Master of detective fiction, Arthur Conan Doyle here reveals his deep fascination with spiritualism and the paranormal. To his fellow residents on the remote western coast of Scotland, Major Heatherstone’s behavior seems far from orthodox. Spurning all attempts at friendship, he instead becomes a recluse in Cloomber Hall, forbidding his children even to leave their home. Yet unbeknownst to him, they strike up a friendship with the neighboring Hunter Wests, who slowly begin to learn the cause of the Major’s paranoia and his fear of the fifth of October. As September draws to a close, and as they hear of the mysterious arrival of three Buddhist monks, they can only watch in vain. It seems the Major’s secret will not be laid to rest until vengeance is done.
About the author
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle, KSt J, DL (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer best known for his detective fiction featuring the character Sherlock Holmes. Originally a physician, in 1887 he published A Study in Scarlet, the first of four novels about Holmes and Dr. Watson. In addition, Doyle wrote over fifty short stories featuring the famous detective. The Sherlock Holmes stories are generally considered milestones in the field of crime fiction.
Doyle was a prolific writer; his non-Sherlockian works include fantasy and science fiction stories about Professor Challenger and humorous stories about the Napoleonic soldier Brigadier Gerard, as well as plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction and historical novels.