"The dramatic story of the man who created Sherlock Holmes"
Everyone knows something of Sherlock Holmes, the world’s most famous detective, but this handsomely illustrated picture book tells the life story of his creator, Arthur Conan Doyle, and what a life it was.
We learn that Arthur’s love of stories and storytelling was a comfort at home, where money was short, and at his boarding school with its strict teachers and horrible food.
In search of adventures of his own, he went to sea as a young medical officer and was almost eaten by a shark. Back in Edinburgh and working as a doctor, he never stopped writing and it was then that he came up with the idea of the brilliant detective who can solve mysteries purely through his powers of observation and deduction.
Success was slow and then enormous, so big that it seemed the only way to protect himself from the pressure was to kill his creation. The story is fascinating, both Conan Doyle’s life and his relationship with Holmes, and it casts real light on the creative process and what it's like to be an author.
The text is lively and engaging throughout and Isabelle Follath’s stylish illustrations full of detail and drama.