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The Untold Tales of Sherlock Holmes:
A List of Major Case References
By Randall Stock
How many unreported cases are mentioned in the Holmes stories? As with so many things it depends on your definitions.
Some of the untold tales are crimes or mysteries but don't involve Holmes
at all. In others he is consulted but doesn't actively participate.
For some cases it's just not clear whether or not he was involved.
Holmes probably played little part in at least 30 of the untold tales mentioned
in the stories.
It's also sometimes difficult to judge whether certain events constitute
a separate "case" or should be considered part of a larger investigation.
For example, Professor Moriarty's "little trip" allowed Holmes to start weaving
a net around the entire gang. Is this part of "The Final Problem" or
is it a separate untold tale?
While there are more than 100 unreported cases mentioned in the Holmes stories,
the following 61 untold tales are probably the most colorful ones involving
Holmes. This list was also used in the poll to rank the most interesting untold tales, which determined the Top 10 Untold Tales of Sherlock Holmes.
- The Abernetty family (depth which the parsley had sunk into the butter)
- The mortal terror of old Abrahams
- The singular affair of the aluminum crutch
- The Amateur Mendicant Society
- The ancient British barrow (the Addleton tragedy)
- The tragedy of the Atkinson brothers at Trincomalee
- The colossal schemes of Baron Maupertuis (Netherland-Sumatra Company)
- Bert Stevens, the mild-mannered murderer
- The Bishopgate jewel case
- Blackmailing one of the most revered names in England
- The bogus laundry affair
- The Camberwell poisoning case (Holmes winding a dead man's watch)
- The sudden death of Cardinal Tosca
- Colonel Warburton's madness
- The Conk-Singleton forgery case
- The two Coptic Patriarchs
- Saving of Count Von und Zu Grafenstein
- The cutter Alicia (never emerged from a small patch of mist)
- The Darlington substitution scandal
- The dramatic introduction of Dr. Moore Agar
- The Dundas separation case (hurling false teeth at wife)
- The Dutch steamship Friesland
- The papers of Ex-President Murillo
- The French Government matter of supreme importance
- The giant rat of Sumatra (Matilda Briggs)
- The Grice Patersons in the island of Uffa
- The Grosvenor Square furniture van
- Huret, the Boulevard assassin
- The madness of Isadora Persano (remarkable worm unknown to science)
- The disappearance of Mr. James Phillimore (umbrella)
- The peculiar persecution of John Vincent Harden
- The King of Scandinavia ("My last client of the sort was a king.")
- The loss of the British bark Sophy Anderson
- The Manor House case (Adams)
- The woman at Margate with no powder on her nose
- Merridew of abominable memory
- The unfortunate Mme. Montpensier
- Morgan the poisoner
- The most repellent man of my acquaintance is a philanthropist
- The most winning woman (poisoned three little children)
- The Nonpareil Club card scandal (Colonel Upwood)
- The Paradol Chamber
- The politician, the lighthouse, and the trained cormorant
- The repulsive story of the red leech (death of Crosby the banker)
- The reigning family of Holland
- Ricoletti of the club foot and his abominable wife
- The old Russian woman
- The Second Stain and Monsieur Dubuque
- Services to the Crown for which Holmes refused a knighthood
- The Smith-Mortimer succession case
- The Sultan of Turkey
- The Tankerville Club scandal
- The Tired Captain
- The Trepoff murder in Odessa
- Vamberry, the wine merchant
- Vanderbilt and the Yeggman
- The Vatican cameos
- Venomous lizard or gila
- Vigor, the Hammersmith wonder
- Vittoria, the circus belle
- Wilson, the notorious canary-trainer
Return to the
Top 10 Untold Tales of Sherlock Holmes