Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is one of the most written about men who ever lived but despite this some parts of his life get little attention. One such period is between 1891 and 1894 when he lived in South Norwood in present day south east London. During this period he wrote and published much of his best work including the first two series of "Sherlock Holmes" short stories. This book looks at his life during this period and, in contrast to other biographies, spends time looking at some of his input into local Norwood life.

The London of the late nineteenth century was home to both Arthur Conan Doyle and his famous detective - Sherlock Holmes. This book looks at some of the many of the locations in both central and outer London that have connections to one or both of these famous names. In addition to examining the history this book also looks at some of the theories that have been woven over the years around Holmes and these locations.

The book begins with a brief examination of the effect that the stories have had on modern crime literature. It goes on to examine the origins of the character of Holmes himself from his appearance to his drug use and supposed dislike of women. We then move onto a mini-biography of some of the significant characters in the series. Each of the original stories by Conan Doyle is examined in an effort to explain some of the more esoteric aspects and an examination is made of the attempts to form a proper chronology for the stories - as Doyle did not write the stories in strict chronological order. The second half of the book focuses on Holmes's career on the screen. There is a brief examination of some of the more notable actors to have portrayed Holmes and the films in which they appeared. Finally we look at the possible requirements for a definitive screen portrayal of the canon.

The late 1890s saw Arthur Conan Doyle return to England after several years abroad. His new house, named Undershaw, represented a fresh start but it was also the beginning of a dramatic decade that saw him fall in love, stand for parliament, fight injustice and be awarded a knighthood. However, for his many admirers, the most important event of that decade was the resurrection of Sherlock Holmes - the character that he felt had cast a shadow over his life.