The Last Case explores the theme of Nazi Holocaust during World War II through the form of a detective novel, demonstrating the structural similarities between detective fiction and Holocaust literature. The novel narrates the massacre event from multiple perspectives, subverting the authoritative narrative structure of detective novels and using egalitarian narrative to confront totalitarianism and imperialism. Xia Bang has undergone a comprehensive transformation of detective novels, creating new works independent of the original text through appropriation and misreading of the original work. The complex handling of the plot structure of "crime investigation closure" in the novel has changed readers' expectations and achieved a unique aesthetic effect.

Entangled Mystery Case: From Murder Cases to Collective Killings

Xia Bang redesigned the crimes and mysteries of detective novels in 'The Last Case', deviating from the conventions of classic detective novels. There are at least three intertwined mysteries in the novel, which subvert the general rules of suspense setting in Sherlock Holmes stories. Xia Bang weakened the impact of murder on social order by reducing the importance of murder cases, shifting the focus of investigation from murder to the fate of Jews during World War II, redefining crime and linking it to colonialism, slavery, genocide, and other postcolonial contexts. This transformation has affected the psychological expectations of detective novel readers, forcing them to think about issues in the socio-economic structure and examine the contradictions and injustices of social order.

Lost Investigation: The Failure of Reason and the Emergence of Empires

The Last Case "rewrites traditional detective novels, questioning the ability to solve all problems rationally through the transformation of detective roles and the slowing down of the investigation process. In the novel, Holmes is no longer the perfect embodiment of reason, but rather a decline in intelligence, unable to explain events such as the Holocaust during World War II. At the same time, the novel portrays Holmes as a symbol of the British Empire through his connection with it, implying that the colonial atrocities of the British Empire are essentially no different from the atrocities committed by Nazi Germany. The novel reveals Holmes' identification with imperialism and the connection between the atrocities of the British Empire in Africa and the Nazi Holocaust through his inner monologue and memories. During the process of following Holmes' investigation, readers not only witnessed the failure of reason, but also rethought the dual face of reason.

Unfinished Ending: From the Authority of the Detective to the Voice of Others

In depth analysis of how 'The Last Case' rewrites the ending of traditional detective novels and explores the limitations of detective novels in dealing with complex social issues. In traditional detective novels, the ending usually means the solution to the mystery and the restoration of order, but 'The Last Case' provides a more complex ending. Although the novel solves murder and theft cases at the end, it does not bring the expected relief or joy, but instead reveals the dark side of human nature and the fragility of social order. The novel enhances the sense of unfinished by fuzzifying numerical puzzles, while expressing the powerlessness of reason in the face of disasters such as the Holocaust from the perspective of Sherlock Holmes.