His Last Bow: Some Reminiscences of Sherlock Holmes is one of the last narratives to feature Sherlock Holmes. Written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in 1917, it is a collection of some previously published stories with the titular story ‘His Last Bow’ where Holmes servers as a spy instead of the consulting detective, which is his working title.
Some kind of international connection is a common motif in all these stories. Either the characters are foreigners, or they are going to foreign countries or the action takes place in a foreign country. 'His Last Bow' features Holmes playing an undercover spy for British Intelligence one-upping a German spy. This was primarily to boost the morale of British population at the time of the World War I.
These stories also have a common motif of Holmes being described in grey shades. He is intelligent, but not at all sensitive to human emotion. He is egotistical, has a high opinion of himself, thrives in midst of crime as it gives his mind something to do. He sees crime as an opportunity rather than tragedy. At a point in 'The Adventure of the Red Circle,' he comments, ‘It is art for art’s sake, Watson.” Conclusively, solving crime for him is art, it’s puzzle with slightly sinister results.
