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.

Quick Facts

Author: Arthur Conan Doyle
Country: United Kingdom
Language: English
Series: The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
Genre: Detective fiction short stories
Published in: Strand Magazine
Published: December 1893
Preceded by italics: The Adventure of the Naval Treaty

Lore & Background

The story concludes with the two adversaries meeting at the Reichenbach Falls. Watson is lured away by a letter about a dying Englishwoman at the hotel; when he returns he finds two sets of footprints leading to the end of the path, signs of a violent struggle and a note from Holmes. 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'.

Reader's Guide

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.
The Strand Magazine barely survived the rush of subscription cancellations that followed the story.