Read an Excerpt

12 Tennison Road was a veritable writing factory. A relentless tapping could be heard through the open window. His twenty-three-year-old sister Connie had moved in with the family, and was certainly earning her keep. His plan was that his sister Lottie should also move down, that he could dictate to her while Connie typed away. That way, Conan Doyle would be able to double his productivity while resting both his hands and his eyes. Many of his author friends had worn themselves out and been struck with writers’ cramp of the hands.

Conan Doyle was busy planning the final Holmes stories when he received a letter from his mother. She was furious. He was not to kill off Sherlock Holmes under any circumstances. Instead, she provided him with the bones of another Holmes story for him to write, about a woman with a rather particular hair colour.

His mother’s words won the day. He was even able to use the idea, which became the twelfth, concluding story, ‘The Copper Beeches’. He finished writing it over Christmas 1891.

While the detective may have escaped with his life intact, as far as Conan Doyle was concerned, this was farewell to Sherlock Holmes.