THE LAST SHERLOCK HOLMES STORY

THE LAST SHERLOCK HOLMES STORY

MICHAEL DIBDIN

when sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote his detective stories, he never thought that Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson would become so famous. but Holmes and the doctor live on, in story after story- long after their deaths. For when Dr Watson died, he left behind him a locked box, with contained a report, written in the doctor's own handwritting. but why did he want it kept secret for so many years?

To find out, we must go back to the narrow dirty strests of Whitechapel in the london of 1888. three women have been horribly murdered by Jack the Ripper. Scotland Yard is helpless- unable to stop the murders or catch the killer. So the police turn for help to the great detective, Sherkock Holmes...
' it is an extraordinary case, Watson, ' says Holmes, his eyes bright with excitement. ' this is the criminal that i have waited for. to destroy him will be the greatest success of my life!'

FOREWORD.

many people enjoy sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories about the famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, and his friend, Dr Watson. But who know remember that Holmes and Watson were real people? Everyone has forgotten that they lived before Conan Doyle gave them life in his book.
Dr Watson died in 1926. he was seventy-three. He left behind him a locked box, and order that it must not opened for fifty years.
For fifty years the box lay hidden in a dark room below a bank. Years came and went, and the world changed in a thousand ways.
In 1976 the box was opened. It contained a packed of papers. they tell a terrible story. some people say it cannot be true. They say Watson was lying, or that he was sick when he wrote it. After so many years we cannot be sure. We have checked alll the facts that we can. All we know is that the story could be true. it is possible. We think it is probable. Now you must read it and decide for yourself.

the Editors

INTRODUCTION

How well my friend Arthur Conan Doyle would tell this story! how exciting and interesting he would make it. I cannot do that. I am no writer. I have been a doctor and a soldier. all I can do is make my report.

But who will read my words? What will the world be like in 1976? perharps bythen nobody will know the names of Sherlock Holmes and Jack the Ripper. Perhaps all Conan Doyle's wonderful stories will be forgotten. Ther is so much to explain. I must ask my reader to be patient!

I had know and worked with Sherlock Holmes for almost four year when I first met Athur Conan Doyle-ACD i always called him. Like me, he was a doctor, and we quickly became goog friends. He told me amusing stories of hospital life, and i told him about my life as army doctor in Afghanistan.

I often talked to him about Sherlock Holmes. At that time most people had never heard of him. Only the police and some criminals knew what a great detective he was. ACD seemed to enjoy my story very much. He was never too tired to hear about another of Holmes's cases.
we met many time and enjoyed many good dinners together before i realized that ACD had a special interest in Holmes. He want to be a writer, and had already enjoyed a little success. Now he wanted to write about Holmes, using the fact of a real case, but adding his own ideas to the story. I found this an excellent idea. I was happy to think that my dear friend would become famoust.
I explained the plan to Holmes. He listened in silence, his pipe in his hand. then he said, ' can he write, this friend of yours? Can he tell a true story? Does he understand the diffirence between facts and lies?'