See Also: 'Who Shot Sherlock?' Episode Guide

The game's afoot in Las Vegas this season when a master criminal has the audacity to murder none other than Sherlock Holmes himself.

Sources today revealed the first plot details for the eleventh episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation's fifth season, entitled "Who Shot Sherlock Holmes?" Of course, it's not really Holmes who bites the bullet, but Joe Bell, a man who has trouble distinguishing the difference between fact and fiction. Bell is the leading member of a literary society whose members dress up in period costume and role-play Sherlock Holmes mysteries with each other.

Joe Bell was completely obsessed with Sherlock Holmes, recreating the detective's study from 211B Baker Street in his house and eagerly taking on the role of Holmes at the society meetings. The obsession soon took a toll on his personal life, leaving him estranged from his wife and seven-year-old son. Bell's case is an intriguing one worthy of Holmes himself: he is found shot dead in the study he loved so much, apparently by his own hand.

But the CSIs aren't ready to put the case down to a suicide just yet: there are many other clues to examine, such as evidence of drug use and ashes found on the floor near Bell's body. The other members of the club could have had a motive for killing Bell. At the last meeting of the literary society, he announced that he had decided to shut down the club, a decision that rocked his fellow Holmes enthusiasts. The prime suspects are: Raymond Oakes (Doctor Watson), a security guard; Kay Marquette (Irene Adler), a barmaid who looks after her sick mother; and Josh Frost (Professor Moriarty), a doctoral candidate in English History.

The investigation homes in on Oakes in particular. As a security guard who couldn't make it as a cop, he's spent his whole life wanting to be something better. With Bell out of the way, he could stop playing second-fiddle Watson and assume the mantle of Sherlock Holmes himself...

Please note that the above plot details have not been confirmed by CBS, Alliance Atlantis or Bruckheimer Films, and until such time you should treat this information as you would any other rumour. The above information comes from early script drafts and the details and the airing order of the episodes are liable to change before the episodes are shown.

"Who Shot Sherlock Holmes?" will likely air in late 2004 or early 2005. For more information on real-life Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts, visit the Sherlock Holmes Society of London, or Sherlockian.net.

Discuss this news item at Talk CSI!
 Add CSI Files RSS feed to your news reader or My Yahoo!
Also a Desperate Housewives fan? Then visit GetDesperate.com!