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A host vanishes, a lodger hides his face, and Sherlock Holmes seems to be dying.
In His Last Bow, Arthur Conan Doyle gathers eight cases in which strange private troubles meet wider dangers. John Scott Eccles wakes in a country house to find his host gone. Mrs Warren brings Holmes the puzzle of a lodger who never shows his face. Elsewhere, a dead government clerk and missing submarine plans put national secrets at stake.
Holmes and Dr John Watson are older now, and their world is changing. Most tales follow Watson's view, leaving you to share his doubts and gaps in understanding. The Dying Detective brings fear to Baker Street, while The Devil's Foot turns a Cornish rest into horror. In the title story, the shadow of the First World War draws close.
What you’ll discover
- An unsettling country visit Enter Wisteria Lodge with John Scott Eccles, whose invitation leads to a silent house.
- A lodger without a face Follow Mrs Warren's unease in The Red Circle, where an unseen tenant raises questions.
- Fear at Baker Street Join Watson as Mrs Hudson calls him to Holmes's bedside in The Dying Detective.
- Horror on the Cornish coast Watch a quiet holiday darken in The Devil's Foot as a family suffers something dreadful.
- Secrets as war approaches Meet Von Bork in His Last Bow, gathering secrets while preparing to leave England.
Who will love it
Readers who love puzzles with clear clues, foggy streets, daring disguises and loyal friendship will enjoy this book. It suits those who like a case in one sitting.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- An empty house starts the mystery
- One fact can overturn a theory
- Terror still needs a natural cause
- Small habits reveal a hidden person
- A missing woman needs careful judgment
- The sickroom becomes a stage
- A confident spy awaits his prize
- Rescue matters more than a lock
- Small questions connect the seven cases
Who’s who
- Sherlock HolmesThe consulting detective who craves hard problems, studies small clues and bends the law when a life or the country is in danger.
- Dr. John WatsonHolmes's loyal friend and the narrator, a doctor who follows the detective into burglaries, disguises and danger.
- Mycroft HolmesSherlock's heavy, brilliant brother, who gathers every department's facts and wants the Bruce-Partington plans found.
- Mrs. HudsonThe landlady of Baker Street, fond of Holmes and frightened for his health when he lies in bed refusing food.
- Inspector BaynesA sharp country detective in Surrey who wants to solve the Wisteria Lodge murder by his own methods.
- Dr. Leon SterndaleA tall African explorer living alone in Cornwall, who comes back from the Plymouth docks to learn about the Tregennis tragedy.
- Von BorkA German agent who plays the sporting English squire while he collects secrets of the British defenses in a safe.
- Lady Frances CarfaxA lonely lady of limited means travels from hotel to hotel with valuable old family jewelry and then drops out of sight.
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His Last Bow
by Arthur Conan Doyle · 1917
A telegram from Mycroft Holmes pulls the great detective into a fog-bound hunt for stolen submarine plans.
Easy read2–5 hours to read20 languages
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“Education never ends, Watson.”
In short
Why would a stout, respectable churchgoer wake in a strange house to find his host and every servant gone in the night? That is how His Last Bow begins, with the odd experience of Mr. John Scott Eccles.
His Last Bow at a glance
- Reading time
- About 3 h 50 min3 h fast, 4 h 35 min slow
- Length
- 54,700 words
- Library level
- Easy short sentences, plain words
- First published
- 1917by Arthur Conan Doyle
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A guest wakes alone in a house of strangers
On a bleak March day, Holmes tells Watson his mind is like a racing engine that tears itself apart when nothing is connected to it. A telegram arrives from Scott Eccles, who promises a grotesque experience. Holmes brightens, since the grotesque so often turns criminal.
Eccles is a solemn churchgoer who has made a quick friendship with a young Spaniard named Garcia. He accepts an invitation to Wisteria Lodge, where dinner is poor and the host cannot sit still. A note arrives at the table, and Garcia throws it into the fire. By morning the house is empty. Host, manservant and cook have all vanished.
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Details
- First published
- 1917
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 4 h 20 min
- Level
- Easy read
Cite this edition
Doyle, Arthur Conan. His Last Bow. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/his-last-bow.
Doyle, A. C. (2026). His last bow. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/his-last-bow (Original work published 1917)
Doyle, Arthur Conan. His Last Bow. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/his-last-bow.
@book{doyle2026his,
author = {Doyle, Arthur Conan},
title = {His Last Bow},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/his-last-bow},
note = {First published 1917}
}
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What is His Last Bow about?
It is a collection of seven Sherlock Holmes stories, mostly narrated by his friend Dr. Watson. They include a murder in Surrey, stolen submarine plans, a poisoning in Cornwall, a code in a window, a missing lady, a feigned illness and a spy hunt in 1914.
Which stories are in His Last Bow?
The collection holds Wisteria Lodge, The Bruce-Partington Plans, The Devil's Foot, The Red Circle, The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax, The Dying Detective and the title story, His Last Bow, set on the eve of the First World War.
Who is Mycroft Holmes?
Mycroft is Sherlock's older brother. He holds a modest government post, yet he gathers the findings of every department into one mind, so he can advise ministers on any matter. He appears in The Bruce-Partington Plans.
The author
Arthur Conan Doyle
1859–1930 · British detective novelist
Arthur Conan Doyle was a British writer and physician born in Edinburgh in 1859. He practised medicine in England and wrote novels, short stories and histories. His Sherlock Holmes stories began with A Study in Scarlet in 1887. He also wrote The Lost World in 1912. He died in Crowborough, England, in 1930.
“Education never ends, Watson.”
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