Crime and Justice Biographical Books
Crime and Justice Biographical Books lists books about Arthur Conan Doyle's involvement in real criminal cases, legal campaigns, criminology, wrongful convictions, and true crime. These works examine Conan Doyle not as a fictional writer, but as a public figure who investigated cases, defended the wrongly accused, commented on crime, and moved within circles interested in law, detection, and criminal justice.
The books are listed in reverse chronological order.
Books about Conan Doyle and Crime
The Mystery of the Parsee Lawyer: Arthur Conan Doyle, George Edalji and the Case of the Foreigner in the English Village
By Shrabani Basu
Bloomsbury
2021
320 pages
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The Mystery of the Parsee Lawyer tells the story of George Edalji, a young Anglo-Indian solicitor wrongly convicted after a series of animal mutilations and threatening letters in Great Wyrley. Shrabani Basu examines the racial prejudice surrounding the case and Conan Doyle's intervention as a campaigner for justice, showing how the creator of Sherlock Holmes applied his detective instincts to a real miscarriage of justice.
The Strange Case of Dr. Doyle: A Journey into Madness & Mayhem
By Daniel Friedman and Eugene Friedman
Square One
2015
352 pages
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The Strange Case of Dr. Doyle follows Conan Doyle into the world of real crime through a recreation of a Jack the Ripper walking tour connected with "Our Society," a club of crime enthusiasts and experts. The book uses Conan Doyle's fascination with detection, violence, evidence, and criminal psychology to explore the darker real-world background behind Victorian and Edwardian crime culture.
Conan Doyle and the Crimes Club: The Creator of Sherlock Holmes and His Criminological Friends
By Stephen Wade
Fonthill Media
2012
256 pages
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Conan Doyle and the Crimes Club is a biographical and historical study of Conan Doyle's involvement with the Crimes Club, an Edwardian circle of writers, lawyers, academics, criminologists, and gentlemen sleuths fascinated by crime and the criminal mind. Stephen Wade explores the club's members, their investigations, legal interests, journalism, and discussions of famous cases, placing Conan Doyle within a wider network of crime experts and literary friends.
Oscar Slater: The "Immortal" Case of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
By Thomas Toughill
The History Press
2007
272 pages
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Oscar Slater studies one of the most famous criminal cases associated with Conan Doyle's public campaigns. Thomas Toughill examines the conviction of Oscar Slater, the doubts surrounding the evidence, and Conan Doyle's role in drawing attention to what he believed was a grave miscarriage of justice.
Conan Doyle and the Parson's Son: The George Edalji Case
By Gordon Weaver
Vanguard Press
2006
380 pages
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Conan Doyle and the Parson's Son is a study of the George Edalji case, one of Conan Doyle's most important interventions in a real criminal matter. The book examines the background of the case, Edalji's conviction, the prejudice and legal failures surrounding it, and Conan Doyle's campaign to clear his name.
The True Crime Files of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Edited by Stephen Hines
Berkley Trade
2003
304 pages
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The True Crime Files of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle gathers material connected with Conan Doyle's real-life interest in crime, detection, and justice. The volume presents Conan Doyle not only as the creator of Sherlock Holmes, but also as a public commentator and investigator of actual criminal cases.
Oscar Slater: The Mystery Solved
By Thomas Toughill
Canongate Books
1994
242 pages
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Oscar Slater: The Mystery Solved re-examines the Oscar Slater case, a notorious Scottish murder conviction that became one of Conan Doyle's most significant justice campaigns. The book belongs here because of its connection with Conan Doyle's efforts to challenge wrongful conviction and expose weaknesses in the legal process.
The Casebook of Sherlock Doyle: True Mysteries Investigated by Conan Doyle
By Harry Stone
Players Press
1991
160 pages
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The Casebook of Sherlock Doyle presents real mysteries and criminal cases associated with Conan Doyle. The book focuses on the author's role as an investigator, public advocate, and commentator on true crime, showing how the creator of Sherlock Holmes became involved in real cases of mystery and injustice.
Oscar Slater: The Great Suspect
By Peter Hunt
Carroll & Nicholson
1951
248 pages
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Oscar Slater: The Great Suspect is an earlier study of the Oscar Slater case, a criminal affair closely linked with Conan Doyle's public campaign against wrongful conviction. Although not solely about Conan Doyle, it belongs in this section because the Slater case is central to his real-life justice work.
Trial of Oscar Slater
Edited by William Roughead
William Hodge & Co.
1950
338 pages
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Trial of Oscar Slater is a legal and documentary account of the Oscar Slater trial. The case later became one of Conan Doyle's best-known public interventions in criminal justice, and the book is useful for understanding the legal background of the affair that drew Conan Doyle into the campaign.
Works about Crime by Conan Doyle himself
Articles
- The Bravoes of Market-Drayton (1889)
- The Holocaust of Manor Place (1901)
- The Love Affair of George Vincent Parker (1901)
- The Debatable Case of Mrs. Emsley (1901)
- The Case of Mr. George Edalji (1907)
Book
- The Case of Oscar Slater (1912) book
