56 Arthur Conan Doyle Books for Free! [PDF]

A king hires Sherlock Holmes to recover a photo that could destroy his reputation. A Scandal in Bohemia is the story where Holmes finally meets someone smarter than him.

Arthur Conan Doyle introduced Irene Adler in this 1891 tale. She is the only woman Holmes ever truly respected, and you will see why.

Dr. Watson meets a strange man named Sherlock Holmes, and together they take on a murder case that leads from London to the American desert. A Study In Scarlet is the novel where it all started.

Arthur Conan Doyle published this in 1887 and created the most famous detective in the world. If you love mysteries, this is where to begin.

During World War I, the creator of Sherlock Holmes traveled to the front lines to see the war for himself. A Visit to Three Fronts is a firsthand look at soldiers and battlefields across three countries.

Arthur Conan Doyle wrote with the same sharp eye he used for fiction. This short account shows you the human side of a world at war.

Brigadier Gerard is a French soldier who thinks he is the bravest man alive, and his adventures are both bold and hilarious. Adventures of Gerard is a fun ride through the Napoleonic Wars with a very confident narrator.

Arthur Conan Doyle loved this character even more than Sherlock Holmes. These stories are short, witty, and perfect for when you want something light.

Sherlock Holmes comes out of retirement for one last case, this time to catch a spy. His Last Bow collects stories that show Holmes at his sharpest and most human.

Arthur Conan Doyle wrote these tales during World War I. If you love clever puzzles and a detective who never gives up, this collection delivers.

A young Puritan joins a rebellion against the king and finds himself in the middle of a real war. Micah Clarke is a fast adventure set in 17th-century England.

Arthur Conan Doyle wrote this before creating Sherlock Holmes. It's full of swordfights, friendship, and the struggle to do what's right.

A young man enters the rough world of bare-knuckle boxing in Regency England. Rodney Stone mixes mystery, sport, and history into one gripping tale.

Arthur Conan Doyle wrote more than just Sherlock Holmes stories. This novel shows his talent for bringing past eras to life with vivid action.

A young English knight sets out to prove himself during the Hundred Years' War. Sir Nigel is a rousing adventure full of battles, honor, and courage.

Arthur Conan Doyle loved medieval history, and that passion fills every chapter of this exciting novel. If you enjoy knights and swordplay, this is for you.

A famous racehorse disappears and its trainer is found dead. The Adventure of Silver Blaze features Sherlock Holmes at his sharpest, solving a case with the clue that was not there.

Arthur Conan Doyle wrote one of the most quoted lines in detective fiction here: the dog that did nothing in the nighttime. This story is a perfect example of Holmes at work.

A banker trusts his family to guard a priceless crown, and wakes up to find it damaged. The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet shows how Sherlock Holmes sees what others miss.

Arthur Conan Doyle packed this short mystery with family secrets, false blame, and a satisfying twist. It is one of the best Holmes stories to read on a quiet evening.

A stolen gem turns up inside a Christmas goose, and Holmes traces it back to its source. The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle is a fun, festive mystery with a warm ending.

Arthur Conan Doyle set this around Christmas, giving it a lighter tone than most Holmes cases. It is one of the most charming stories in the whole Sherlock Holmes collection.

Secret submarine plans go missing and a young clerk is found dead on the train tracks. The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans is a tense spy story starring Sherlock Holmes at the height of his powers.

Arthur Conan Doyle brings in Sherlock's brother Mycroft, who may be even smarter than Holmes himself. This is one of the most thrilling adventures in the series.

A woman receives a package containing two severed ears, and Holmes must find out who sent them and why. The Adventure of the Cardboard Box is one of the darkest and most gripping Holmes stories.

Arthur Conan Doyle explored jealousy and revenge in this tale. It shows Holmes solving a human tragedy, not just a puzzle.

A young woman takes a well-paid job at a country house, but her employer's strange demands make her suspect something dark. The Adventure of the Copper Beeches is one of Sherlock Holmes's most unsettling cases.

Arthur Conan Doyle puts Holmes in a case where the real danger hides behind polite smiles and a big paycheck. If you like mysteries with a creepy twist, this short story delivers.

A respected colonel is found dead, and his wife stands accused. The Adventure of the Crooked Man reveals a secret from decades ago that came back to ruin everything.

Arthur Conan Doyle shows how old betrayals never truly stay buried. This short Holmes tale packs a full story into just a few pages.

Sherlock Holmes goes to Cornwall for rest, but a local family tragedy pulls him into a case involving madness, death, and a rare African poison. The Adventure of the Devil's Foot is one of the most dangerous stories Holmes ever faced.

Arthur Conan Doyle puts Holmes's own life at risk in this one. If you want a Holmes story where the stakes feel real, start here.

Holmes is dying of a tropical disease, or so everyone believes. The Adventure of the Dying Detective is a clever game of deception played from a sickbed.

Arthur Conan Doyle reminds you that Holmes is always three steps ahead of everyone in the room. This short story has one of the best twists in the whole series.

Everyone thought Sherlock Holmes was dead. The Adventure of the Empty House is the story where he comes back and shocks Watson to his core.

Arthur Conan Doyle brought Holmes back after fans demanded it. This is the return that changed detective fiction forever.

An old family riddle hides something worth more than anyone guessed. In The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual, Holmes cracks a puzzle that connects an ancient ceremony to a hidden treasure.

Arthur Conan Doyle tells this one as a flashback from Holmes's early days. If you enjoy treasure hunts wrapped in logic and history, you'll love this one.

Someone is smashing plaster busts of Napoleon all over London. The Adventure of the Six Napoleons starts as a weird crime and turns into a chase for something hidden inside the statues.

Arthur Conan Doyle wrote one of the most satisfying Holmes endings right here. Even the Scotland Yard inspector applauds at the end.

A terrified woman begs Holmes for help after her sister died under strange conditions. The Adventure of the Speckled Band features one of the most clever murder methods in detective fiction.

Arthur Conan Doyle called this his own favorite Holmes story. Once you find out what the speckled band really is, you won't forget it.

Twelve cases, twelve puzzles, and the detective who sees what everyone else misses. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is the collection that made Holmes a household name.

Arthur Conan Doyle gave readers short, sharp stories you can finish in one sitting. This is the perfect place to start if you've never read Holmes.

A young man is accused of killing his own father near a quiet country pond. The Boscombe Valley Mystery shows Holmes proving that the obvious suspect is not always the guilty one.

Arthur Conan Doyle built this story around secrets from the past that two families tried to bury. It's a classic Holmes case with a surprising layer of mercy.

This is a detailed account of the British army during World War I. The British Campaign in France and Flanders covers real battles, real soldiers, and the cost of trench warfare.

Arthur Conan Doyle wrote this as the war happened, not from a desk years later. His reporter's eye gives this history a pace that keeps you reading.

A whaling ship is trapped in Arctic ice, and the captain hears a voice calling from the frozen dark. The Captain of the Pole-Star is a ghost story set in the most lonely place on Earth.

Arthur Conan Doyle based this on his own time aboard a whaling ship. The cold and the fear feel real because he lived through something like it.

Arthur Conan Doyle believed cameras could capture the dead. The Case for Spirit Photography presents his argument that ghostly images in photographs were real.

The creator of Sherlock Holmes spent his later years defending the supernatural. This book shows a fascinating side of a brilliant mind that wanted to believe.

A famous surgeon is tricked into doing something that will haunt him forever. The Case of Lady Sannox is a revenge story with one of the cruelest twists in short fiction.

Arthur Conan Doyle proves here that he could write horror as well as he wrote mysteries. Once you understand what happened, you'll want to read it again from the start.

This is the final collection of Sherlock Holmes stories. The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes brings twelve more cases, some darker and stranger than anything Holmes faced before.

Arthur Conan Doyle said goodbye to his famous detective with stories that push into horror, science, and the darkest corners of human behavior.

King Leopold II of Belgium turned the Congo into a personal rubber farm, and millions suffered for it. The Crime of the Congo is an angry, detailed account of one of history's worst abuses of power.

Arthur Conan Doyle wrote this to wake the world up to what was happening. It's a hard read, but an important one for understanding colonial history.

A brave but vain French soldier tells tales of his adventures during the Napoleonic Wars. The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard is a collection of funny, exciting stories with a narrator who can't stop bragging.

Arthur Conan Doyle loved these stories as much as he loved Sherlock Holmes. Gerard is charming, clueless, and impossible not to like.

Sherlock Holmes meets his match in Professor Moriarty, and their battle ends at a waterfall. The Final Problem is the story that killed Holmes and shocked readers around the world.

Arthur Conan Doyle tried to end his detective for good. Fans were so upset that people wore black armbands in the streets of London.

An envelope with five orange seeds arrives, and people start dying. The Five Orange Pips is one of the rare Holmes cases where the detective can't save everyone, and the enemy is far away.

Arthur Conan Doyle gives this story a darker tone than most Holmes tales. The mystery reaches across the Atlantic and into a shameful chapter of American history.

A professor and his student try an experiment and end up swapping bodies by accident. The Great Keinplatz Experiment is a funny short story with a wild twist.

Arthur Conan Doyle is famous for Sherlock Holmes, but this tale shows his playful side and love for the strange. It is a quick, fun read.

Napoleon's shadow falls over a small Scottish village as young men get called to war. The Great Shadow follows a farm boy from quiet country life all the way to the Battle of Waterloo.

Arthur Conan Doyle brings history to life through the eyes of ordinary people. This novel shows what war looks like when you are not a general but a scared young soldier.

The creator of Sherlock Holmes spent years studying ghosts, mediums, and the afterlife. The History of Spiritualism is his full account of the movement that tried to prove life after death was real.

Arthur Conan Doyle truly believed in the spirit world. Whether you share his beliefs or not, this book is a fascinating look at a side of history most people forget.

A family curse says a giant hound haunts the moors and kills every Baskerville heir. The Hound of the Baskervilles sends Sherlock Holmes to find out if the danger is real or just a clever trick.

Arthur Conan Doyle mixed detective fiction with gothic horror in this novel. It is the most famous Sherlock Holmes story ever written, and for good reason.

Professor Challenger, the bold explorer from The Lost World, turns his attention to ghosts, mediums, and the question of life after death. The Land of Mist blends adventure with the supernatural.

Arthur Conan Doyle was a true believer in spiritualism, and this novel reflects his personal passion. It is a unique mix of fiction and the author's deepest beliefs.

From ancient Rome to the high seas, this collection takes you across time and place. The Last Galley gathers tales of war, honor, and courage from different periods in history.

Arthur Conan Doyle loved history as much as mystery. These stories show a writer who could bring any era to life with sharp detail.

Professor Challenger claims dinosaurs still exist on a hidden plateau in South America, and he dares a team of skeptics to come see for themselves. The Lost World is the adventure novel that inspired Jurassic Park.

Arthur Conan Doyle created a world beyond Sherlock Holmes with this book. It is fast, fun, and full of surprises at every turn.

A respectable man vanishes, and his wife swears she saw him in a window above an opium den. The Man with the Twisted Lip is a Sherlock Holmes case where nothing is what it seems.

Arthur Conan Doyle packed a surprising twist into this short story. The solution is more about human nature than crime, and that is what makes it memorable.

Eleven cases, one detective, and a final showdown at a waterfall. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes includes some of Holmes's most famous adventures and ends with the story that shocked readers around the world.

Arthur Conan Doyle tried to end Holmes here, but fans would not let him. This collection proves why the detective became one of the most loved characters in fiction.

A retired general locks himself in a big house and lives in constant fear of something no one can see. The Mystery of Cloomber slowly reveals a dark secret from his time in India.

Arthur Conan Doyle wrote this early in his career, mixing mystery with eastern mysticism. It is an eerie tale that shows his interest in the supernatural long before his later work.

Two friends in South Africa hear about a haunted valley with a glowing demon's eye, and they set out to find the truth, discovering something far more valuable than a ghost. The Mystery of Sasassa Valley is Arthur Conan Doyle's very first published story.

Arthur Conan Doyle wrote this at just 19 years old. It is short and fun, and you can already see the gift for suspense that would make him world-famous.

After losing loved ones in World War I, Arthur Conan Doyle became convinced that the dead could communicate with the living. The New Revelation is his personal case for spiritualism.

Arthur Conan Doyle wrote with the same logic he gave Sherlock Holmes. Whether you agree or not, it is a fascinating look at a brilliant mind seeking answers beyond science.

A professor of science sits through a demonstration of mind control and finds he cannot resist the power of the woman controlling him. The Parasite is a short novel about losing your free will.

Arthur Conan Doyle explored the line between science and the supernatural in this creepy tale. It is a fast read that gets under your skin.

The Earth passes through a cloud of poisonous gas, and Professor Challenger believes he and his friends may be the last people alive. The Poison Belt is a science fiction tale about the end of the world.

Arthur Conan Doyle wrote this as a sequel to The Lost World. It is short and gripping, and the way the characters face possible extinction feels surprisingly real.

A man with red hair gets paid to copy an encyclopedia all day, and it sounds harmless until Sherlock Holmes looks into it. The Red-Headed League is a clever mystery with one of the funniest setups in detective fiction.

Arthur Conan Doyle packed a full puzzle into a short story. You will try to guess the trick, and Holmes will still surprise you.

Two very different men flee danger in Europe and end up in the wilds of North America. The Refugees moves between the royal court of France and the forests of the New World.

Arthur Conan Doyle wrote this historical novel with fast action and vivid scenes. If you like adventure stories set in real places and times, this one will keep you turning pages.

Everyone thought Sherlock Holmes was dead, but he came back with thirteen new cases that rank among the best in the whole series. The Return of Sherlock Holmes is pure detective fiction at its finest.

Arthur Conan Doyle brought Holmes back after fans demanded it. If you enjoy watching a brilliant mind solve puzzles no one else can crack, start here.

A woman who receives a pearl every year from an unknown sender calls Sherlock Holmes when a strange note arrives. The Sign of the Four is a mystery that leads to stolen treasure, a wooden-legged man, and a wild boat chase on the Thames.

Arthur Conan Doyle wrote this in 1890 as the second Holmes novel. It is fast, exciting, and shows why Holmes became the world's favorite detective.

A young doctor tries to build a life and career while questioning religion, science, and friendship. The Stark Munro Letters is a novel told through letters that feel honest and personal.

Arthur Conan Doyle based much of this on his own early life as a doctor. If you want to know the man behind Sherlock Holmes, this book offers a rare window.

A group of tourists on a Nile cruise is captured by desert warriors, and their lives hang in the balance. The Tragedy of the Korosko is a tense survival story set in the sands of Egypt.

Arthur Conan Doyle based this on real events he witnessed during his travels. It is a gripping read that puts you right in the middle of the danger.

Sherlock Holmes gets a coded warning about a murder, and the case leads to a secret society in a mining town. The Valley of Fear is part detective story, part thriller, and one of the best Holmes novels.

Arthur Conan Doyle published this in 1915, and it has two gripping halves. If you like Holmes at his sharpest and a story with real danger, start with this one.

After the horrors of World War I, Arthur Conan Doyle looked for answers about life after death. The Vital Message shares his personal case for why he believed the spirit world is real.

This 1919 book shows a very different side of the man who created Sherlock Holmes. Whether you agree with him or not, his sincerity and grief come through on every page.

Arthur Conan Doyle went to the Boer War as a doctor and came home to defend Britain's role in the conflict. The War in South Africa: Its Cause and Conduct is his firsthand account and argument about a war that divided the world.

This book earned Doyle his knighthood and shows his passion for justice. If you are interested in history told by someone who was there, this is a strong primary source.

A young monk leaves his abbey and joins a band of English archers heading to war in medieval France. The White Company is a sweeping adventure story full of battles, honor, and friendship.

Arthur Conan Doyle considered this his best work, even above Sherlock Holmes. If you love historical fiction with real sword fights and brave characters, this novel delivers.