It was turned into the pic inside 1976, starring Nicol Williamson as Sherlock Holmes, Robert Duvall as Watson, and Alan Arkin as Dr. Sigmund Freud.

Meyer's revisionist novel purports to replenish deuce of the canonical Sir Arthur Conan Doyle short stories -- "The Adventure of the Final Problem", in which Holmes apparently died at a mitts of Prof. James Moriarty, and "The Adventure of the Empty House", in which Holmes reappeared after a three-year absence and revealed that he had not been killed after all. This novel presents victims deuce tales when sheer fabrications, published by Watson to deceive a public just about a truth behind Holmes's irregular disappearance.

Based on data from Meyer's account, Holmes's see of Moriarty when a "Napoleon of crime" was nothing to a higher degree a fevered imagining of his cocaine-sodden mind; Moriarty was actually a childhood mathematics tutor of the two Holmes brothers (Private investigator & Mycroft). What is more, a teacher meets Watson, denies that he occurs as malefactor & reluctantly threatens to sue Holmes for slander unless the accusations prevent.

A heart of the novel consists of an account of Holmes's recovery from either his cocain addiction. Watson & Holmes's brother Mycroft succeed within getting Holmes to travel to Vienna, where Watson manages to lead him into a presence of Dr. Freud. Freud, across the professional assistance consisting largely of hypnosis, helps Holmes dislodge off his addiction & his delusions just about Moriarty, however neither he nor Watson could restore Holmes's dejected spirit.

What eventually does a job occurs as whiff of mystery: one of Freud's patients is kidnapped & Holmes's curiosity is sufficiently aroused that he undertakes to investigate. the instance requires Holmes, Watsinside, & Freud on the breakneck train ride through Austrithe in pursuit of a foe world health organization is astir to launch a war involving everthing of Europe. (Holmes remarks in a period of the denouement that they own succeeded just withwithin postponing war, non in preventing it; i am presumptively to realize that World War I was the inferno finally in dispute.)

1 final hypnosis session reveals the key traumatic event from either Holmes' childhood. His & Mycroft's father murdered their mother & committed suicide because she experienced the lover - Prof Moriarty. Freud & Watson conclude that Holmes, consciously unable to face a emotional ramifications of this event, has pushed the children deep into his unconscious mind when selecting outlets within fighting evil, pursuing justice, & numbers of of his notable eccentricities, including his cocaine habit.

Opinions of Sherlockians & Holmesians use been divided on the novel. Within its favor it potty certainly exist as said that Meyer captures a "flavor" of the canonical tales better than any writer since Doyle (arguably possibly better than Adrian Conan Doyle). A account of Holmes's throwing slay of his cocain addiction is particularly swell done &, at days, genuinely bouncing off. Furthermore, Meyer's presentation of the character interaction (& rational commonalities) between Holmes & Freud is quite efficacious. Nevertheless, accepting a novel's revised Holmesian history would necessitate adjustments throughout good deal of the Canon, since Prof. Moriarty plays the key role around e.g. The Valley of Fear and the continuing influence of his henchmen occurs as key plot element inside many others.

Meyer is too andy skinner of 2 more Holmes pastiches: The West End Horror and The Canary Trainer.