His Last Bow · Character

Von Bork

A German spy posing as a hard-drinking country squire, Von Bork keeps a brassbound safe of stolen secrets and waits for the one courier who can complete his masterpiece.

major

Also known as Mister Von Bork, Mr. Von Bork

First appearance: His Last Bow

As a major figure in His Last Bow, Von Bork is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

A German spy preparing for war, who is deceived by Holmes and ultimately captured.

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Von Bork is the embassy's man in England, a bald, cigar-puffing collector of pigeonholed intelligence on forts, harbours, and naval signals, and he measures his four years of work by the gem still missing from his safe. He is proud, patient, and a little vain, grumbling about paying Altamont blood money while grudging him nothing because the Irish-American delivers. His looming coup and his taste for Tokay give the story its countdown, and his confidence in a traitor sets up the reversal that defines the book's final movement.

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Character Web

11 connections

A slice of how Von Bork sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Rivalry
Other

Character groups

German Espionage Network
Protagonist
Miscellaneous Supporting Characters
Bruce-Partington Plans Case

+6 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Resolution.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This excerpt is not the story's dramatic climax; it is the opening of "The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfa…

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Relationships

Sherlock Holmes
rivalry · negative
Holmes is the antagonist and captor of Von Bork, a German spy, in a high-stakes espionage… How this plays out →
Sherlock Holmes
rivalry · negative
Holmes is the antagonist and captor of Von Bork, a German spy, in a high-stakes espionage… How this plays out →
Sherlock Holmes
rivalry · negative
Holmes is the antagonist and captor of Von Bork, a German spy, in a high-stakes espionage… How this plays out →

Relationship notes

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In the story

Von Bork appears across 2 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Chapter companion notes

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