THE FINAL PROBLEM

An In-Depth, Illustrated Summary

THE MEMOIRS OF SHERLOCK HOLMES

By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

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One of the most renowned detectives in the fictional world is Sherlock Holmes. The Final Problem, to state it bluntly, speaks of his untimely demise. The very first sentence of this grim tale forewarns the reader of the unpleasant conclusion Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has in store for Holmes:“It is with a heavy heart that I take up my pen to write these the last words in which I shall ever record the singular gifts by which my friend Mr. Sherlock Holmes was distinguished.”

Once upon a time, the detective and the doctor embarked on many cases, but Dr. John Watson’s marriage and return to private practice left little room for mysteries. Gone were the Baker Street days, but the adventures of Sherlock Holmes had not ceased, since crime and London continued to march hand in hand. This is why one day Watson receives a surprise.

In the spring of 1891 on April 24th, Holmes pays an unexpected visit to Watson, looking paler and thinner than usual, hurt and clearly afraid of something. The visit is accompanied by an invitation for a week away to the continent, but Holmes is rather vague about the destination.

Then Holmes asks Watson if he has heard of Professor James Moriarty. The answer is no.

“The man pervades London, and no one has heard of him,” Holmes says.

He then launches into an oral biography of Moriarty.

Holmes had hatched a plan that would unravel Moriarty’s gang of associates and criminal network. Everything was in place, he explains to Watson, until Moriarty decided to pay him a visit and threatened him to drop everything. The detective naturally refused to back down. That very afternoon, he was nearly run over by a two-horse van before evading death by a pelting brick a moment afterwards. Later that day, he was nearly bludgeoned as well.

Seeing the anxious state of his friend, Watson agrees to journey to the continent and Holmes, satisfied, hastily leaves. The next day, the doctor arrives at the predetermined rendezvous spot, the train station, but Holmes has yet to arrive.

Watson ends up sharing his carriage with an old Italian priest, who turns out to be Holmes in disguise. They happily glimpse Moriarty trying in vain to board the train as it gains speed.

The Final Problem then documents the duo’s travels to Brussels and then to Strasbourg. Their journey extends to a few additional stops before reaching Meiringen, Switzerland.

Despite the homely Alpine scenery, Holmes is watchful and anxious as the pair check into a hotel called the Englischer Hof.

On the advice of the landlord, they decide to explore the surrounding countryside hills one afternoon and spend the night at the hamlet of Rosenlaui.

“We had strict injunctions, however, on no account to pass the falls of Reichenbach, which are about half-way up the hill, without making a small detour to see them,” writes Watson.

Unfortunately, this was a deadly detour, the site of a sinister plot. Naturally, Conan Doyle steers his

characters towards the Falls…

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