The Sign of the Four / Sherlock Holmes

“My mind rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram or the most intricate analysis, and I am in my own proper atmosphere.” ? Arthur Conan Doyle, The Sign of the Four. One of the most interesting short novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Holmes and Watson must solve a complex case involving mystery, murder, and a man with a wooden leg. The second Sherlock Holmes mystery begins with Holmes himself in a cocaine-induced haze, interrupted by the arrival of a distressed and beautiful young lady. Each year following the strange disappearance of her father, Miss Morstan has received a rare and lustrous pearl. Now, on the day she is summoned to meet her anonymous benefactor, she comes to consult with Holmes and Watson.