The Adventure of the Empty House

“It was indeed like the old times when, at that hour, I found myself seated beside him in a hansom, my revolver in my pocket and the thrill of adventure in my heart.”

For the first time in a decade, Doyle returns to the Holmes canon with a locked-door murder, a sharp-shooter, and a reunion—or three. Sarah & Marisa discuss “The Adventure of the Empty House,” Holmes’ triumphant return that introduces the age-old question - can a white boy do a little martial arts?

We discuss Shakespeare, evil Watson, eugenics in the turn of the century, tiger metaphors, the lost years, and one journey’s ending in an iconic meeting.

The thrill of adventure: Empty House discussion

“The Adventure of the Empty House,” from The Return of Sherlock Holmes, is narrated by Dan Heidt.

Listen to our narration of the story:

The Adventure of the Empty House

However Improbable

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.

Further reading/watching:

• Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal, Christopher Moore

• “Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of Baritsu,” History Today

• “The Anthropometric Detective and His Racial Clues,” by Ava Kofman

• “Eugenics and the Afterlife: Lombroso, Doyle, and the Spiritualist Purification of the Race,” Christine Ferguson

• Twelfth Night and Antony & Cleopatra, plays by Shakespeare that Holmes references

• The Seven Per-Cent Solution, both the novel by Nicholas Meyer and the film directed by Herbert Ross

• The Canary Trainer, also by Nicholas Meyer

• These Scattered Houses by Gretchen Altabef.

• The Game by Laurie R. King

• The Whole Art of Detection by Lyndsay Faye

• Chronicles of the Lost Years by Tracy Cooper-Posey

• Holmes Away From Home: Stories from the Great Hiatus anthology

• Ocean’s Eleven

• The Hot Rock

• Sexy Beast

• The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes by Jamyang Norbu

• “A Tibetan Take: Sherlock Holmes Through a Revolutionary Gaze,” by Anjali Alappat

• The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas

• Why Fish Don’t Exist by Lulu Miller