# Sherlock Holmes — His Last Bow character guide > Sherlock Holmes in His Last Bow by Arthur Conan Doyle. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Mr. Sherlock Holmes, Holmes, Mr. Holmes, poor Holmes, Mycroft **First appearance:** 0001-his-last-bow ## Snapshot A restless detective who treats crime as a cure for boredom, Sherlock Holmes reads the grotesque in a telegram and takes the case before the client even climbs the stairs. ## Who they are Holmes is the consulting detective whose mind, idle, tears itself apart like an engine disconnected from its work; he greets each new problem with a mischievous twinkle and a definition of the grotesque as something tragically, terribly criminal. He spars gently with Watson over the meaning of words and the manners of clients, but his real tension is with a world grown too commonplace for his talents. His hunger for audacity and romance drives the early cases forward, and his habit of seeing the sinister beneath the respectable makes him the story's engine. ## Relationships ### [Dr. Watson](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_last_bow_se/characters/dr_watson) _friendship_ Dr. Watson is Holmes's loyal friend, biographer, and companion in investigations. ### [Sir James Walter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_last_bow_se/characters/sir_james_walter) _professional_ Holmes works with Sir James Walter as a client and ally in a counter-espionage operation. ### [Inspector Baynes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_last_bow_se/characters/inspector_baynes) _professional_ Inspector Baynes collaborates with Holmes on a case, showing mutual respect and cooperation. ### [Constable Walters](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_last_bow_se/characters/constable_walters) _professional_ Constable Walters assists Holmes in police matters, acting as a subordinate and informant. ### [Von Bork](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_last_bow_se/characters/von_bork) _rivalry_ Holmes is the antagonist and captor of Von Bork, a German spy, in a high-stakes espionage confrontation. ### [Mortimer Tregennis](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_last_bow_se/characters/mortimer_tregennis) _rivalry_ Mortimer Tregennis is a suspect and antagonist whom Holmes confronts in a murder investigation. ### [Dr. Leon Sterndale](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_last_bow_se/characters/dr_leon_sterndale) _professional_ Dr. Leon Sterndale interacts with Holmes as a suspect and later as a client in a murder case. ### [Mycroft Holmes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_last_bow_se/characters/mycroft_holmes) _family_ Mycroft is Sherlock's older brother, with a close but formal familial bond and occasional professional collaboration. ### [Inspector Lestrade](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_last_bow_se/characters/inspector_lestrade) _professional_ Inspector Lestrade is a Scotland Yard detective who frequently works with Holmes, often deferring to his superior skills. ### [Mrs. Warren](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_last_bow_se/characters/mrs_warren) _professional_ Mrs. Warren is a landlady who hires Holmes to investigate a mysterious lodger. ### [Lady Frances Carfax](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_last_bow_se/characters/lady_frances_carfax) _professional_ Lady Frances Carfax is a missing person whom Holmes is hired to locate and protect. ### [Henry Peters](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_last_bow_se/characters/henry_peters) _rivalry_ Henry Peters is a criminal suspect whom Holmes investigates and ultimately exposes. ## In the story ### [His Last Bow](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_last_bow_se/chapters/his-last-bow) Operating under the alias Altamont, Holmes has spent years infiltrating German spy networks and ultimately captures Von Bork. ### [The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_last_bow_se/chapters/the-adventure-of-wisteria-lodge) Investigates the murder of Mr. Garcia and the strange circumstances at Wisteria Lodge. ### [The Singular Experience of Mr. John Scott Eccles](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_last_bow_se/chapters/the-singular-experience-of-mr-john-scott-eccles) Receives a telegram from Scott Eccles and becomes intrigued by the word 'grotesque,' linking it to criminality. He guides the investigation and theorizes about Eccles's role as an alibi. ### [The Tiger of San Pedro](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_last_bow_se/chapters/the-tiger-of-san-pedro) Leads the investigation, deduces the criminal enterprise and the role of High Gable, warns Baynes about his arrest. ### [The Adventure of the Red Circle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_last_bow_se/chapters/the-adventure-of-the-red-circle) Initially reluctant to take Mrs. Warren's case, but becomes deeply involved after observing the coded signals from the lodger's window. ### [The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_last_bow_se/chapters/the-adventure-of-the-bruce-partington-plans) Restless due to fog, he investigates the theft of submarine plans and captures Colonel Valentine Walter. ### [The Adventure of the Dying Detective](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_last_bow_se/chapters/the-adventure-of-the-dying-detective) Feigns a deadly tropical disease to trap Culverton Smith; uses fasting, makeup, and theatrical deception to appear dying. ### [The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_last_bow_se/chapters/the-disappearance-of-lady-frances-carfax) Leads the investigation, deduces the identity of the criminals, and orchestrates the rescue. ### [The Adventure of the Devil's Foot](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_last_bow_se/chapters/the-adventure-of-the-devil-s-foot) Investigates the death of Mortimer Tregennis, conducts experiments with a lamp and poison, and deduces the cause of the tragedy. ### [His Last Bow](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_last_bow_se/chapters/his-last-bow) Disguised as Altamont, Holmes has spent two years infiltrating Von Bork's spy network and finally captures him. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_last_bow_se/characters/sherlock_holmes - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_last_bow_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/his_last_bow_se/characters