Arthur Conan Doyle employs a number of strategies to build tension and excitement in “The Sign of Four,” one of his books. These consist of developing complex characters, using vivid descriptions, and developing a gripping mystery.

In order to create a sense of tension and excitement in the novel, Doyle gives vivid descriptions of the locations and characters. Watson, for instance, says of Mary Morstan when they first meet that she has “a face which was full of sweetness and character, a face which had been made for happiness” (Doyle, 1890, p. 11).