Holmes, Sherlock

views updated May 21 2018

Holmes, Sherlock an extremely perceptive private detective in stories by Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930). Presented through the eyes of his friend and colleague Dr Watson, Holmes is shown as embodying the powers of rational deduction, unaffected by his occasional indulgence in cocaine. His duel with his arch-enemy Professor Moriarty appeared to lead to his death in the Reichenbach Falls, but Doyle was forced by popular demand to allow the detective to emerge unscathed. (See also sherlock.)