Reviewer: Richard Marfuggi, MD, DMH        June 11, 2025

Arthur Conan Doyle graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and Master of Surgery (M.B. C.M.) degree in 1881 from the University of Edinburgh. He later earned a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree in 1885. Doyle’s initial pursuit of medicine arose out of necessity, influenced by family circumstances rather than personal passion. His family needed a reliable income, and medicine seemed a practical choice. Initially practicing as a general practitioner, he developed a particular interest in ophthalmology, studying the specialty in Vienna and Paris to refine his skills. Despite his medical talents, his practice never proved adequate to sustain him and his family. According to Michael Shulman, a medical historian, “although he respected medicine, Doyle found its discipline fundamentally at odds with his temperament. He was drawn to more imaginative and adventurous pursuits, and the routine of medical practice could not contain his restless spirit.”^[1] It is reasonable to assume that his professor, the incomparable diagnostician Dr. Joseph Bell, did not expect to become the impetus for Doyle’s second and third careers as writer and criminal investigator.

Conan Doyle for the Defense by Margalit Fox is a gripping true-crime narrative that combines meticulous historical research with the suspense of a detective novel. Fox’s book takes the reader through Doyle’s transformation from physician to writer to advocate as it delves into the 1908 murder of Marion Gilchrist in Glasgow and the subsequent wrongful conviction of Oscar Slater, a German-Jewish immigrant. The book stands out for its dual focus: a damning portrait of early 20th-century Scottish justice and a compelling account of Doyle’s real-life quest for truth and justice.

Fox reconstructs the murder and its aftermath with clarity and nuance. The police, driven by anti-immigrant and anti-Semitic biases, quickly targeted Slater, despite clear evidence of his innocence. The book exposes the era’s reliance on pseudoscientific criminology and the prejudices that permeated law enforcement and the courts, resulting in a life sentence for Slater. Fox’s detailed account of the trial and Slater’s years in the brutal Peterhead prison is both moving and enraging, highlighting the human cost of systemic injustice.

Fox’s narrative shines brightest when tracing Conan Doyle’s transformation from famous author to determined advocate. Drawing on his medical background and the diagnostic methods that inspired Sherlock Holmes, Doyle meticulously dissected the prosecution’s case, exposing logical fallacies, unreliable eyewitnesses, and fabricated evidence. His advocacy—through public campaigns, investigative work, and the publication of The Case of Oscar Slater—was instrumental in eventually overturning the conviction, though it took nearly two decades. Doyle is credited with stimulating reform efforts that led to the establishment of a system of criminal appeals first in England and then in Scotland.

Fox’s research is exhaustive, and her analysis is balanced, providing not just a biography of Conan Doyle but also a vivid portrait of an era grappling with the tension between prejudice and the emerging ideals of scientific reasoning and justice.

The book will appeal to fans of Sherlock Holmes, true crime enthusiasts, and readers interested in social justice and the evolution of forensic science.

Conan Doyle for the Defense is narrative nonfiction that not only resurrects a forgotten miscarriage of justice but also illuminates the enduring relevance of Conan Doyle’s commitment to reason and fairness. This is a must-read for anyone interested in the intersection of crime, history, and the pursuit of truth.

^[1] Shulman, M, https://hekint.org/2018/06/05/arthur-conan-doyle-and-the-romance-of-medicine/