Sherlock Holmes lives in dozens of movies, at least three TV shows, endless reams of fan fiction, four short novels and about a hundred wonderful little short stories. A few of my favorite Holmes stories and moments take place outside of His Last Bow, but I think "The Adventure of the Dying Detective" will always be my favorite moment of the original canon.
The well-crafted little story is short but brimming with snark, sass, and mystery. Best of all Watson is there for Holmes and Holmes sticks around for his Watson.
I'm not 100% sold on the idea that Holmes and Watson are homosocial heterosexuals but I am totally on board with the thought that it doesn't matter. What kind of relationship the detective and his biographer have is up for debate but there's no question that, one way or another, John and Sherlock are life partners.
And that's why "The Adventure of the Dying Detective" is my favorite story - more than any other tale it shows how much the two characters rely on and care for one another, no matter how inhuman Holmes can be or how clueless Watson can seem.
The other stories in this collection range from middling to excellent, and all are entertaining.
Cheers,
- Alli
Doyle, Arthur Conan. "His Last Bow." Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Novels And
Stories, Volume II. Bantam Classics, a division of Random House. New York: New York.
2003. (Originally Published 1917).
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