The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire

The story begins with Watson and Holmes discussing a case involving a vampire. Watson is skeptical, but Holmes is intrigued and decides to investigate. The case involves a family in Sussex who have been plagued by a vampire. The vampire has been draining the blood of their infant son, and the family is desperate for help. Holmes and Watson travel to Sussex and investigate the case. They discover that the vampire is actually a large bat that has been living in the family's attic. Holmes is able to capture the bat and the family is relieved. The story ends with Holmes and Watson discussing the case and the implications of the supernatural. Holmes concludes that the case was simply a matter of science and not of the supernatural.

By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle · First published 1927 · Genre: Mystery, Detective Fiction, Horror · 7,277 words

First lines

Holmes had read carefully a note which the last post had brought him. Then, with the dry chuckle which was his nearest approach to a laugh, he tossed it over to me.

"For a mixture of the modern and the mediaeval, of the practical and of the wildly fanciful, I think this is surely the limit," said he. "What do you make of it, Watson?"

What this Textopian page supports

The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire is listed on Textopian as a short story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, dated 1927 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

• Work type: Short story
• Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• Date: 1927 CE
• Language: English
• Genres: Mystery, Detective Fiction, Horror, Fantasy
• Length: 7,277 words
• Structure: 1 section, 193 paragraphs
• Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)

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• Work identity for The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
• Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
• Readability and classroom-planning context
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Discussion starters

• What should a reader notice first when entering The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire?
• How does this short story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
• Where does Mystery first become important in the reading?

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Genres

• Mystery — The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire is a Sherlock Holmes mystery story, featuring the famous detective solving a case involving a vampire.
• Detective Fiction — The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire is a detective fiction story, featuring Sherlock Holmes solving a case involving a vampire.
• Horror — The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire contains elements of horror, as it features a vampire as the main antagonist.
• Fantasy — The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire contains elements of fantasy, as it features a vampire as the main antagonist.

Tags

mystery · detective · Sherlock Holmes · vampire · crime · investigation · 19th century · England · literature · suspense · fiction · short story

More by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

• The Parish Magazine (1914)
• The Great Brown-Pericord Motor (1914)
• The Holocaust of Manor Place (1901)
• The Debatable Case of Mrs. Emsley (1901)
• The Love Affair of George Vincent Parker (1901)
• The Disintegration Machine (1927)
• The Bully of Brocas Court (1914)
• The Brown Hand (1914)
• All works by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle