The Strange Case of Dr. Doyle: A Journey Into Madness and Mayhem - Hardcover

by Daniel Friedman MD (Author), Eugene Friedman MD (Author)

London. 1910. A procession of well-attired gentlemen and ladies are clearlyout of place among the stalls and pushcarts of the Whitechapel District. Asthe group makes its way through the crowded streets, the tour guide stopsnow and then to point out various places where the mutilated bodies of thewomen had been found. Although the murders occurred twenty-two yearsprior, the man leading the group seems to know every detail and aspect ofeach slaying. Of those things he does not know, he offers freely his owninsightful conjecture. This is, however, no average tour of brutal acts. It isa close look at infamous serial killer Jack the Ripper s trail of blood. And theman leading the group is none other than Sir Arthur Conan Doyle famouscreator of fictional character Sherlock Holmes, the world s greatest detective.In The Strange Case of Dr. Doyle, we learn what draws one famousEnglishman to another in ways that are as fascinating as they are shocking.Sir Arthur Conan Doyle actually led a tour group to the sites of the WhitechapelMurders in the year 1910. While we do not have an existing description ofthat tour, authors Daniel Friedman, MD, and Eugene Friedman, MD, havemeticulously pieced together Doyle s own words to create a riveting accountof his publicly stated beliefs on each of these horrific murders. As Doyle takesthe group on his tour, the reader learns about the victims and the way eachdied. The authors have also included new pieces of evidence to understandbetter the murderer known to history only as Jack the Ripper.Interspersed throughout the tour is the Friedmans unique and well-researchedaccount of the life of the young Conan Doyle, which was shrouded in moremystery than any of his own works of fiction. The authors have uncoveredfacts about which few, if any, Doyle biographers have ever been aware. Doylewas able to reinvent himself so fully through his own writings that fewrecognized the more disturbing elements that were cut out of his own lifestory. What these two authors have uncovered in their investigation of Jackthe Ripper and Sir Arthur will no doubt spark passion and debate amongSherlockians for years to come. The Strange Case of Dr. Doyle proves onceagain that truth elementary as it may be is always stranger than fiction."

Front Jacket

In the spring of 1905, members of an exclusive club of crime enthusiasts known as Our Society were taken on a guided excursion through Whitechapel, one of London's most notorious districts, by Dr. Frederick Gordon Brown, the chief police surgeon for the City of London. But this was no ordinary sightseeing tour. The focus of the outing was Jack the Ripper's reputed murder sites, and among the guests that day was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of the world's greatest detective, Sherlock Holmes.

Here, now, in The Strange Case of Dr. Doyle by first-time son/father writing team Daniel Friedman, MD, and Eugene Friedman, MD, you are cordially invited to join a recreation of that tour. This expedition, however, will differ from the original in one very important way: It will be led by celebrated author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself. As you stroll beside Doyle and his other guests, you will travel to the location of each of the five canonical Ripper murders. Thanks to your guide's observations and opinions, all of which are based on actual historical accounts, you will learn as much about the district of Whitechapel as you will the terrible Ripper killings that occurred there.

After each stop on the tour, you will also become acquainted with the life of Arthur Conan Doyle, from his earliest days in Edinburgh to his first taste of success as a writer. You will observe Arthur's hardships at home, his experiences at boarding school, his adventures at sea, his university education, and his days as a working medical doctor. You will be granted a picture of the man as few have ever seen him. As you alternate between biography and tour, you will become a Holmes-like detective, unearthing facts, discovering details, and piecing together information about both Jack the Ripper and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. If you maintain a sharp mind and a keen eye, at the end of your journey, you may just uncover a truth you never expected to find.