Tankerville Club Scandal.
Holmes: Has been unable to solve some cases, and others are
only partially solved. Has been beaten four times, once (prob-
ably) by Irene Adler, thrice by unknown men.Watson is his only
friend. Cross-indexes all his crime records. Thinks
The Sign of
Four is the most fantastic case they’ve yet worked on. Compares
his deduction process to that of influential
French palaeontolo-
gist Georges Cuvier (1769–1832).
Watson: Enjoys Clark Russell’s seafaring tales. Still remembers
list of Holmes’ limitations from
A Study in Scarlet.
Quotable Quote: ‘…a man should keep his little brain attic
stocked with all the furniture that he is likely to use, and the
rest he can put away in the lumber-room of his library…’
Problems: Holmes has no reason to believe that more than one
murderer is involved. Doyle’s original manuscript states that
Mary Watson was visiting her mother – who had died before
The Sign of Four.This was amended to ‘aunt’ for the UK edition,
although the American version remains unchanged.
Observations: A rare case in which Holmes is seen to fail.
Verdict: Beginning and ending with autumnal gales, this is an
unusual tale in which the villains receive their come-uppance
by divine, rather than legal, judgement. The gales’ presence
permeates the narrative – a sign of uncontrollable ‘elemental
forces’ – to the extent that even the Great Detective bows
down to a higher, more mysterious, power. One of the few
Sherlock Holmes stories to work on more than one level. 5/5
8) The
Man with the Twisted Lip
UK:
The Strand Magazine (December 1891, SP)
The Case: A City businessman appears to have been murdered
by a scarred beggar...
T H E C A N O N
• 37 •
Date: 19–20 June 1889.
Characters: Mary Watson, Isa Whitney
, Inspector Bradstreet,
Kate Whitney, Neville and Mrs St Clair, Hugh Boone,
Elias
Whitney,
unnamed Lascar, Inspector Barton.
Locations: Watson’s house; Bar of Gold opium den, Upper
Swandam Lane, EC3; The Cedars, near Lee, Kent; Bow Street
Magistrates Court, WC2;
Aberdeen Shipping Company, Fresno
Street, EC3.
Holmes: Is skilled at driving a horse and trap (like
his brother
Mycroft in
The Final Problem). Wears a blue dressing gown and
can spend all night sitting cross-legged and smoking if mulling
over a problem. Has strong-set aquiline features.
Disguise: An old opium addict.
Quotable Quote: ‘…it is better to learn wisdom late, than never
to learn it at all.’
Problems: Watson’s wife calls her husband ‘James’ – it may be a
pet name, but would she use it in the presence of a third party?
Hugh Boone is apprehended in the City of London and so
would not be taken to Bow Street police station.
Observations: It has similarities to William Makepeace
Thackeray’s
tale of Mr Altamont in his Yellowplush Papers.
Verdict: A satire on charity and a sly dig at the perils of capi-
talism, this is an amusing tale that sees Holmes unmasking the
culprit with the aid of a wet sponge! 5/5
9) The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle
UK:
The Strand Magazine (January 1892, SP)
The Case: A fabulous jewel has been stolen from a countess’
hotel room...
Characters: Peterson, James Ryder, Henry Baker, Windigate,
Breckinridge,
The Countess of Morcar, John Horner,
Catherine
S H E R L O C K H O L M E S
• 38 •
Cusack, Inspector Bradstreet, Maggie Oakshott,
Maudsley.
Locations: 221B Baker Street; Alpha Inn, Bloomsbury; Covent
Garden Market;
Junction of Goodge Street and Tottenham Court
Road;
Hotel Cosmopolitan;
117 Brixton Road;
Maudsley’s house,
Kilburn.
Recorded Cases: A Scandal in Bohemia, A Case of Identity, The Man
with the Twisted Lip.
Unrecorded Cases: Two murders, a vitriol throwing, suicide and
several robberies attend the history of the Blue Carbuncle.
Holmes: Wears a purple dressing gown. Believes the size of the
head
indicates intelligence, and that gemstones are a magnet to
criminals. Laughs in a hearty but noiseless fashion. Refers to a
mugging as a ‘whimsical little incident’.
Elementary: Deduces a man’s personality and lifestyle from his
hat.
Quotable Quote: ‘Send him to gaol now, and you make him a
gaolbird for life. Besides, it is the season of forgiveness.’
Problems: A carbuncle is a red stone (usually a garnet) cut in a
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