Red File (Book)

The Sign of the Four is the 1887 novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in which the famous detective Sherlock Holmes is introduced for the first time. The work focuses on the meeting of Holmes and Dr John H Watson and their first case together. The novel is regarded as one of the classics of detective fiction.

The novel begins with Dr John H Watson returning from military service in Afghanistan and settling in London. Through an old acquaintance, Watson meets Sherlock Holmes and the two begin living together at 221B Baker Street. Shortly thereafter, Holmes is invited by detectives from Scotland Yard to investigate a mysterious murder in an abandoned house on Brixton Road.

At the crime scene, bloodstains are found around the body and the word “RACHE” is written in blood on the wall. Holmes examines the details of the case and uncovers the complex past and motive of revenge behind the murder. In the second part of the novel, flashbacks reveal events within a Mormon community in America that are connected to the crime’s origins.

The novel is structured around the following themes:

• Justice and revenge
• Observation and logical deduction
• Social norms and individual freedom
• Religious beliefs and their impact on the individual

• Narrator: Dr John H Watson (first-person narration)
• Narrative style: A detailed prose style consistent with 19th-century English
• Structure: Composed of two parts; the first details the murder investigation, the second recounts the backstory of the crime

Due to its role as the starting point of the Sherlock Holmes series, the novel holds an important place in the history of detective fiction.