Four cases that chronicle Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson's quarter-century of espionage against the German Empire. As most readers know, that campaign ended in triumph on the night of August 2, 1914. Along the way, there were many ups and downs, some of them recorded in this volume.

The Case of the Dying Emperor (1888). Our Heroes journey to Charlottenburg to defend Frederick III, Germany's stricken emperor, from the wily machinations of the "Iron Chancellor," Otto von Bismarck, and Frederick's cold and calculating son, the future "Kaiser Bill."

The Inconvenient Heir-Apparent (1898). Holmes is summoned to Geneva by the legendary "Sisi," Empress Elisabeth of Austria, to "rake through the coals of Mayerling" and learn the true fate of Crown Prince Rudolf, her dead son.

A Scandal in Serbia (1903). The actual events behind "A Scandal in Bohemia." Get ready for surprising revelations about that story's heroine and meet two non-Bohemian kings, a hapless queen, and conspirators who will light "the Balkan Powder Keg" that sets off World War I.

The Welbeck Abbey Shooting Party (1913). A prequel to "His Last Bow." Can Holmes save a threatened heir-apparent without compromising his more vital mission to outwit a German spy? Can Watson spend a week in the country with two beautiful, aristocratic ladies and still go home to his third wife?