"Moriarty Had Reached the Bottom of the Reichenbach Fall" [EMPT]

Moriarty himself has passed beyond the Reichenbach.

Author John Gardner, BSI ("Moriarty") has passed away at the age of 80. He died following a collapse at his home in England and his obituary is available in The Independent. Gardner was invested into the Baker Street Irregulars in 1988.

Best known for reviving the James Bond franchise in 1981 with License Renewed, he continued that success with 13 other Bond books and penned some 35 other thrillers.

His Sherlockian work, while less known than his James Bond collection, contain some intriguing contributions to the pastiche world and center on the Napoleon of Crime, Professor Moriarty. First up was The Return Of Moriarty, which looks at the organization that Professor Moriarty had built up - much like a Victorian-era godfather - but with a twist. The second was The Revenge Of Moriarty, which picked up with the Return left off.

Gardner finished the third and final volume in the series, The Redemption of Moriarty, shortly before his death. Since there has been a dispute about the publication, it's uncertain if fans of the series will ever get to see it.

You can read more about the man on his web site.