The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes & His Last Bow

Sherlock Holmes #8-9

by Arthur Conan Doyle

Surely no man would take up my profession if it were not that danger attracts him. In The Casebook, you can read the final twelve stories that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote about his brilliant detective. They are perhaps the most unusual and the darkest that he penned. Treachery, mutilation and the terrible consequences of infidelity are just some of the themes explored in these stories, along with atmospheric touches of the gothic, involving a bloodsucking vampire, crypts at midnight and strange bones in a furnace. The collection His Last Bow features some of Sherlock Holmes most dramatic cases, including the vicious revenge intrigue connected with The Red Circle and the insidious murders in The Devils Foot. The title story recounts how Sherlock Holmes is brought out of retirement to help the government foil a German plot on the eve of the First World War. These two fascinating sets of stories make a glorious farewell to the greatest detective of them all and his erstwhile companion, Dr Watson.

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

432 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1927

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

[E. G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

His Last Bow
--Preface
--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 Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes
Preface
--The Adventure of the Illustrious Client
--The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier
--The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone
--The Adventure of the Three Gables
--The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire
--The Adventure of the Three Garridebs
--The Problem of Thor Bridge
--The Adventure of the Creeping Man
--The Adventure of the Lion's Mane
--The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger
--The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place
--The Adventure of the Retired Colourman

[Pink · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this was the end of an era. The final instalment of Sherlock Holmes. That's just the 60 stories across 40 years then.

I've read all of them over the past 18 months or so and during that time I've fallen in and out of love with Holmes. The excitement I first felt dwindled away as the stories became more repetitive and less inventive. Yet as things were drawing to a close, I rediscovered a fondness for Holmes and even Watson in this collection.

I didn't enjoy every story. I felt exasperated at the mention of each savage type. I hardly cared about the mystery and was even less amazed by Sherlock's powers of deduction. Yet there was something comforting as I continued to turn the pages. I suppose it was like spending time with an old friend that you've grown apart from, sharing memories of the good times, but knowing it will be a while before you meet again.

[Nia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, who would have thought that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was such an activist? One of his stories deals with a cult group, and even almost implies the issue of human trafficking. In another story, he explains the value of ongoing education!
While this set of stories was not as riveting as the earlier adventures, they were still highly interesting.

[lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am no fan of this series, and this is the first book that I gave the highest of 3 stars to. The only reason being: while the format of the cases is a huge drawback for me, some of them managed to be entertaining (and I actually paid attention to) and it is undeniable that Doyle's writing has improved majorly since The Scarlet Letter

[Amiad · Rating 5 out of 5]

מהסיפורים המאוחרים של שרלוק הולמס.

קראתי אותם כמובן כבר כמה פעמים בהוצאות שונות אבל פעם ראשונה בהוצאה הזו ועדיין טוב לקרוא אותם, גם אם לרוב זכרתי את הפתרון.

[Izabela Placzek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a bittersweet moment. I’m done with Sherlock Holmes after a year :’(

[Jujo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes:

The Illustrious Client: (3,5/5)

The Blanched Soldier: (3/5)

Mysteeri kadonneesta sotilaasta. Aloitus oli mahtavan goottilais kauhun sekoitus. Loppuratkaisu oli keskinkertainen.

The Mazarin Stone: (3/5)

Perinteinen varkaus dekkari. Ei mitenkään erikoinen.

The Three Gables: (3/5)

The Sussex Vampire: (5/5)

Toinen goottilais kauhua ammentava tarina. Mies ottaa yhteyttä Holmesiin ja Watsoniin, koska epäilee vaimoaan vampyyriksi. Kaikin puolin mahtava tarina.

The Three Garridebs: (3,5/5)

Thor Bridge: (3,5/5)

The Creeping Man: (4,5/5)

The Lion’s Mane: (4/5)

Sherlock Holmes sattuu löytämään ruumiin läheltä asuin paikkaansa Sussexissa, joka viimeisiksi sanoikseen mainitsee Siiliorakkaan. Tarina on joka puolin mielenkiintoinen. Kuitenkin Watson puuttuu tarinasta täysin, mikä on harmi.

The Veiled Lodger: (3/5)

Shoscombe Old Place: (3,5/5)

The Retired Colourman: (2,75/5)

Tarinassa Holmes saa asiakkaakseen Josiah Amberlyn, joka epäilee vaimonsa karanneen rakastajansa ja Amberlyn rahojen kanssa. Löysin kertomuksen hankalaksi seurata. Tarinan pääpiirre, eli se että Holmes lähettää Watsonin tutkimaan juttua jota itse pitää yksinkertaisena, on mielenkiintoinen. Kuitenkaan tarina ei anna lukijalle paljoa mitään.

His Last Bow:

Wisteria Lodge: (2,5/5)

The Cardboard Box: (4,5/5)

Holmes ja Watson saa tutkittavakseen oudon tapauksen, kun he näkevät lehdessä uutisen naisesta joka on saanut kaksi irtonaista korvaa postissa. Tarina on erinomainen Sherlock Holmes kertomus. Kuitenkin loppua kohti menin sekaisin hahmoissa, joten se vähentää pisteitä.

The Red Circle: (3,5/5)

The Bruce-Partington Plans: (2,75/5)

The Dying Detective: (4,5/5)

Rouva Hudson kiiruhtaa Watsonin luokse, kun Sherlock Holmes on sairaana ja kuolemaisillaan. Kiehtova tarina.

The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax: (3,5/5)

The Devil’s Foot: (4,5/5)

His Last Bow: (4,75/5)

Sherlock Holmesin epilogi kertoo saksalaisesta miehestä, joka on hankimassa merivoimien signaaleja. Teos on poikkeava, sillä se kertoo pahantekijän näkökulman eikä Holmesin ja Watsonin. Teos onnistuu joka näkökulmasta, paitsi muuttunut kerronta tyyli tuntuu erikoiselta 415:sta sivun tavallisien Holmesien jälkeen.

Yhteenveto : (3,464/5)

The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes & His Last Bow on viimeinen Sir Arthur Conan Doylen Sherlock Holmes -sarjasta. Mielestäni parhaat kokoelmat, mutta myös ainoat, jotka luin englanniksi, joten se vaikuttaa todennäköisesti asiaan.

Sherlock Holmes lyhyt tarinat ovat aina kiehtovia. Doylen työ on omaperäistä ja loistavaa työtä. Vaikka pitkät monologit usein saakin minut kyllästymään. Doylen lyhyt tarinat ovatkin parempi lukea pitemmällä välillä, kuin kaikki putkeen.

[Keith Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume contains the last two collections of Sherlock Holmes stories by Doyle. The book places Casebook first, followed by His Last Bow, although the Casebook stories were written and published after Bow. The reason for this reversal of order is that the title story of His Last Bow features an older Holmes coming out of retirement to serve as a spy catcher during World War I. It is a fitting ending place for the character, and it would have made a fine place to end the Holmes stories, but Doyle continued on.

Doyle admitted in interviews that he considered Holmes his cash cow and anytime he needed quick money he would write another Holmes story for the magazines. The stories in Casebook are not bad, but you can tell Doyle has lost interest and may have grown to dislike the character. The tone of the stories is more melodramatic than Holmes at his best. The villains are more mustache-twirly, and grizzly crime scenes are described in detail rather than being left to the reader's imagination. Two stories in Casebook are actually narrated by Holmes rather than Watson, but the results feel like a wasted opportunity. Watson always described Holmes as unfathomably brilliant, but the stories related directly by him come across almost exactly the same as Watson stories.

If you want to read the best of Sherlock Holmes, I would recommend The Adventures, Memoirs, and Return of Sherlock Holmes. Bow and Casebook are for completists.

[O'Neal Sadler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now that I have read every Doyle authored Sherlock Holmes story I can rank my favorites and honorable mentions in no particular order:

The stories that left the deepest impressions on my imagination:

1. A Scandal in Bohemia
2. The Empty Room
3. The Final Solution
4. The Adventure of the Creeping Man
5. The Copper Beaches
6. The Red Headed League
7. The Valley of Fear
8. The Hound of the Baskervilles
9. His Last Bow
10. The Dancing Men
11. The Priory School
12. The Case of Charles Augustus Wilson
13. The Adventure of “The Gloria Scott”
14. The Adventure of the Speckled Band
15. The Dying Detective
16. The Disappearance of Lady Francis Carfax
17. The Second Stain
18. The Adventure of the Illustrious Client
19. The Problem of Thor Bridge
20. The Blue Carbuncle

Honorable Mention (good but I didn’t love them):

1. The Veiled Lodger
2. The Honorable Bachelor
3. The Cardboard Box
4. The Boscombe Valley Adventure
5. The Man with the Twisted Lip
6. The Adventure of Abbey Grange (I might love this a year from now)
7. Shoscombe Old Place (I’d have liked it more if Doyle didn’t incessantly use “Jews” like an epithet).
8. The Golden Pince-Nez
9. The Red Circle
10. The Greek Interpreter (I might love this a year from now)
11. The Naval Treaty (I was on the fence!)

“HOT DOYLE SUMMER” continues!

[Xime García · Rating 4 out of 5]

His last bow: 4 estrellas
The casebook of SH: 3 estrellas

Con esto culmino mi camino por el canon sherlockiano. Fue largo pero nunca tedioso y me alegra haber llegado hasta acá.

HLB es buenísimo, de lo más reminiscente a Aventuras o Memorias. Fue como la mejoría antes de la muerte.

El Casebook fue más decepcionante. A nivel trama y misterio, los cuentos dejaron que desear. Algunos incluso ni siquiera contenían un crimen, sino que se trataba de accidentes o casos fortuitos. Lo único novedoso atribuible a esta última serie de cuentos es que Conan Doyle intentó refrescar la fórmula sherlockiana y entonces algunas historias están narradas por Sherlock, otros en tercera persona, y así.

[Shann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favourite Sherlock Holmes book and his best cases; I can finally go to Baker Street next month knowing ive finished all the books. This was hilarious, dark, but fun and the softer moments between Watson were really sweet (rest in peace sir arthur you wouldve loved fanfiction) Also it featured Mycroft so whats not to love?

[Alexa Wardle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review will be up on the blog (www.thebritishstoryteller.wordpress.com) shortly.

[anaeliteratura · Rating 4 out of 5]

had a lovely time with sherlock and watson this december. <3 perfect read to cuddle up with a warm cup of tea. i recommend reading alongside the audiobooks available on youtube!

i love how committed sherlock is to the investigations, some real good gems in this collection!
some favorites include: the three garridebs, thor bridge, the lion's mane, the veiled lodger, dying detective & his last bow.

[Logan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a comprehensive collection of Sherlock Holmes cases. They were late in the life time of the Sherlock Holmes series, and were written in a different style then the books I learned to love. Some of the cases in this book were very good, such as The Adventures of the Sussex Vampires or The Adventures of the Lion's Mane. Others, such as The Adventure of the Illustrious Client were not as good. I did not like that one specifically because it did not directly involve an actual crime. The case was more of a personal matter, that while definitely in-ethical, not necessarily illegal. This case was also very short, and did not involve very much evidence, and there was not a signature Holmes conclusion in which he explains how he made the amazing connection to his companion, Dr. Watson. That "Holmes" conclusion is usually my favorite part, because of the amazing conclusions that are reached through seemingly irrelevant details.

[Jenny Macdonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was inspired to read this, Conan Doyle's last Sherlock Holmes book, after watching TV's Sherlock as I had never read His Last Bow or a couple of other stories in this collection. Doyle was sick of his character by this time and it does rather show. Some of the stories are not really investigations and many are quite dark, full of mutilation, disease and bad treatment of women. But it was written after the war and probably reflect the times. The Problem of Thor Bridge, to me, is probably the only story featuring a "real" Sherlock investigation. His Last Bow only a few pages long and told this time by Sherlock himself featuring his war service and lacks the Watson touch I feel and The Veiled Lodger merely the record of a confession. A strange collection but still one for all Holmes fans

[Anthony Fitzpatrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

And thus has come an end to the Sherlock Holmes Saga. I read along with Stephens Fry's excellent narration. I loved this final collection and can now understand why the public were so angry when Doyle "killed' Holmes. I cannot wait to return to Holmes and Watson and be sure that they will leave a smile upon my face. For those wondering my favorite story from the Casebook was: The Three Garridebs and in His last bow: The Dying Detective.
Goodbye Mister Holmes and Dr. Watson.
May time never forget you.

[Daniela Guimarães · Rating 4 out of 5]

Desde a primeira vez que o vi na televisão, sou fã de Sherlock Holmes. Sendo eu fã de cérebros brilhantes, esta personagem sempre me encheu as medidas. Vergonhosamente, porém, nunca tinha conhecido Sherlock pelos olhos do seu criador, Arthur Conan Doyle. Este foi o ano e a escolha foi acertada: os contos desta coletânea são cativantes, divertidos e, claro, muito inteligentes.

The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes & His Last Bow reúne, na primeira parte, as doze últimas aventuras de Mr. Holmes e Dr. Watson e, na segunda, os casos mais dramáticos que lhes passaram pelas mãos. De facto, a coletânea assume, em diferentes momentos, distintos tons o que será justificável à luz das datas/fases da vida que o Autor atravessava. Assim, The Casebook apresenta-nos narrativas negras com clara inspiração gótica sendo de realçar os contos The Blanched Soldier, The Sussex Vampire ou The Creeping Man. Por contraposição, His Last Bow dá mote a um conjunto de histórias mais longas, intrincadas e, até, emotivas. Aliás, a título de curiosidade His Last Bow é o único conto de Conan Doyle protagonizado por Sherlock Holmes que conta com um narrador omnipresente. Os restantes são narrados, na sua maioria, por Watson e, algumas exceções, pelo próprio Sherlock que nos oferece um rápido olhar sobre a sua mente.

O veredicto é claro: os contos de Conan Doyle não deixam o leitor adormecer. O autor é muito engenhoso na forma como constrói as suas tramas tendo, ainda, a vantagem de criar duas personagens carismáticas que, entre as suas investigações, lá nos vão brindando com aquele sentido de humor sagaz de que tanto gostamos. Se tivesse que definir estas histórias com uma só palavra, diria que são enérgicas. Isto porque atraem e envolvem o leitor ao ponto de ele não querer fechar o livro enquanto não souber o seu desfecho, esse momento verdadeiramente apoteótico onde Conan Doyle mostra o seu brilhantismo. Não, nada do que esperávamos era a solução. E que bem que sabe ser enganado por uma boa história!

[MH · Rating 3 out of 5]

This edition contains the final two collections of Holmes stories written in the 20th Century, the optimistically-titled His Last Bow from the 10s and the Case-book from the 20s. The former has some fine stories in it, especially "The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans," and while it might not be as great as Doyle's earlier work it's still very enjoyable. The Case-book, though, just isn't very good, and it's easy to see why some hardcore Sherlockians have decided that these stories should be excluded from the canon. There are stories in the third person or narrated not by Watson but by Holmes; there are solutions that veer into goofy science fiction; there's a lot more sexuality in the form of European gigolos and South American women "of tropical blood" (and Doyle always makes it a signifier of wickedness, with these characters meeting horrific ends - I'm sure there's a lot of academic scholarship here from gender studies writers); and they all just seem dashed-off, half-baked, and not in Doyle's best voice. There's a lovely, bittersweet introduction where Doyle finally says goodbye to his most famous creation, but otherwise the Case-book feels like stories for completists only.

[Valorie Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked up this copy for grad school to annotate (instead of writing in my lovely leather bound copy). I'd read all the stories before, but having His Last Bow and The Case-Book together in this edition made it clear how the stories sort of went downhill toward the end. Adventures and Memoirs are by far the best Sherlock Holmes adventures, and all four of the novels better than these two series of stories.

That said, there are a few stories in here that really stand out: the Bruce-Partington Plans is in this collection, as is the Sussex Vampire, the Three Garridebs, and the Six Napoleons. On the whole, however, as Doyle and Holmes both aged (and Doyle inexplicably started experimenting with removing Watson from the stories), the tales begin to lose what makes them special. I'm not saying "don't read these stories," because many are still good and worth reading. But don't judge the entire Canon by these collections.

[John Grinstead · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes provides the reader with a collection of the final 12 stories of the the exploits of our hero, most of which are narrated by Dr Watson although, unusually, two are taken on by Holmes himself. As such, they represent a prequel to the The Last Bow, although The Adventure of the Lion’s Mane actually takes place after Holmes has retired to Sussex.

There are some themes that Conan Doyle repeats - The Adventure of the Three Garridebs bears an uncanny resemblance to The Adventure of the Red-Headed League - and I suspect that at their time of publication (1926/27) they may have, even then, felt just a tad dated, recalling as they did occurrences of the late Victorian era in what was by then the Jazz Age with George V on the throne.

And yet...and yet, the collection still holds together well and the whimsical eccentricity of Holmes is still hugely enjoyable and the mellow tones and occasional ejaculations of Watson are somewhat comforting to the reader.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

In its favour, it has some iconic lines. On the other hand, some of the stories (like the Last Bow, Mazarin Stone, Veiled Lodger) aren't even really cases, just snapshots of the end of a case. Also hitting too many repeat notes (e.g. a big game hunter shooting a wax Holmes through his window, twin racing horses to fool the bookies). Watson needs to grow a backbone which is more evident here than in earlier entries - on one occasion Holmes roundly insults his medical talents and he says nothing, and on a particularly egregious occasion Holmes actually poisons and nearly kills him to which Watson responds “it's an honour to help you.”
(As a side note, how is the reader supposed to believe Holmes wants to retire to the country and keep bees after making such a fuss of his boredom in the country in almost every short story published about him?)

[❦ Annebel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The end of an era…

It’s hard for me to rate this book fairly because it took me ages to finish it (probably because I didn’t want to finish this series), but I do have to agree with some of the other reviews that I saw. Of course it was a joy to read even more stories, but at certain moments they felt a bit repetitive, unfortunately. Needless to say, it took me around three years to finish all the stories, so they kind of grew on me as time progressed (I even read The Adventures multiple times before heading to the other stories), and I must admit that I felt a bit emotional when I closed this book.

It was a wonderful experience to discover Arthur Conan Doyle’s works after seeing the loosely-based-on-the-books RDJ adaptations (which stuck to me more than I could’ve imagined), and I will never forget how much impact these stories had on me.

Goodbye, my dear Watson.

[Laura Jayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

And, so, we've come to the last set of Sherlock Holmes cases - once again!
I don't have much more to say that I haven't already said in previous Sherlock Holmes book reviews.
He is, in my humble opinion, one of the greatest detectives to ever grace English literature and I'll be surprised if we ever come across one like him again.
It's been a true pleasure to read all of Holmes and Watson's adventures in succession, seeing how they develop as individuals and as crime-fighting partners. It is also worth noting that it's refreshing to see a detective make decisions based on a moral compass rather than just following the law. Though one might at first consider him to be cynical and relentless, Sherlock does show compassion and mercy at times. It's rather heart-warming.
Plus, I appreciate how the epilogue gives both of our friends a more pleasant ending than the Reichenbach Falls.

[Tom James · Rating 3 out of 5]

The final set of Sherlock Holmes stories. Some are better than others. My favourites are the ones in which Conan Doyle provides enough clues to allow the reader to figure out the perpetrator of the crime. Not all of them do this, however. I wish there had been a final story describing Holmes' decision to retire and become a beekeeper. In "The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger", Holmes speaks of the absurdity of life as we know it unless justice is to be meted out in the life to come. This gives us a hint as to Holmes' hope for the existence of, if not assured belief in, a God who will bring criminals to justice on the other side of eternity.

[Jonty Speck · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes:
The Illustrious Client- 3.8/5
The Blanched Soldier- 4.5/5
The Mazarin Stone- 3.5/5
The Three Gables- 3.7/5
The Sussex Vampire- 4/5
The Three Garridebs- 2.7/5
The Problem of Thor Bridge- 3.4/5
The Creeping Man- 4.9/5
The Lion's Mane- 4.7/5
The Veiled Lodger- 3.8/5
Shoscombe Old Place- 5/5
The Retired Colourman- 3/5

His Last Bow:
Wisteria Lodge- 3.8/5
The Cardboard Box- 4.3/5
The Red Circle- 4/5
The Bruce-Partington Plans- 4.5/5
The Dying Detective- 5/5
The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax- 3.9/5
The Devil's Foot- 4.8/5
His Last Bow. The War Service of Sherlock Holmes- 3/5

[Jonny Bland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally finished this last (combined) volume of Holmes stories and I must admit that sadly it was abit of a drag getting through it. Some of the shorts are great but for the main they seamed pretty cliched and full of silly twists and not comparable to Conan Doyle’s earlier stuff. Maybe for completists only. If you are looking for an introduction to Holmes then pick up either Adventures or Memoirs, they are fantastic! I suspect I’ll revisit this one in about twenty years when I reread them all again!!

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Last Bow and The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes comes under th3 last segments of the stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle. They are a set of short stories and shows the continuing relationship between Holmes and Watson.

Each story represents an increasingly distant period that both characters meet up. Perhaps they are just growing apart. Whatever the case, the moment Holmes contacts Watson, he is willing to drop everything quickly to come to Holmes’ assistance.

The stories in Them Last Bow’ I felt were Conan Doyle’s weakest, thus, this set is marked down.

[Patrick Lum (Jintor) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Playing Great Ace Attorney recently has me realise how much the actual prose of a Doyle short story is simply enjoyable (and picturing Sholmes and his good partner as Holmes and Watson lends a very enjoyable air to the whole affair). Aside from the occasional bout of good old fashion Victorian racism and other various predelictions that sit less well with a modern-day reader, this rounds up the Holmes stories I had yet to read with some mysteries that read as more experimental than the usual tricky murders collected previously. A true joy to sit down with, and quite easy to digest.

[A.L. Bellettiere · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an amazing experience not only through out this book but through the whole canon and series. In the last story, I was pleasantly surprised to not have assumed Holmes place in it. I just assumed that Holes would take care of these two individuals. I'll admit, a little short but still worthy of being a Holmes story. Otherwise, seeing as how this has been a first time experience for me, I very much enjoyed it and will come back again in the future.

[Arthur B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Modestly-priced collection which combines the last mostly-solid collection of Holmes short stories (His Last Bow) with the absolutely off-the-wall "Casebook of Sherlock Holmes". Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/202... and https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/202...