The Return of Sherlock Holmes
Arthur Conan Doyle
Contains spoilers for the entire book.
Discussion topics
Topic 01 of 08
The empty house
How did you respond to Holmes's return in "The Empty House", and to Watson fainting at the sight of him?
Keep the conversation going
- Does Holmes's explanation of his three years away satisfy you?
- What does the trap for Colonel Moran show about how Holmes now plays the game?
There is no single right answer. Bring your own reading.
Discussion topics
How did you respond to Holmes's return in "The Empty House", and to Watson fainting at the sight of him?
Keep the conversation going
- Does Holmes's explanation of his three years away satisfy you?
- What does the trap for Colonel Moran show about how Holmes now plays the game?
In "The Dancing Men" Holmes cracks the code but cannot save his client: how does that failure change the story?
Keep the conversation going
- What did you make of the way he uses the code itself to catch Abe Slaney?
- How does the story balance a clever puzzle against real grief?
Why does Holmes agree to burgle Charles Augustus Milverton's house, and does the end justify it?
Keep the conversation going
- What did you make of Holmes and Watson standing by while Milverton is shot?
- How did you feel about Holmes getting engaged to Milverton's housemaid in disguise?
In "The Abbey Grange", Holmes asks Watson to act as a jury of one: what do you think of the verdict they reach?
Keep the conversation going
- Why does Holmes so often trust his own judgement over the courts?
- Which other stories in this collection show him bending the law?
What does "The Priory School" suggest about how wealth and rank protect the powerful?
Keep the conversation going
- How did you react to Holmes accepting the Duke's enormous fee?
- Where else in these stories does money decide who gets justice?
Which clue in these thirteen stories did you think was the cleverest: the busts of Napoleon, the pince-nez, the bicycle tracks, or another?
Keep the conversation going
- Did you manage to solve any of the cases before Holmes did?
- How fair does Doyle play with the reader?
How does "The Second Stain", with its stolen letter and the threat of war, differ from the private cases in the collection?
Keep the conversation going
- What does Holmes risk by keeping secrets from the Prime Minister?
- What part does Lady Hilda's love for her husband play in the solution?
Does Holmes seem different after his return, in temper or in method?
Keep the conversation going
- How has his friendship with Watson changed by the end of the book?
- Why do you think readers demanded that Doyle bring Holmes back?
There is no single right answer. Bring your own reading.