Sherlock Holmes
The master detective of 221-B Baker Street is, of course, the predominant figure in the stories making up this collection. What makes his appearance in this volume stand out from the rest in a singularly unique way, however, is that The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes concludes with the shocking death of the world’s greatest—and only—consulting detective. Or does it?
Dr. John Watson
Holmes’ ever-faithful companion and chronicler, Dr. John Watson, is also an important figure in these stories. He is the one who must inform the world what happens when Holmes finally meets his destiny with the nefarious Napoleon of Crime, Professor Moriarty. Of course, since Watson arrives after the fact, his account must be constructed from the available facts using the deductive reasoning mastered by Holmes. Since Holmes has consistently pointed out Watson’s need for developing these powers of reasoning, it should come as little surprise that his account of the final moments of the final problem of the detective is unreliable.
Professor Moriarty
Moriarty has achieved an iconic significance in the life of Sherlock Holmes that exists outside the stories. He has become a kind of shorthand metaphor for one’s person nemesis and in the film and TV adaptations his stature and presentation has far exceeded his humble literary boundaries. It may come as quite a surprise for many recently-arrived fans of Holmes to learn that the very first appearance of Moriarty in Doyle’s original stories is in “The Final Problem” which also happens to be the story in which he dies. In fact, Moriarty only appears in one other story—“The Valley of Fear”—and that is a flashback story recounting an early case of the detective.
Mycroft Holmes
Another iconic figure makes his first appearance in The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. In the adventure of “The Greek Interpreter” readers learn that Sherlock has an older brother who is a shadowy figure wielding some significant power in the political structure of Queen Victoria’s government. Unlike Moriarty, Mycroft Holmes will pop up several more times in the stories. Like Moriarty, Mycroft will take on increasingly more importance in the modern adaptations and updates of the Sherlock universe.
The Dog
One of the most famous non-human characters in the Holmes canon make his one-time appearance in the opening story, “Silver Blaze.” He is the dog that helps Holmes solve the case as a result of a curious incident in the night. The curious incident is that the dog did nothing in the night when—if the account being given was true—he should most definitely have done something. So famous is this dog that he gave rise to an award-winning mystery novel by Mark Haddon titled “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.”
King Charles I
An interesting cameo appearance by the long-dead ill-fated King of England, Charles I, also makes The Memoirs unique. The King does not actually appear in the volume, but his reign, his forced removal from the throne and the mystery of whatever happened to his crown are central elements in the mystery requiring the solution to “The Musgrave Ritual.”
