false 16588 2 It might come as no surprise that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, after creating the first world-renowned fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes, started to believe that he could solve real-life crimes. What is surprising is that Doyle was sometimes successful. While the muscular, mustachioed author and his thin, hawk-nosed character would never have been mistaken for one another, they did share an abhorrence for injustice. And Doyle's association as a student with a medical professor named Joseph Bell--who, through close observation, could deduce extraordinary amounts of information from his patients--gave him both a model for the brilliant Holmes and an appreciation for careful forensic methodology.<p> <I>The True Crime Files of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle</I> focuses on a couple of curious British cases, both involving men Doyle believed were innocent. The first, which drew Doyle's attention in 1906, involved a shy half-British, half-Indian lawyer named George Edalji, who'd allegedly penned threatening letters and mutilated animals. Police were dead set on Edalji's guilt, though the mutilations continued even after their suspect was jailed. The second case examined here--that of Oscar Slater, a German Jew and gambling-den operator convicted of bludgeoning an 82-year-old woman in 1908--excited Doyle's curiosity because of inconsistencies in the prosecution case and a general sense that Slater was framed.<p> Editor Stephen Hines has compiled Doyle's passionate writings about these criminal probes as well as myriad missives to the press and other background material. This accumulation of arcana will delight passionate Doyle fans, though it's probably too much for the average reader, who may be satisfied with Steven Womack's introductory synopsis. <I>--J. Kingston Pierce</I> 748510 2001 The True Crime Files of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle total:28|5:1|4:1|3:0|2:0|1:0| 28 106 50 3 4 0 false false Wed Dec 06 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Tue Feb 12 09:00:55 -0800 2008 Tue Feb 12 09:00:55 -0800 2008 more...]]> 0 0 false false Fri Sep 11 08:24:04 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 11 08:24:15 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Sun Aug 17 14:25:26 -0700 2008 Sun Aug 17 14:25:26 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Mon Nov 02 10:56:02 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 02 10:56:02 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Tue Oct 27 20:50:02 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 27 20:50:02 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed Oct 21 14:05:34 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 21 14:05:34 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Mon Oct 19 15:57:02 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 19 15:57:02 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Tue Oct 06 19:07:52 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 06 19:07:52 -0700 2009 2 0 true false Wed Sep 10 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Sep 28 20:58:31 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 28 20:59:09 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Wed Sep 23 20:29:53 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 23 20:29:53 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Mon Sep 14 19:53:26 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 14 19:53:26 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sat Sep 05 15:42:18 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 05 15:42:18 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Tue Aug 11 15:49:17 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 11 15:49:17 -0700 2009 2 0 false false Tue Jul 21 07:32:56 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 21 07:32:56 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Thu Jul 09 23:01:54 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 09 23:01:54 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Thu Jul 09 11:59:22 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 09 11:59:22 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Mon Jun 01 22:14:33 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 01 22:14:33 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed May 27 00:52:14 -0700 2009 Wed May 27 00:52:14 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Thu Apr 16 10:38:02 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 16 10:38:02 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Feb 16 11:09:02 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 16 11:09:02 -0800 2009