The Adventure of the Dying Detective
"He's dying, Dr. Watson," said she. "For three days he has been sinking, and I doubt if he will last the day. He would not let me get a doctor."
Sherlock Holmes goes to great lengths to catch a killer... and tests the patience of his landlady, his own physical health, and the strength of his friendship with Watson. “The Adventure of the Dying Detective,” from His Last Bow does feel a little out of place - but hear us out for why this story works so well in the earlier years of Holmes and Watson’s friendship.
We discuss biological weaponry, perfect crimes, Sigmund Freud swordfighting on a train, and the powerfully moving and unspoken depths of Holmes and Watson’s care for one another. And Arthur Conan Doyle’s racism. This story is so racist.
Find a transcript - Further reading for this episode
Listen to our narration:
This narration was read by Dan Heidt. Dan is a songwriter and podcaster from Columbus, Ohio. His podcast, "Flies in the Kitchen" features conversations with creative folx from all genres, in all settings. Dan previously recorded several stories for Librivox, an online audio archive of public domain publications, and when not blabbering into a microphone, he is building SUVs for Honda Manufacturing and enjoying life with his wife and 4 cats. His debut album, 'The View From Up Here', is available on all streaming platforms as well, for your listening pleasure.
Music credit: The songs “Denmark (Live)” by the Portland Cello Project is featured with an Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Further reading:
City of Dreadful Delight: Narratives of Sexual Danger in Late-Victorian London, Judith Walkowitz
“Sherlock Holmes and A Biological Weapon,” Setu K Vora
Granada Holmes, season 7 episode 2: “The Dying Detective.”
The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, Nicholas Meyer
The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, dir. Herbert Ross
Other cases mentioned in this episode: SPEC, REDH, FINA, EMPT, 3GAR