The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes has twelve stories of the adventures of Holmes and Watson, mostly in their later years. The stories were published in different magazines at different times and were later compiled in the The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes in 1927.
The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone
Watson is shown in Holmes’s quarters by Billy, a young help. They discuss Holmes’ new case of finding the Mazarin stone and the two men who may have possibly stolen it, Count Sylvius and Sam Merton. Count Sylvious is clever and cunning, while Sam is just the loyal muscle-man. Holmes fears that the two might be planning to kill him by shooting him thorugh his window and so has a very life-likemwax effigy of him installed in his window. Holmes comes and updats Watson on the new facts of the case. Billy, soon after, comes and informs of Count Sylvius requesting a visit. Holmes and Watson hide in the bedroom as Count is shown into the living room. Holmes gives a note to the Watson with instructions for Scotland Yard and asks him to leave immediately. The count tries to strike on the effigy misunderstanding it to be Holmes when Holmes goes out to meet him.
Holmes informs the count of his knowledge about his criminal activities and the witnesses he has, who will implicate the Count. He asks them to surrender the stone or be arrested. He also calls Sam Merton and ask the two men to discuss their situation. Once he leaves, the two men decide to give a false confession to Holmes while deciding to smuggle the diamond, which was in the pocket of the count at the moment, to Amsterdam. Holmes, who had been hiding in the plain sight by impersonating the effigy, catches them red-handed and hands them to the waiting police. Lord Cantlemere comes soon after and Holmes pranks him by placing the diamond in the pocket of a sceptical Lord Cantlemere. Lord Cantlemere is joyous and leaves with the prize.
The Problem of the Thor Bridge
Holmes is engaged by a Neil Gibson, the Gold King, a ruthless businessman popular for his violent and aggressive nature, for acqutting his governess Miss Grace Dunbar from the charge of murder of his wife. The wife was found dead at the mouth of the Thor bridge with a bullet shot to her head, and a revolverwas found upon investigation in the wardrobe of the gorvernesss. The manager of the client comes abefore the client himself and describes Gibson’ violent ways. Holmes successfully deduces of an infatuation between the businessman and the governess and chides him for his lust. The businessman confesses of having feelings for the Dunbar, as he had nothing in common with his wife whom he married in an impulse for her sheer beauty, but mentions that Dunbar was against an illicit relationship and only helped him be a bit more humane. He also suspects that the murder was an accident as his wife was mentally unstable.
Holmes reaches Winchester and examines the murder scene, he notices a chip in the firm and strong parapet. He also learns of a note by Dunbar clutched by the deceased, which he founds suspicious. He meets Dunbar and learns of the wife’s jealousy. She asked Dunbar, in a note which she asked to be burned, to come to Thor Bridge. Dunbar replies via a note, which was later recovered fromt the wife. When she goes to meet her, the wife retaliates with curses and Dunbar rushes back. The next morning, the wife is found dead. On the way back, Holmes asks for Watson’s revolver and uses a stone to weigh it down while holding it. When he drops the revolver, it is sucked into the lake a chip is formed on the parapet. Holmes surmises that the wife committed suicide in the same manner to implicate Dunbar, and used a copy of the revolver as a murder weapon shich she had placed earlier in the day in her wardrobe.
The Adventure of the Creeping Man
Watson is called upon by Holmes, and he is somewhat annoyed at this. When he reaches Holmes, he founds him deep in thought over a case. His client, Mr. Bennet, comes and explains the condition of his future father-in-law Professor Pressbury, to whom he is also the seceratary. The professor is a man of sharp wit and a good reputation. However, he fell in love with a much younger girl who won’t accept his proposal given his age. The professor then disappears on a foreign journey, to Prague which his household learns through some other source. The professor gets mysterious after this journey. He asks the secretary to not open any letters with a cross marked on them, or to touch a particular wooden box he had brought from his travels. He is also bitten by his much-loved dog twice. He grows more violent and is observed to crawl like an animal by Bennet or climb like a monkey on the walls by Edith, Professor's daughter, in night.
Holmes and Watson go to Camford and test Professor’s memory which they find sharp as he is able to recall not calling them to him, rather violently. Holmes deduces form the pattern of the Professor’s ravings and from an address he secretly corresponds to, that he is administering a drug, possibly to become young so as to marry the girl he fancies, that leaves him violent and animal-like. When they arrive nine days later as was the Professor's pattern, they secretly watch him perfom eccentricities like a monkey and provoke his dog in biting him almost fatally. They discover that box, with empty vials and a letter form Lowenstein on the drugs and its side-effects which led to the incident.
The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire
Holmes receives a letter from a law firm about a case concerning vampires. He is sceptical when he reads another letter, that is from the client himself who was suggested Holmes by the law firm. Robert Ferguson married for the second time to a beautiful Peruvian woman, who seemed to have taken a dislike to his son by first wife, Jack, who is also a cripple, and has assaulted him twice. She has also been witnessed to suck blood from her baby of a few months by the baby's governess. After Ferguson catches her in the act, she confines to her rooms and Ferguson seeks Holmes’ help.
He comes with them to Lemberley and finds Jack over-attached to his father. He also observes a physical ailment in the dog which he is informed appeared lately. Watson attends the wife after her faithful maid compalins of her mistress' ailment and finds the wife in throes of delirioum out of anxiety. Holmes examines the baby's wounds while Jack is present in the room and notices the look of loathing on Jack's face. He writes his deductions and sends them to the wife who then agrees to see them. Holmes breaks in front of them that Jack had been poisoning the baby, which he tested on the dog previously which led to it's paralysis, out of jealousy. The act on the part of the wife was meant to suck poison out of the baby’s body. Holmes leaves the couple to sort their differences after suggesting a long voyage for Jack.
The Adventure of the Three Garidebs
Watson is informed by Holmes of a fortune if he can find a man with the name of Garrideb. Watson finds one Nathan Garrideb in the phone book, while another one, John Garrideb visits them and is annoyed of their involvement in his matters. He informs them of an american Alexander Garrideb, with a large fortune and no heirs, had divided his property in three parts and would give each part only to a Garrideb, given that all three are present. Nathan involves Holmes in hopes to find the third Garrideb.
When John leaves, Holmes tells Watson that his story is false and they visit Nathan who is devoted to his personal museum of strange artifacts of all kinds. John comes suddenly and informs Nathan of the existence of a Howard Garrideb and asks him to meet Howard. Holmes deduces that John is lying but lets Nathan go anyway. He does some research and gets to know that a forger Prescott used to live in Nathan’s apartment before being shot by Killer Evans who has been disguising himself as John Garrideb. Holmes and Watson wait for Evans in Nathan’s apartment after Nathan leaves and discover Evans arriving and opening a gap in the floor. The three men haqve an altercation in which Watson is slightly injured and it is discovered that Prescott’s machinery and counterfeit notes were under Nathan’s apartment.
The Adventure of the Illustrious Client
Holmes and Watson receive a note form Sir James Damery about a matter of importance. He refuses to give them his client’s name but tells them of a Baron Adelbert Gruner, a crual but clever man, with a history of murder, who had a young heiress, violet de Merville, clutched in his love. Nothing could sway the girl form the marriage. Holmes has his contacts in crime find a girl, Kitty Winter, who says she was ill used by Gruner and describes a diary in which he mentions the women he has wronged as prizes. Holmes meets Gruner and finds him sharp-witted and is threatened to leave the matter alone.
Next day, he take the girl to the heiress who refuses to listen to either of them. Some days later, Holmles is attacked but while he had been getting better, he exaggerates his condition as getting worse in the newspapers. He asks Watson to study Chinese pottery, a passion of Gruner, and asks him to impersonate a seller to sell a valuable piece to Gruner. Gruner deduces who Watson is, at same time when he hears Holmes getting out of his house, seemingly after burglery. As he pursues him, Kitty Winter, whom Holmes had brought to search for the diary, attacks him with vitiriol which disfigures Gruner's handsome features. The diary is recovered by Holmes and is presented to the girl who breaks the marriage.
The Adventure of The Three Gables
Holmes and Watson are relaxing in their living room when a negro breaks into their room and threatens Holmes. Holmes is unperturbed and tells Watson later that the man is harmless and has come to dissuade him from taking Mrs. Maberley’s case. They visit the lady and find her to be spied upon by her maid, Susan, who leaves after being caught by Holmes in the act. Mrs. Maberley tells Holmes of his son’s death in Rome and a strange proposition where she has been asked to sell her house along with its contents, including her personal belongings to any amount she wants. She refuses the bizarre offer and Holmes deduces that the main culprit is after some item that arrives shortly in the house and advises her to go through her son’s belongings and to call upon her lawyer to stay with her.
After they return, they receive a telegram next morning of her house being burgled. They arrive and are informed of a book being stolen whose last pages describe a heartless woman toying with a man. Holmes deduces the story as non-fiction and guesses the culprit to be Isadora Klein and discovers that she had burned the book already. On threatening with police action, she describes her promiscuous life and Douglas being a part of it, who wanted to marry her. She had him killed to get him out of her way to marry a Duke. Holmes asks her to fund Mrs. Maberley’s journey across the world.
The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier
Holmes narrates that James Dodd contacted him out of concern for his friend who was also a soldier in his regiment fighting in South Africa. Godfrey Emsworth, who was a friendly and courageous man, is reported to be travelling around the world. James tries to contact him but finds his answers upsetting and unlike him. He contacts his parents, and receives unsatisfactory answers. He decides to pay them a visit out of concern. The father refuses to say anything particular about his son raising his suspicion. He tries to make the butler confirm if Godfrey is dead. The butler says that death would have been better. That night, sleepless, he observes a ghostly white godfrey looking at him through a window. He rushes after Godfrey who vanishes into one of the outhouses. The narrator checks in the morning the exterior of the outhouse and finds a bearded man locking it after him. That night, he peeks into the house and finds Godfrey and the bearded man sitting by the fire. The father discovers him at this point and asks him to leave.
Holmes decides to go with Dodd and has another man accompany him. He also obsrevers the butler to be wearing leather gloves with a strange smell coming from them. After some argument with the father, which is ended after Holmes makes him see a word he had written on a note, they are sent to outhouse where Godfrey is discovered. Godfrey narrates of being wounded and mistakenly entering a leper hospital. He started having symptoms soon after his return and it was decided that he be kept in secrecy under supervision of a doctor Mr. Kent, the bearded man. Holmes’ companion who is an authority on leprosy announces that Godfrey just has a scale infection and no leprosy and the family is joyous once more.
The Adventure of the Lion's Mane
Holmes narrates of a case after he has retired to a house in Sussex in the vicinity of a coaching house for various subjects, whose principal, Harold Stackhurst is a close friend of his. One day, as the two men are going for a swim to the beach they find Fitzroy McPherson stumbling towards them in a state of disarray with a number of criss-cross marks on his back, utteringt the words 'the lion's mane' before dying. A letter is found upon him from a Maudie which Stackhurst recognizes as Maud Bellamy, a local beauty with whom McPherson's love-affair was rumored in the locality.
A colleague, Ian Murdoch, who is notorious for his inhospitable and spiteful manner, is suspected of attacking McPherson as he had been witnessed to have a fight with McPherson and tries to leave the place by resigning almost immediately. Murdoch claims of being on best relations with McPherson. Holmes visits Bellamy household where Maud's father and brother are angry at her love interest in McPherson making them suspects as well. Holmes, then studies some books, and as he is discouraging the police inspector from arrestign Murdoch, a dishevelled Murdoch arrives with same wounds as McPherson along with Stackhurst. After he is taken care of, Holmes along with the insector and the principal, go to the beach where he reveals a sea creature with the looks of a lion's mane and poisonous stings to be the culprit. He presently kills it and returns to the victim.
The Adventure of the Retired Colourman
Holmes receives a case from an old man, Josh Amberley, whose young wife had eloped with a doctor who was also friends with him and has taken all his wealth and bonds. Holmes believes the return of the couple impossible and sends Watson to Amberley's house as he is busy with other cases. Watson finds Amberley to be painting the room where the burgulary was done. Holmes finds it suspicious. Watson also tells of a man following him. Holmes had already enquired about Amberley form the neighbours through telephone that Amberley is a miser and abused his wife.
The next day, Holmes is out but leaves instructions for Watson to be available at 3'o clock. Amberley also joins at this time and shows a telegram from a vicar of a distant village about information on his wife. He is reluctant to go but Holmes forces him to and asks Watson to accompany him, so as to make sure he makes the journey. The two men leave but the vicar says that he never called Amberley. With no trains, they have to return next day. Holmes meet them in Amberley's house and reveals that Amberley murdered his wife and her lover out of jealousy by suffocating them with gas in the locker room. He tried to disguise the smell of gas with the fumes from paint. Amberley tries to commit suicide unsuccessfully and the bodies are recovered from an old well.
The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger
Holmes receives an elderly woman, Mrs. Merrilow, on the behalf of her tenant Mrs. Ronder, who is heavily disfigured and thus lives a life of seclusion. The woman is quite mysterious as the landlady knows nothing about her tenant. Mrs. Ronder has been a bit agitated from some time, so the landlady suggests suggestions from the police or Holmes of which the tenant chooses latter. She mentions Abbas Parva as a reference point to Holmes. Holmes deduces that the tenant was the wife of a man who manged a circus and used to perform stunts with a lion. The man died when the lion attacked him and disfigured his wife.The instances were suspicious as the lion did not escaped but rather continued to maul her as well as the fact that she cried 'coward' repeatedly while she was being let away.
When they visit the woman, she reveals that her husband was abusive and violent and slowly the woman found herself to be attracted towards Leonardo, a strongman from circus. They plan to kill her husband with a club fashioned like a lion's paw so as to not arouse suspicion. The plan backfires when the lion is let out of it's cae and grows wild from the scent of blood and attacks her. Her lover is scared and refuses to come to her help. At this point, she screams coward repeatedly. He deserts her as she was disfigured but she continued to protect him and learnt of his death lately. Holmes deduces her suicidal tendencies and discourages her. He receives a message from her later mentioning that she would take his advice and live.
The Adventure of the Shoscombe Old Place
Holmes and Watson receive John Mason, a head trainer at Shoscombe Place stable, who is worried for his master, Robert Norberton. Robert is ill-tempered and spoiled. He rides in horse races and is heavily indebted because of which he must win the next Derby race. He is also financially dependent on his widowed invalid sister, Beatrice Falder. Mason began to observer strange changes in the siblings. They seemed to have a great fight, post which Robert gave Beatrice's favortie dog away. Beatrice begins to drink heavily and avoids meeting her horses as was her tradition. Robert is also observed to have clandestine meetings with a strange man in a decrepit chapel. Mason discovers freshly place human bones in the chapel as well as being burned in the house furnace.
Holmes and Watson leave for Berkshire and after borrowing Beatrice's dog, devise to stop her carriage while leashing the dog at her. The dog refuses to acknowldege Beatrice and a man's voice, seemingly coming from Beatrice, orders the carriage to move. Holmes observes the chapel and opens a coffin to find the body of Beatrice in it when Robert arrives. He later explains that his sister died a week ago and it was possible that her property may be acquired by the creditors including the horse he needed to win the Derby, thus the personification of Beatrice was required. Holmes chooses to stay silent. Robert wins and the police relents him.
