http://realini.blogspot.com/2014/04/t... among other famous books

9 out of 10





Aristotle was not just one of the greatest philosophers of ancient (and all) times, but also an excellent drama critic, http://realini.blogspot.com/2014/07/a... for he discovered two elements that are essential in tragedy (and elsewhere, we could argue) revelation and reversal, as best exemplified by Oedipus Rex, when the king expects great news, the messenger instead reveals that he had killed his father and married his mother, through the delivery of his speech…



Thus, we have the two ingredients combined in The Adventure of The Sussex Vampire http://realini.blogspot.com/2014/06/t... wherein the discovery of what happened, who is responsible for the vampirism, the apparent blood sucking is mixed with the reversal, it is not what we had thought, it is something Completely Different, to quote Monty Python.

Perhaps I should include the spoiler alert, since I am about to venture into alien territory, as is my wont, and say what this Aristotelian formula unveils here, who is the Vampire and what the surprise could be, given that this is anyway a short story and I do not see how somebody will read this note (in itself a rare event, unadvisable and reckless, for why would you care for what I say, and choose it over the opinion of someone professional, in the know, say the Oxford dictionary or the critics form a reputable outlet, The New York Times, Fox News…I am clearly playing games here, having fun with Balzac [one of my two macaws, who is perched on my shoulder now] for that is not a serious beano, it is the place to learn what something is not, the quintessential fake news) to be ‘informed’ about anything…



Besides, there is ChatGPT that one could consult, the AI that will take over so much, replacing lawyers, journalists (in fact, there is already a human mistake here, since the article by Yuval Harari http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/02/h... in The Economist explains how there will be more lawyers, albeit I may confuse what he says, with what I had read elsewhere

Robert Ferguson is sure that his second wife is…sucking the blood of their baby and comes with his case to Sherlock Holmes, so that the latter can solve the mystery, which clearly seems beneath the stature and scope of such an illustrious crime solving figure, only (the urge to divulge is pestering still) there is much more than one of those fantastic, tall tales that so much fascinate some people, but are rejecting by others…



In my case, there are mixed feelings, on the one hand, there is a total lack of interest - the curiosity here is stimulated by the thought that both Conan Doyle and his invention have such a solid reputation, as to make one willing to see what the joke is here, and then curiosity sits under Sagesse in the Character Strengths List compiled by none other than the co-founder of Positive Psychology, Martin Seligman http://realini.blogspot.com/2013/11/f... who offers us the PERMA Happiness formula aka Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, Achievement

On the other hand, there is a need to express gratitude to…vampires, since if it were not for them, who knows how much less money I would have made, for my métier used to be an hospitality entrepreneur (to aggrandize it, or just plain, loser tour guide, if you ask the spouse in a raging mood, maybe she would not confess to that, if asked on other circumstances, seeing as it might not reflect well on her, but then who knows) and as such benefited from the masses of tourists coming to see the Dracula venues…



There were not really huge crowds, which itself has two sides of the coin, if there were so many more, it could be that I would not be limited to sitting here and pouring out with largesse, but also infinite futility words – ‘I am a river to my people’ to quote Anthony Quinn in the majestic Lawrence of Arabia http://realini.blogspot.com/2017/07/l... an epic that is one of the best five movies ever made – and I would still be engaged in welcoming multitudes to the Land of Dracula.

With many fewer visiting than say Bulgaria, we could have unspoiled realms for years to come, unless there is the apocalyptic end of the world that Climate Change, the advent of Artificial Intelligence in a malign shape or form, or even a mad Putin pushing the nuclear buttons, and then there is no scenic vista to preserve, here or anywhere…I was reading in The Economist about how crazy they are near the Zaporoje nuclear plant



Not that this is unexpected from invaders of an army that has no business pouring missiles on innocent civilians, occupying territory that does not belong to Muscovy – I like the creative thinking of Zelensky and his entourage, who insisted that Russia should be called by this name, if they insist on revisiting history, well then, play the game the other way too…I need to remember to use Kyiv and not the Russian name for it anymore…speaking of this, and moving further away from the Sussex Vampire, Volodymyr Zelenski is an extraordinary Super Hero of our times – look at his incredible imitative and tour de force

These days, he has visited Rome, Berlin, London, Paris, then moved on to Jeddah (is it there they had this Arab League reunion, maybe not, but never mind) and then finally meeting (again) with some of the most powerful at the G7 Summit in Hiroshima…I was thinking, even if you take the version of the mad and the gullible, the stupid and vicious, that he is the ‘creation, puppet, etc.’ of the West, then you still have an ecstatic, spectacular Glasperlenspiel…we have some disgusting traitors (to use the rules they like) at the gym Downtown, who embrace Putin and spit on the Role Model, maverick Zelenski



Now for a question, and invitation – maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/02/u... – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the befits from it, other than the exercise per se



As for my role in the Revolution that killed Ceausescu, a smaller Mao, there it is http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...

[رومولا الن emmajain-book · Rating 3 out of 5]

مغامرة جديدة للمحقق الشهير شارلوك هولمز
وصديقه واطسون
بهذه الرواية يطلب من شارلوك التحقيق بأمر غريب وهو تحول سيدة إلى مصاصة دماء
نتابع معه المغامرة والتحقيق
أحبب القصة والنهاية كانت جيدة
أنصح بها

[Vale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ho ascoltato questo racconto in audiolibro e devo dire che la storia è perfetta anche per essere ascoltata (36 minuti).
La novella è molto semplice ma qualsiasi cosa scritta da A.C.Doyle su Sherlock Holmes è apprezzata!