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“The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle”

Holmes and Watson celebrate the winter season with a literal wild goose chase in “The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle.”

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“The Adventure of the Dying Detective”

Watson returns to Baker Street to find Holmes on his deathbed… or so it seems.

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Case File: Ritchie Holmes

It’s HIP cocktail hour as we talk about Guy Ritchie’s infamous classic, which clocks in at 69% positive on Rotten Tomatoes (nice).

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“The Red Headed League”

“The Red-Headed League” is part heist, part comedy, and all around good time.

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“A Case of Identity”

“A Case of Identity” has a plot fit for a Shakespeare play - without the narrative satisfaction.

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“The Five Orange Pips”

FIVE connects vanishing ships, the American Civil War, and what happens when Holmes’s considerable powers are not enough to save the day.

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“The Man with the Twisted Lip”

In “The Man with the Twisted Lip,” Holmes hosts a sleepover and gives a man a bath.

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Book Club Case File: My Dearest Holmes

This book club episode discusses My Dearest Holmes, a 1988 gay pastiche by Rohase Piercy.

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Case File: The Many Faces of Irene Adler

This case file episode looks at four recent adaptations of Irene Adler and what these interpretations say about gender, sexuality, morality, and more.

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“A Scandal in Bohemia”

“A Scandal in Bohemia” introduces us to the woman who casts the longest shadow over the canon - Irene Adler, of dubious and questionable memory.

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“The Adventure of the Reigate Squire”

In “The Adventure of the Reigate Squire” (from The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes), Holmes and Watson go on a much-deserved vacation - and naturally, crime follows them.

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The House of Silk

Our first Book Club Case File begins with The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz, a dark and thrilling mystery with a very special narrative framework.

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“The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual”

“The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual” is the second story that gives us a look back at Holmes’s life before he met Watson - this time in a very Gothic tale of buried treasure and cryptic rituals.

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Case File: Granada Holmes, Part 1

The first of two case file episodes exploring Granada TV’s show “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.” Today we talk about the first two seasons, starring Jeremy Brett and David Burke.

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“The Adventure of the Second Stain”

So far we’ve seen Sherlock Holmes solve the mysteries behind poisonings, hangings, and missing wives—and in “The Adventure of the Second Stain” he stops a war by looking at a rug.

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“The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor”

Runaway brides, rude lords, and the return of Doyle’s American West. In “The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor,” Holmes finds himself assisting a Lord with a personal problem: his new bride vanishing the day after their wedding.

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Case File: “The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes”

“The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes,” directed by Billy Wilder, is a nearly cult-classic Holmes adaptation like no other. Narrated by Dr. Watson, it covers a scandalous untold case with international implications. But it’s also a personal look into Holmes—what was the famous consulting detective really like without the veneer of Watson’s storytelling? 

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“The Adventure of the Resident Patient”

“The Adventure of the Resident Patient” is the first of many cases Holmes and Watson solve together in 1886. It follows an unusual story of disguise, duped doctors, and deadly retribution.

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“The Adventure of the Gloria Scott”

From the short story collection The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, GLOR was published in the Strand Magazine in 1893. It puts an unusual spin on a really classic Doyle mystery trope that pops up in lots of other stories—somebody being haunted by an old acquaintance and made to pay for an old crime in a past life.

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Case File: Arthur Conan Doyle

Welcome to our first Case File episode! Today, Sarah and Marisa take a look at the man behind the canon: Arthur Conan Doyle. We want to discuss Conan Doyle as a person and writer before we get too far into the stories. Besides creating Sherlock Holmes, what else is Conan Doyle known for? What was his life like? And what were his opinions about detective fiction and the world he lived in?

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“The Adventure of the Speckled Band”

From the short story collection The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, SPEC was the 10th published Holmes story. We’ve placed it happening very early on in Holmes and Watson’s friendship - and hope you enjoy this suitably Gothic tale of dead sisters, sinister doctors, and whistles in the night.

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A Study in Scarlet

A Study In Scarlet is a 1887 detective novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The story marks the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, who would become the most famous detective duo in popular fiction. But they started - like so many people do - as strangers who just couldn’t pay their rent.

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Intro Episode

However Improbable is a new podcast book club about Sherlock Holmes! Join your hosts Marisa & Sarah to hear more about who they are, what they’re planning, and why on earth they’re releasing a podcast devoted to 56 short stories and 4 novellas about a fictional detective, released over 130 years ago.

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