5. Doyle grew tired of Holmes by 1893
In September, 1893, The Strand Magazine published The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter, introducing a new character in the Holmes universe. Dr. Watson is astonished to learn that Sherlock has a brother by the name of Mycroft. According to Sherlock, Mycroft possesses skills in deductive reasoning which exceed his own, though he is too lazy to apply them. Sherlock reveals he has frequently consulted his brother for assistance, though in the story Mycroft asks Sherlock for help with a problem. Until this appearance, nothing in the previously published stories referred to any other members of Sherlock Holmes’s family.
The story was followed with the longest of the short stories produced to that time, The Adventure of the Naval Treaty. Its length required it to be published in two parts, in October and November, 1893. For the December issue, Doyle indicated his fatigue with the characters and the mysteries they solved. The Strand Magazine enjoyed booming sales during the two years of the Sherlock Holmes stories, as did Harper’s Weekly, which published most of the stories in the United States. When they received their submission for the December issue, The Final Problem, they learned that Arthur Conan Doyle killed the great detective, having him drown in mortal combat with Professor Moriarty at Reichenbach Falls.