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The Ardlamont Mystery: The Real-Life Story Behind the Creation of Sherlock Holmes Kindle Edition

by Daniel Smith (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 41 ratings
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The real-life mystery featuring the two men – Joseph Bell and Henry Littlejohn – who inspired the creation of Sherlock Holmes.

December 1893. Arthur Conan Doyle shocks his legions of fans by killing off the world’s favourite fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes. Meanwhile, in Scotland, a sensational real-life murder trial is playing out. Alfred Monson, a scion of the aristocracy, is charged with killing a young army lieutenant, Cecil Hambrough, on the sprawling Ardlamont estate. The worlds of crime fiction and crime fact are about to collide spectacularly.

Among the key prosecution witnesses that the Ardlamont case brought together were two esteemed Edinburgh doctors, Joseph Bell and Henry Littlejohn. Bell – Doyle's tutor when the author studied medicine in the 1870s – had recently been unmasked as the inspiration behind the creation of Sherlock Holmes (Doyle said of Bell, ‘It is most certainly to you that I owe Sherlock Holmes…'). But what the public did not know was that Bell and Littlejohn – a pioneer in the emerging field of forensic detection – had actually been investigating crimes together for more than twenty years. Largely unacknowledged, Littlejohn deserves equal billing as the prototype of Baker Street's most famous resident.

In The Ardlamont Mystery, author Daniel Smith re-examines the evidence of the case that gripped Victorian Britain, putting forward his own theory as to why Cecil Hambrough was murdered. Outlining the key roles of the men whose powers of deduction and detection had so inspired Doyle, Smith explores the real-world origins of Sherlock Holmes through the prism of a mystery as engrossing as any case the Great Detective ever tackled. Will Bell and Littlejohn’s shared faith in science and reason be enough to see justice win out?

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  1. Print length
    257 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Michael O'Mara
  5. Publication date
    May 3, 2018
  6. File size
    11119 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Sheer delight. A Victorian murder mystery to rival the best of Conan Doyle." —Classic Crime critic, Daily Mail

"Daniel Smith's book provides an enthralling real-life murder mystery that also sheds new light on the creation of fiction's most famous detective." —Daily Mail

"Fascinating and expertly written: a true murder story that brings the real background of Sherlock Holmes and his creator strikingly to life." —Andrew Lycett, author, Conan Doyle: The Man Who Created Sherlock Holmes

"The fictional Sherlock Holmes was born in a world of Victorian crime and mysteries. The sensational Ardlamont murder trial in 1893 was one of those inspirations... Daniel Smith does a wonderful job [of] recreating the trial in all its twists and complexities, a case worthy of Sherlock himself." —Paul French, winner of the Edgar and Dagger awards for true crime writing and author of City of Devils: A Shanghai Noir and Midnight in Peking

"A gripping read." —The Sherlock Holmes Journal

About the Author

Daniel Smith is the author of How to Think Like Einstein, How to Think Like Mandela, and How to Think Like Steve Jobs. He is also a long-time contributor to The Statesman's Yearbook.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07BK83VG8
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Michael O'Mara; Illustrated edition (May 3, 2018)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 3, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 11119 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 257 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 41 ratings

About the author

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Daniel Smith

Daniel Smith

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Daniel Smith lives in London and is the author of over thirty books on subjects as diverse as Sherlock Holmes, the Second World War ‘Dig for Victory’ campaign, serendipity and money. His narrative non-fiction includes 'The Peer and the Gangster' and 'The Ardlamont Mystery'. He has also written twelve titles in Michael O’Mara’s How to Think Like… series, as well as a series of books for Quercus (100 Places You Will Never Visit/Things You Will Never Do/Things You Will Never Find/Things They Don't Want You to Know). He is also a long-time contributor to The Statesman’s Yearbook, a geo-political guide to the world.

Follow @dansmith_writer

danielsmithbooks.co.uk

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
41 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

linda pitner
5.0 out of 5 stars Drs Bell and Littlejohn investigate
Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2019
I liked seeing Drs Bell and Littlejohn
investigating a real case and the challenge
of presenting their evidence in the court
room.Book seemed to be very well researched. References are listed at the back
and there are several photographs. Tom
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A Deaf Guy.
4.0 out of 5 stars Most interesting.
Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2019
Verified Purchase
Irate the book highly for readers who enjoy Homes stories. I enjoyed the topic of the book. This was true life and how it lead to fiction .
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Maya26
5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible Murder Mystery
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 20, 2018
Verified Purchase
This is a true murder mystery taking place in the early 1880s in the UK. It brings to life the murder but also the events leading up to the tragedy. The story is incredibly well written, easy to follow and the details really brings the reader into perspective. It brings the scene of 1880s Scotland and the true key characters. Dr Bell and Dr Littlejohn as real life characters who inspired Dr Conan Doyle to base his famous detective Sherlock Holmes on the skills and intellect of these two men. It is fascinating to read about their visionary science and medicine to solve crimes and how they worked together to bring forensic evidence to this murder. I have enjoyed reading it immensely. I read it all in 2 days. I have now the background behind Sherlock Holmes and I am starting to read the detectives stories for the first time. A 5 Star for this incredible, fast paced story. Highly recommended.
One person found this helpful
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Meriel
4.0 out of 5 stars Scandal - and murder?! - in Victorian Scotland
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 5, 2018
Verified Purchase
One for the die-hard Sherlock fans, anyone with an interest in Victorian society and those who just like a good whodunnit equally. The author tells the story of a tragic accident - or was it? - involving a young gentleman in a remote Scottish location. We then get the courtroom drama that followed along with lots of background into all the main players.

There's a lot of information to be conveyed here which could get tortuous, but Daniel Smith does a great job of teasing out the relevant facts and setting it in context - both in terms of the public and press interest in the case, and the wider societal background. Importantly, he makes it interesting - among other things, I came away from this book with some understanding of Victorian money-lending and how inheritance impacted on it, the Scottish criminal justice system and rivalries within the field of medical education in the 19th Century (and enjoyed acquiring it!)

If you're a Conan Doyle nut then the information about the expert witnesses in the trial and how they may have influenced him is fascinating but you don't need to be a die-hard fan, or even to have read any of the Sherlock Holmes books, to enjoy this real-life mystery.
One person found this helpful
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Mr. R. Mccann
5.0 out of 5 stars Perhaps the solution to the greatest Holmes mystery of all
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 24, 2018
Verified Purchase
An excellent and unique book in its genre that nicely complements Daniel Smith's previous work on Sherlock Holmes, bringing insight and well researched historical context to the potential real-life inspirations for and influences on our much loved characters and their adventures. Daniel's book will appeal not just to Holmes aficionados and fans but also to anyone who enjoys a well crafted and compelling read about people, mystery, crime, murder and ultimately the challenges of seeking out and finding the truth. It would be well worth hearing Daniel talk about The Ardlamont Mystery in person at the 2018 Bl**dy Scotland festival.
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Compulsive reader
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 23, 2018
Verified Purchase
Always fascinated by true old murder mysteries. Great to find one that has not been done to death already.
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Anne
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 8, 2018
Verified Purchase
Interesting
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