The Best of Sherlock Holmes

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)

(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