Sherlock Holmes

The hero of the stories is the very model of private detective; the worlds first consulting detective, in
fact. The return in the anthologys title refers to a return from the grave. Or so readers were convinced to
believe. Following a three year break from writing stories about Holmes after apparently having killed his
creation off, public pressure forced Arthur Conan Doyle to literally resurrect Holmes from the grave. The
Empty House reveals how Doyle managed to get around this admittedly significant creative hindrance.

Dr. John Watson

The ever-dependable chronicle of the adventures of Holmes and his faithful companion as always plays a
big role in the in the investigation of these cases. Indeed, The Empty House is notable Watsons
description of his own decidedly non-military fainting spell at the sight of the return of the boon
companion he thought dead for the past three years.

Col. Sebastian Moran

The man that Holmes was characterized as the second most dangerous in London attempts to complete
the job that the world thought Professor Moriarty had accomplished, but actually did not: kill Sherlock
Holmes. The weapon: a customized air gun. The location: the empty house across from 221B Baker
Street. Watson gets to be the hero here by knocking Moran down before he complete his dastardly
assignment.

Jonas Oldacre

One of the craftiest villains to square off against Holmes, Oldacre is so consumed by a lust for revenge
that he is willing to destroy former loves, kill innocent people, fake his own death and escape detection
by hiding in a cramped space behind a wall. A little deception on the part of Holmes manages to trick
Oldacre out of his own deceit.

Elsie Patrick

One of a number of admirably strong female characters that pop up in this collection is Elsie Patrick. (For
the record, Oldacres housekeeper is pretty strong herself, but not in admirable way). Elsie is an
American trying to escape her past association with members of a secret society who communicate
through little stick figures that appear to be dancing.

Violet Smith

The bicycling Miss Smith is another of Doyles memorable female characters that Sherlock helps after his
return from the grave. She is prepared to take a proactive approach in assisting the detective and
Watson assist with her peculiar predicament.

Charles Augustus Milverton

The master blackmailer who assumes he is above such mundane concerns as morality draws the ire of
Holmes in a way that even Moriarty failed to do. Milverton is a uniquely idiosyncratic villain, not the least
because he was based on a real life model who shared his first and middle name. He is also rather
unique in the canon in that Watson and Holmes are presentalthough, unsurprisingly, disguised behind
drapeswhen he becomes the victim of his own crimes at the hands of a victim who refused to pay for
his silence and whose husband died as a result. Not content with merely shooting Milverton to death,
she takes the time to grind her shoe into the dead mans face. Not for the first time, Holmes allows the
perpetrator of a crime to go unpunished thanks to extenuating circumstances.

Anna Coram

Most assuredly, one of the most fascinating female characters in this or any other Holmes story is the
unintentional criminal, Anna Coram, who spends most of the story hidden away behind walls. Her
resemblance to Jonas Oldacre ends there, however, as she is a Nihilist who spent time in a Siberian
prison camp as a result of her estranged husbands betrayal.

Capt. Jack Croker

The antithesis to Milverton, Jack Croker manages to do what very few characters have ever done in the
stories of Sherlock Holmes: impress the detective with the depth of his character. Even Holmes is
prepared to allow Croker to join the killer of Milverton as one of the lucky few he would see go free for
committing righteous criminal acts, the seaman refuses. A deal is struck that if the police do figure things
out and catch up to him within a year, Holmes will testify in his defense. If the police fail, he should
consider himself free to come back and marry his love.

Lady Hilda Trelawney Hope

She may be known to the rest of London as the European Secretarys wife, but to Holmes she is the true
brains in that union. Lady Hilda is the last of the truly memorable female characters that dominate the
cases that Sherlock returns from the grave to solve. In a tense battle of wills, Lady Hilda holds her own
up until the last second before accepting the wisdom of Holmes solution to her predicament.