In 1893, Arthur Conan Doyle, tired of the character overshadowing his other works, decided to "kill off" Sherlock Holmes in the short story "The Last Problem." In this story, Holmes battles his eternal enemy, Professor Moriarty, and falls with him from the Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland.

The public's reaction was unprecedented. Thousands of readers, primarily in Britain, mourned Holmes's death. Some even wore black armbands as a sign of mourning, as if a real person had passed away. Writer Conan Doyle received numerous angry letters from enraged fans. Notably, subscriptions to The Strand Magazine, where Holmes's stories were published, dropped dramatically, with over 20,000 cancellations.

For ten years, Doyle resisted the appeals of the public and publishers. Eventually, economic pressures and popular demand convinced him to bring Holmes back. Initially, in 1901, Doyle published the novel "The Hound of the Baskervilles," a story set before Holmes's death, temporarily satisfying the audience.

Ten years later, the legend was definitively revived. The top criminologist returns from the shadows of the past, ready to undertake thirteen new, unsolved cases. In 1903, Doyle fully resurrected Holmes with the short story "The Adventure of the Empty House," explaining that he had faked his death to hide from his enemies. Holmes's return was met with relief and enthusiasm from the public. The sales of The Strand Magazine increased impressively, recovering completely.

Although Doyle continued to write Holmes stories until 1927, he never concealed his bitterness about this retreat. The character of Holmes ultimately overshadowed his entire body of work, which he did not want. The story of Sherlock Holmes's death and return is a perfect example that some heroes are simply "too good to die."