The Sign of the Four
Arthur Conan Doyle · 1890
This book is rated Ages 13+. It isn't available on your library card.
Every year for six years, the young governess Mary Morstan has received a single perfect pearl from an unknown sender. Now a letter calls her to a secret meeting outside a London theatre, and she brings Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson with her into a fog-bound night of locked rooms, stolen treasure and a vow made far away in India.
A detective story with two deaths, a fierce river chase and a gunshot, all shown by the moment before or after and never in gruesome detail. Holmes's drug use in the first chapter is shown as something Watson worries about, not made to look appealing.
Characters
Sherlock Holmes
The brilliant, restless consulting detective of Baker Street, who reads a man's whole history from a watch or a pair of boots.
Dr. Watson
Holmes's loyal friend and chronicler, an army doctor who tells the tale and finds his heart drawn to their lovely client.
Mary Morstan
A brave, gentle governess who brings Holmes the riddle of the rare pearls that arrive for her every year from an unknown sender.
Jonathan Small
A weather-beaten, wooden-legged man whose shadowy trail through London leads back to old secrets and vows sworn long ago in India.
Thaddeus Sholto
A twitching, nervous little gentleman with a love of fine art, who summons Mary to reveal what he knows about her father.
Athelney Jones
A stout, self-satisfied Scotland Yard inspector, quick to make arrests and slow to credit the ideas of Holmes.
Toby
An ugly, lop-eared, wonderfully eager dog with a remarkable nose, borrowed by Holmes to follow a scent across London.
Major Sholto
A retired soldier back from India, living in fear behind his walls and guarding a secret about a great treasure.
Tonga
A tiny, mysterious islander from the far-off Andamans, whose small footprints puzzle everyone except Sherlock Holmes.
Captain Morstan
Mary's soldier father, who returned from India years ago and then vanished without a trace, leaving her a puzzling legacy.
Bartholomew Sholto
Thaddeus's twin brother, a secretive, close-fisted man who has spent years digging up the grounds of Pondicherry Lodge.
Dost Akbar
A towering, stern Sikh warrior from the days of the Indian Mutiny, one of four men bound together by a solemn oath.
About the story
The Sign of the Four is the second Sherlock Holmes novel. It opens in the rooms at 221B Baker Street, where Holmes is bored and restless between cases. Then a young governess, Mary Morstan, comes to him with a strange problem. Her father disappeared ten years earlier, and for the past six years someone has mailed her a single valuable pearl on the same date each year. Now an unsigned letter asks her to come to a secret meeting. Holmes and Dr. Watson go with her, and the night leads them into a mystery about stolen treasure, an old pact made in India and a locked-room death.
The story moves from the gaslit streets of Victorian London to a large, run-down house in the suburbs and then out onto the River Thames. Its themes include greed, loyalty, broken promises and the long shadow that Britain's rule in India cast over the people involved. Watson's growing feelings for Mary give the book a warmth that many detective stories lack.
The novel helped make Holmes famous. It shows his method of close observation and logical deduction, and it introduces the Baker Street Irregulars, a gang of street boys who help him. Its pace, atmosphere and memorable characters have made it a lasting favorite.
This is a condensed picture-book retelling in 120 illustrated pages, with about 44 minutes of narration read by a synthetic voice. The AI illustrations were made for this edition, and Arthur Conan Doyle's full original text is free to read and well worth reading too.
Adapted from The Sign of the Four by Arthur Conan Doyle (1890), public domain.
Questions
What is The Sign of the Four about?
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson help Mary Morstan, a young woman whose father vanished years ago and who has since received a rare pearl every year from an unknown sender. Their investigation uncovers a hidden treasure, a secret pact made in India and a murder in a locked room.
Who are the main characters?
The main characters are the detective Sherlock Holmes, his friend Dr. John Watson, who narrates the story, and their client Mary Morstan. Other key figures include the nervous Thaddeus Sholto and his brother Bartholomew.
Is The Sign of the Four suitable for children or teens?
This edition is rated 13+. The story includes a murder with a poisoned dart, other deaths, tense chase scenes and Holmes's use of cocaine, which is shown at the start of the book. These elements suit teens and adults better than younger children.
How long does this edition take to read or listen to?
The narration runs about 44 minutes across 120 illustrated pages, so most people can finish it in one sitting.
Is this the full book?
No. This is a condensed picture-book retelling that follows the main plot. Doyle's complete novel is in the public domain and free to read.
Read the text version: every page's caption, with its picture, on one page.
