Sherlock Holmes miraculously survives a deadly fight with an opponent based on what real-life criminal?
Professor Moriarty Professor James Moriarty is a fictional character and the main antagonist in some of the Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Moriarty is a criminal mastermind whom Holmes describes as the "Napoleon of crime". Doyle lifted the phrase from a Scotland Yard inspector who was referring to Adam Worth, a real-life criminal mastermind and one of the individuals upon whom the character of Moriarty was based. The character was introduced primarily as a narrative device to enable Doyle to kill Sherlock Holmes, and only featured in two of the Sherlock Holmes stories. However, in many adaptations, he has been given a greater prominence and treated as Holmes' archenemy.
The Final Problem "The Final Problem" is a short story by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle featuring his detective character Sherlock Holmes. It was first published in "Strand Magazine" under the title "The Adventure of the Final Problem" in December 1893. It appears in book form as part of the collection "The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes". Conan Doyle later ranked "The Final Problem" fourth on his personal list of the twelve best Holmes stories.