There is something passing strange about Sherlock Holmes. As one of the most famous characters in popular literature, he strides into our imagination, deerstalker hat jauntily set on his head, pipe protruding from his mouth and a formidable intellect which painstakingly masters the mysteries he investigates. Clearly Holmes has a set of qualities which elevates him as a remarkable man... but is he? Everything that is remarkable about Sherlock Holmes is remarkable only for being found in a man. The qualities that set Holmes apart as a masterful sleuth are rather commonplace -- perhaps even universal -- in any woman. In a deep investigation of the literature of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, C. Alan Bradley and William A S Sarjeant uncover the surprising truth about Sherlock Holmes.