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The Sign of Four

The Sign of Four

Penguin Classics

Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

This Penguin Classic is narrated by award-winning actor Christopher Eccleston who is best known for his lead role in the 2005 revival of Doctor Who. Most recently Eccleston has starred in the critically acclaimed BBC drama The A Word. This definitive edition features an introduction by Peter Ackroyd.

As a dense yellow fog swirls through the streets of London, a deep melancholy has descended on Sherlock Holmes, who sits in a cocaine-induced haze at 221B Baker Street. His mood is only lifted by a visit from a beautiful but distressed young woman - Mary Morstan, whose father vanished ten years before. Four years later she began to receive an exquisite gift every year: a large, lustrous pearl. Now she has had an intriguing invitation to meet her unknown benefactor and urges Holmes and Watson to accompany her. And in the ensuing investigation - which involves a wronged woman, a stolen hoard of Indian treasure, a wooden-legged ruffian, a helpful dog and a love affair - even the jaded Holmes is moved to exclaim, 'Isn't it gorgeous!'

© Introduction Peter Ackroyd 2001 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

About the author

Arthur Conan Doyle

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) was born in Edinburgh where he qualified as a doctor, but it was his writing which brought him fame, with the creation of Sherlock Holmes, the first scientific detective. He was also a convert to spiritualism and a social reformer who used his investigative skills to prove the innocence of individuals.
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