The Sign of Four

By Arthur Conan Doyle,

Book cover of The Sign of Four

Book description

As a dense yellow fog swirls through the streets of London, a deep melancholy has descended on Sherlock Holmes, who sits in a cocaine-induced haze at 221B Baker Street. His mood is only lifted by a visit from a beautiful but distressed young woman - Mary Morstan, whose father vanished…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

3 authors picked The Sign of Four as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I know it’s a bit of a cheat to have Sherlock Holmes here as he’s one of, if not the most famous detective in all of fiction.

However, he’s not an official cop so I’m claiming him for my list.

I remember being gifted a complete works of ACD when I was around 14 for a birthday. And I absolutely adored it from the off.

Like so many other crime and mystery writers, the Sherlock Holmes stories have been a constant, a mainstay throughout my career.

The Sign of Four is the second adventure with Holmes and Watson. And I…

From Jonathan's list on sleuths who aren't cops.

The basic idea of the story is vengeance for injustices done by greedy people who took advantage of the mutiny to perpetrate them. Characters involved in this mutiny seek revenge years later against those who wronged them. This book helped me develop characters and the reason for the murders using the Indian mutiny as a background for my novel. For those who like crime novels with a historical event as a setting, will like the way Sir Arthur Conan Doyle incorporates that in his book. It also gives the readers a valuable lesson that there are consequences for our actions…

A one-legged man and a tiny creature. Only Sherlock Holmes could discern from the smallest and strangest of clues what happened to the stolen treasure of Agra brought back to England by four men united by greed. Arthur Conan Doyle was a master at providing all the clues you need to solve the mystery, while making the solution so incredible that you refuse to accept it until he lays it out for you.  

From M.S.'s list on treasure hunts.

Want books like The Sign of Four?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 86 books like The Sign of Four.

Browse books like The Sign of Four

Book cover of The Eagle Has Landed
Book cover of The Windsor Knot
Book cover of Thunderhead

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,172

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle, and London?

Sherlock Holmes 111 books
London 862 books