Black Peter / The Red Headed League

by Arthur Conan Doyle

Captain Peter Carey, called Black Peter because of his coarseness and his looks, is found with a harpoon spear through his body. Sherlock Holmes finds the murderer. A red-haired man comes to visit Sherlock Holmes. This man tells a strange story which enables the famous detective to prevent a bank coup.

Genres: Fiction, Classics

Paperback

First published June 1, 1980

About the author

Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was a Scottish writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for A Study in Scarlet, the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Holmes and Dr. Watson. The Sherlock Holmes stories are milestones in the field of crime fiction.

Doyle was a prolific writer. In addition to the Holmes stories, his works include fantasy and science fiction stories about Professor Challenger, and humorous stories about the Napoleonic soldier Brigadier Gerard, as well as plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction, and historical novels. One of Doyle's early short stories, "J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement" (1884), helped to popularise the mystery of the brigantine Mary Celeste, found drifting at sea with no crew member aboard.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of the story of Black Peter

This would of been a 3 star story for me if I didn't keep having the mental image of Benedict Cumberbatch from the BBC Sherlock series holding a bloody harpoon and explaining how he took the train home.

[Lou Kitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting short story. I was as puzzled as Whatson. Enjoyable read.