London. 1910. A procession of smartly attired gentlemen and ladies is clearly out of place among the vendors and urchins of the Whitechapel district. As the group makes its way through the crowded streets, the tour guide stops now and then to point out the various places where mutilated bodies of women were once found. Although the murders occurred twenty-two years prior, the man leading the group seems to know every element of each slaying. Of those things he does not know, he offers freely his own insightful conjecture. This is, however, no average tour of brutal acts. It is a close look at the trail of blood left by the infamous serial killer Jack the Ripper. And the man leading the group is none other than Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - creator of Sherlock Holmes, the world's greatest detective. In THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. DOYLE, we gain fascinating and shocking insights into the minds of the famous author and the infamous murderer.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a member of an actual tour group that visited the sites of the Whitechapel murders in 1905. While this book does not contain a description of that tour, authors Daniel Friedman and Eugene Friedman have meticulously pieced together Doyle's own words to create a riveting account of his publicly stated opinions on these horrific murders. As Doyle takes this book's fictionalised collection of characters on his tour, the reader learns about the victims and the way in which each was killed. The authors have, also, included new pieces of evidence that help us understand better the murderer known as Jack the Ripper. Interspersed throughout the tour is the Friedmans' unique and well-researched account of the life of young Arthur Conan Doyle. The authors have uncovered facts overlooked by most, if not all, previous Doyle biographers. Doyle was able to reinvent himself so fully through his writings that few are aware of the more disquieting elements that have been cut out of his own life story. What these two authors have found in their investigation of Jack the Ripper and Sir Arthur will no doubt spark passion and debate among Sherlockians for years to come.
THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. DOYLE proves once again that truth - elementary as it may be - is always stranger than fiction.
From the Inside Flap
In the spring of 1905, members of an exclusive club of crime enthusiasts known as Our Society were taken on a guided excursion through Whitechapel, one of London's most notorious districts, by Dr. Frederick Gordon Brown, the chief police surgeon for the City of London. But this was no ordinary sightseeing tour. The focus of the outing was Jack the Ripper's reputed murder sites, and among the guests that day was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of the world's greatest detective, Sherlock Holmes.
Here, now, in The Strange Case of Dr. Doyle by first-time son/father writing team Daniel Friedman, MD, and Eugene Friedman, MD, you are cordially invited to join a recreation of that tour. This expedition, however, will differ from the original in one very important way: It will be led by celebrated author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself. As you stroll beside Doyle and his other guests, you will travel to the location of each of the five canonical Ripper murders. Thanks to your guide's observations and opinions, all of which are based on actual historical accounts, you will learn as much about the district of Whitechapel as you will the terrible Ripper killings that occurred there.
After each stop on the tour, you will also become acquainted with the life of Arthur Conan Doyle, from his earliest days in Edinburgh to his first taste of success as a writer. You will observe Arthur's hardships at home, his experiences at boarding school, his adventures at sea, his university education, and his days as a working medical doctor. You will be granted a picture of the man as few have ever seen him. As you alternate between biography and tour, you will become a Holmes-like detective, unearthing facts, discovering details, and piecing together information about both Jack the Ripper and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. If you maintain a sharp mind and a keen eye, at the end of your journey, you may just uncover a truth you never expected to find.
Author Biography:
Daniel L. Friedman, MD, received his BA from Stony Brook University, and his medical degree from St. George's School of Medicine. He is currently a practicing pediatrician in Floral Park, New York, and is also an active member of the Cohen Children's Medical Center, where he sits on the voluntary staff advisory committee. Dr. Friedman's prize-winning articles on Doyle and Holmes have appeared in numerous national and international journals. He and Dr. Eugene Friedman are also the authors of the book, The Strange Case of Doctor Doyle. Dr. Friedman resides in Long Island, New York with his wife, Elena, and their three children.
Eugene Friedman, MD, received his BA from New York University, and his medical degree from New York Medical College. He was Chief Resident in Pediatrics at New York Medical College and later served as Assistant Chief of Pediatrics at Martin Army Hospital at Fort Benning, Georgia. Dr. Friedman has been in private practice with his son, Daniel, for over twenty years.. He has held multiple leadership positions in organized medicine and has devoted himself to the education of future physicians. He and his wife, Sheryl, live in Long Island, New York and have five children and fifteen grandchildren.
