The Final Problem
Two minds collide on a Swiss precipice, leaving only mystery and silence in their wake.
Published in 1893, The Final Problem remains the most shocking chapter in the Holmes saga. It engineered the ultimate duel between the world’s greatest consulting detective and his intellectual shadow, Professor James Moriarty. Here, Conan Doyle attempted to kill his creation, forcing Holmes into a sacrifice that would leave the literary world reeling.
- Primary Antagonist
- Professor James Moriarty
- Narrator
- Dr. John H. Watson
- Setting
- Reichenbach Falls, Switzerland
- Publication Year
- 1893
- Outcome
- Apparent death of Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty
Lore & Background
The story concludes with the two adversaries meeting at the Reichenbach Falls. After a tense exchange of letters, they struggle upon a narrow ledge high above the roaring waters. The fight ends with both men disappearing over the edge. Though the public mourns them as dead, the narrative leaves their exact fates ambiguous for years until Holmes’s return in 'The Adventure of the Empty House'.
In Their Own Story
The wind howled off the glacier, biting through Watson’s coat as he waited on the path above the abyss. Below, the Reichenbach Falls thundered with a roar that drowned out all other sound. A note lay on the stone: 'My dear Watson, I have been forced to leave you for a while.' Holmes had vanished into the mist, leaving only his walking stick behind. Moments later, a figure slipped past him into the fog. When Watson descended to the narrow ledge where the fight occurred, he found no bodies—only Moriarty’s final letter confirming they were both gone. The truth of their struggle remained hidden by the churning void below.
Reader's Guide
The conflict embodies a dark duality; Holmes and Moriarty are mirror images, both possessing supreme intellect applied to opposite moral poles. Known as the 'Napoleon of Crime,' Moriarty represents the shadow to Holmes’s light. Although Doyle intended this as a permanent ending, fan outcry resurrected the detective, recontextualizing the fall from death into temporary disappearance.
Did You Know?
- Arthur Conan Doyle originally planned for Sherlock Holmes to die permanently in this story.
- The Reichenbach Falls are real and located in the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland.
- Public demand was so intense following the publication that mourners laid flowers at the entrance to Baker Street.
- Professor Moriarty is one of the few villains explicitly described as a mathematical genius.