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The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes #8
The Speckled Band
Part of the High Impact series this classic text is retold in an accessible style for those with a reading age of six to seven years. Can Sherlock Holmes solve the mystery of the death of Helen's sister in time to save Helen's own life?
45 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1892
About the author
Arthur Conan Doyle
11.7k books23.3k followersSir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for A Study in Scarlet, the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Holmes and Dr. Watson. The Sherlock Holmes stories are milestones in the field of crime fiction.
Doyle was a prolific writer. In addition to the Holmes stories, his works include fantasy and science fiction stories about Professor Challenger, and humorous stories about the Napoleonic soldier Brigadier Gerard, as well as plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction, and historical novels. One of Doyle's early short stories, "J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement" (1884), helped to popularise the mystery of the brigantine Mary Celeste, found drifting at sea with no crew member aboard.
Doyle was a prolific writer. In addition to the Holmes stories, his works include fantasy and science fiction stories about Professor Challenger, and humorous stories about the Napoleonic soldier Brigadier Gerard, as well as plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction, and historical novels. One of Doyle's early short stories, "J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement" (1884), helped to popularise the mystery of the brigantine Mary Celeste, found drifting at sea with no crew member aboard.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 640 reviews
September 21, 2022
Hierbei handelt es sich um eine Kurzgeschichte mit gut 30 Seiten. Kurzgeschichten haben es immer etwas schwerer bei mir, aber diese hat mir sehr gut gefallen!
Sherlock Holmes macht einfach Spaß. Seine Kombinationsgabe ist großartig, auch wenn diese Geschichte schon auch ein bisschen schräg ist. :)
Sherlock Holmes macht einfach Spaß. Seine Kombinationsgabe ist großartig, auch wenn diese Geschichte schon auch ein bisschen schräg ist. :)
December 18, 2019
This is it. The Sherlock Holmes story I was waiting for. It’s a classic!
Update: To end my 2019 reading challenge I’m reading (and in some cases rereading) the dozen stories Arthur Conan Doyle marked as his favorites. “The Speckled Band” is #1, on both his list and (so far at least) on mine. Read it!
A drawn, frightened woman comes to Sherlock and Dr. Watson for help. Though Helen Stoner is only about 30, she's haggard and graying. She and her twin sister Julia have been living with their stepfather, Dr. Roylott, for several years in a decaying Victorian mansion in Surrey. He's a brutal, harsh man who spent many years living in India (not that that's a clue or anything). The family hasn't got a lot of money any more, but with the girls' inheritance they get by.
Two years ago, Julia became engaged to a marine major. Within two weeks she was dead, mysteriously convulsed by pain in the middle of the night. Her last words:
Luckily, she has the sense to dash off to Sherlock Holmes the next morning. Unluckily, she has been followed. Luckily, she has Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson on her team!
Don't let anyone spoil this one for you! It's tense and a great read. I did a little research afterwards and I understand that there are factual inaccuracies. My advice is, don't fret the details here. Just roll with it and enjoy the story!
Free as part of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes short story collection, here at Project Gutenberg.
Update: To end my 2019 reading challenge I’m reading (and in some cases rereading) the dozen stories Arthur Conan Doyle marked as his favorites. “The Speckled Band” is #1, on both his list and (so far at least) on mine. Read it!
A drawn, frightened woman comes to Sherlock and Dr. Watson for help. Though Helen Stoner is only about 30, she's haggard and graying. She and her twin sister Julia have been living with their stepfather, Dr. Roylott, for several years in a decaying Victorian mansion in Surrey. He's a brutal, harsh man who spent many years living in India (not that that's a clue or anything). The family hasn't got a lot of money any more, but with the girls' inheritance they get by.
Two years ago, Julia became engaged to a marine major. Within two weeks she was dead, mysteriously convulsed by pain in the middle of the night. Her last words:
"It was the band! The speckled band!"Now Helen, too, is engaged, and she is sleeping temporarily in her sister's room because of house repairs that affect her own room. The night before she came to Sherlock Holmes, she woke in the middle of the night to hear a low whistle--the same sound that heralded her sister's death two years before.
Luckily, she has the sense to dash off to Sherlock Holmes the next morning. Unluckily, she has been followed. Luckily, she has Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson on her team!
Don't let anyone spoil this one for you! It's tense and a great read. I did a little research afterwards and I understand that there are factual inaccuracies. My advice is, don't fret the details here. Just roll with it and enjoy the story!
Free as part of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes short story collection, here at Project Gutenberg.
January 24, 2021
Relectura de esta gran aventura.
En este caso, Holmes ve más allá que cualquiera y, a pesar de una primera interpretación errónea, la lógica acaba por imponerse.
Recordaba este caso con la traducción al castellano del título: "La banda moteada".
Rereading of this great adventure.
In this case, Holmes sees further than anyone and, in spite of a first misinterpretation, logic prevails.
En este caso, Holmes ve más allá que cualquiera y, a pesar de una primera interpretación errónea, la lógica acaba por imponerse.
Recordaba este caso con la traducción al castellano del título: "La banda moteada".
Rereading of this great adventure.
In this case, Holmes sees further than anyone and, in spite of a first misinterpretation, logic prevails.
February 24, 2024
"Oh, my God! Helen! It was the band! The speckled band!"
The Adventure of the Speckled Band is one of the most ingenious of the 56 short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle about his fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. The author himself considered this one to be his best Sherlock Holmes story. It is now published as the eighth of the twelve stories collected in "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes", although it was first published in February 1892, in "The Strand" magazine. A few years later, in August 1905, it was published in the USA's "New York World", under the title, "The Spotted Band.
Mulling over the last "seventy-odd" cases, Watson sets the stage for relating this one,
"I cannot recall any which presented more singular features than that which was associated with the well-known Surrey family of the Roylotts of Stoke Moran" adding a little later, "there are widespread rumours as to the death of Dr. Grimesby Roylott which tend to make the matter even more terrible than the truth."
So the reader finds themself just a couple of paragraphs in, and hooked already. Dr. Watson remembers back to early April 1883. He had been unexpectedly woken at 7:15am by Sherlock Holmes, who was usually himself a late riser. The case was, Holmes stressed, urgent. A young lady was at that moment in their sitting room, pale and drawn, and literally shaking with fear. Holmes observes that she is around thirty, dressed in black with a black veil, and strands of premature grey in her hair. Although she is desperate for help, she apologises, saying that she cannot pay Holmes anything now, but promising Holmes that she will soon be married and have control of her own income. She further names the person by whom she has heard of the great detective, to convince him of her credentials. Of course, the matter of payment is no problem for our gallant detective. He has been analysing clues about the woman before him as she speaks, and already knows a fair bit about her. Coupled with the "reference" which he quickly checks in his case-book, this is enough for him to be intrigued by the case, as are we.
The woman, Helen Stoner, tells them that she and her twin sister, Julia, are living with their stepfather, Dr. Roylott, who is now the last living member of a once great English family. The Roylotts once controlled huge estates, but their descendants are now impoverished, apart from the old house they all live in, which is now heavily mortgaged. The tension cranks up notch by notch as Helen Stoner tells her story.
Dr. Grimesby Roylott had emigrated to India as soon as he obtained his medical degree, and he managed to establish a thriving practice there in Calcutta. He also married the widow of a Major-General in the Bengal Artillery, a Mrs. Stoner, who had a considerable amount of money of her own.
The story is masterly in the nuggets of information it slowly reveals. It is virtually impossible to ascertain what can have happened. Dr. Grimesby Roylott himself comes to see Sherlock Holmes and presents a terrifying spectacle, the perfect foil to Holmes's suave urbanity, as he expostulates, shaking his hunting crop at Holmes,
"'I know you, you scoundrel! I have heard of you before. You are Holmes the meddler.'
My friend smiled.
'Holmes the busybody!'
His smile broadened.
'Holmes the Scotland Yard jack-in-office.'
Holmes chuckled heartily. 'Your conversation is most entertaining,' said he."
We learn of alterations to the house, we think we see a perfect motive for a crime, yet still we cannot deduce it from the information given. On Sherlock Holmes's visit to the house, he isolates three significant factors: From these he knows all, although the reader would probably need to equal his genius to do so.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's inspiration for this story may have been an article published in February 1891, in "Cassell's Saturday Journal". (Beware - the title in the next spoiler gives away the ending!)
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself wrote a stage play based on "The Speckled Band". It was a great success and ran for 169 performances at the "Adelphi Theatre" before transferring to the "Globe", and subsequently went on to tour England. This was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's third stage play and the second Sherlock Holmes dramatisation.
Not only does the story have a perfect structure, a story within a story, with a build-up of tension mounting alongside, as we learn the characters and personalities involved. Not only is this a perfect example of a "closed room mystery", of which Conan Doyle was to write four in total. This was his own personal favourite, perhaps because it also contains several of the recurring themes we see in many of the Sherlock Holmes stories. There is a wellbred young woman in distress, an overbearing and vulgar man, a connection with an exotic overseas country, both in location, people and animals, a problem steeped in history, a country house, a close observation of unusual architectural features, either thieves, "gypsies", or vagabonds, an aristocratic family ... But most of all, there is a problem, the solution to which is fiendishly convoluted, yet when explained, makes perfect logical sense.
It also, as a bonus, has an ethically satisfying, although not strictly legal, ending.
"Subtle enough and horrible enough. When a doctor does go wrong, he is the first of criminals."
The Adventure of the Speckled Band is one of the most ingenious of the 56 short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle about his fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. The author himself considered this one to be his best Sherlock Holmes story. It is now published as the eighth of the twelve stories collected in "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes", although it was first published in February 1892, in "The Strand" magazine. A few years later, in August 1905, it was published in the USA's "New York World", under the title, "The Spotted Band.
Mulling over the last "seventy-odd" cases, Watson sets the stage for relating this one,
"I cannot recall any which presented more singular features than that which was associated with the well-known Surrey family of the Roylotts of Stoke Moran" adding a little later, "there are widespread rumours as to the death of Dr. Grimesby Roylott which tend to make the matter even more terrible than the truth."
So the reader finds themself just a couple of paragraphs in, and hooked already. Dr. Watson remembers back to early April 1883. He had been unexpectedly woken at 7:15am by Sherlock Holmes, who was usually himself a late riser. The case was, Holmes stressed, urgent. A young lady was at that moment in their sitting room, pale and drawn, and literally shaking with fear. Holmes observes that she is around thirty, dressed in black with a black veil, and strands of premature grey in her hair. Although she is desperate for help, she apologises, saying that she cannot pay Holmes anything now, but promising Holmes that she will soon be married and have control of her own income. She further names the person by whom she has heard of the great detective, to convince him of her credentials. Of course, the matter of payment is no problem for our gallant detective. He has been analysing clues about the woman before him as she speaks, and already knows a fair bit about her. Coupled with the "reference" which he quickly checks in his case-book, this is enough for him to be intrigued by the case, as are we.
The woman, Helen Stoner, tells them that she and her twin sister, Julia, are living with their stepfather, Dr. Roylott, who is now the last living member of a once great English family. The Roylotts once controlled huge estates, but their descendants are now impoverished, apart from the old house they all live in, which is now heavily mortgaged. The tension cranks up notch by notch as Helen Stoner tells her story.
Dr. Grimesby Roylott had emigrated to India as soon as he obtained his medical degree, and he managed to establish a thriving practice there in Calcutta. He also married the widow of a Major-General in the Bengal Artillery, a Mrs. Stoner, who had a considerable amount of money of her own.
The story is masterly in the nuggets of information it slowly reveals. It is virtually impossible to ascertain what can have happened. Dr. Grimesby Roylott himself comes to see Sherlock Holmes and presents a terrifying spectacle, the perfect foil to Holmes's suave urbanity, as he expostulates, shaking his hunting crop at Holmes,
"'I know you, you scoundrel! I have heard of you before. You are Holmes the meddler.'
My friend smiled.
'Holmes the busybody!'
His smile broadened.
'Holmes the Scotland Yard jack-in-office.'
Holmes chuckled heartily. 'Your conversation is most entertaining,' said he."
We learn of alterations to the house, we think we see a perfect motive for a crime, yet still we cannot deduce it from the information given. On Sherlock Holmes's visit to the house, he isolates three significant factors: From these he knows all, although the reader would probably need to equal his genius to do so.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's inspiration for this story may have been an article published in February 1891, in "Cassell's Saturday Journal". (Beware - the title in the next spoiler gives away the ending!)
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself wrote a stage play based on "The Speckled Band". It was a great success and ran for 169 performances at the "Adelphi Theatre" before transferring to the "Globe", and subsequently went on to tour England. This was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's third stage play and the second Sherlock Holmes dramatisation.
Not only does the story have a perfect structure, a story within a story, with a build-up of tension mounting alongside, as we learn the characters and personalities involved. Not only is this a perfect example of a "closed room mystery", of which Conan Doyle was to write four in total. This was his own personal favourite, perhaps because it also contains several of the recurring themes we see in many of the Sherlock Holmes stories. There is a wellbred young woman in distress, an overbearing and vulgar man, a connection with an exotic overseas country, both in location, people and animals, a problem steeped in history, a country house, a close observation of unusual architectural features, either thieves, "gypsies", or vagabonds, an aristocratic family ... But most of all, there is a problem, the solution to which is fiendishly convoluted, yet when explained, makes perfect logical sense.
It also, as a bonus, has an ethically satisfying, although not strictly legal, ending.
"Subtle enough and horrible enough. When a doctor does go wrong, he is the first of criminals."
February 1, 2022
i read this in an english class, due to suffering from the affliction of a professor with a sherlock holmes obsession, and this just does not hold up to the level of scrutiny that pulitzer prize winners were carrying off, easy peasy.
this is a great mystery, yes, but you try analyzing it for symbols and word patterns and etymology and tell me if you had fun with it.
i'm a huge nerd, and even i thought it was a snooze of a task.
part of a series i'm doing in which i review books i read a long time ago for almost no reason
this is a great mystery, yes, but you try analyzing it for symbols and word patterns and etymology and tell me if you had fun with it.
i'm a huge nerd, and even i thought it was a snooze of a task.
part of a series i'm doing in which i review books i read a long time ago for almost no reason
December 21, 2020
The Adventure of the Speckled Band is one of the darker Sherlock Holmes stories dealing with murder by unusual means. The story is written as if it was one of the earliest cases undertaken by Holmes and Watson as a duo, with the case being brought to the consulting detective by a scared young lady, Helen Stoner.
Helen Stoner’s sister had died in mysterious circumstances, and ultimately this death proved to be one of the earliest examples in crime fiction, of a “Locked Room” mystery. Subsequently, this type of problem was taken up by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in The Adventure of the Empty House and The Adventure of the Crooked Man; and, of course, ever since the time of Conan Doyle, crime writers have made use the locked room problem.
The Adventure of the Speckled Band is of course memorable because of the murder, but it is also praised, amongst fans of Sherlock Holmes, for highlighting all of the best characteristics of the detective. In the story Holmes shows a real concern for his client, overlooking the lack of payment for services, as wells as concern for the wellbeing of Dr. Watson. The case also shows the physical strength of Holmes, and of course, his ability to deduce and extrapolate from the evidence presented to him.
As with many of the Sherlock Holmes stories, The Adventure of the Speckled Band was adapted for TV by Granada, with Jeremy Brett starring as Sherlock Holmes; the adaptation being the sixth episode of the first series.
Helen Stoner’s sister had died in mysterious circumstances, and ultimately this death proved to be one of the earliest examples in crime fiction, of a “Locked Room” mystery. Subsequently, this type of problem was taken up by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in The Adventure of the Empty House and The Adventure of the Crooked Man; and, of course, ever since the time of Conan Doyle, crime writers have made use the locked room problem.
The Adventure of the Speckled Band is of course memorable because of the murder, but it is also praised, amongst fans of Sherlock Holmes, for highlighting all of the best characteristics of the detective. In the story Holmes shows a real concern for his client, overlooking the lack of payment for services, as wells as concern for the wellbeing of Dr. Watson. The case also shows the physical strength of Holmes, and of course, his ability to deduce and extrapolate from the evidence presented to him.
As with many of the Sherlock Holmes stories, The Adventure of the Speckled Band was adapted for TV by Granada, with Jeremy Brett starring as Sherlock Holmes; the adaptation being the sixth episode of the first series.
July 28, 2021
This was supposedly one of Doyle's favorite Holmes stories, if not his actual most favorite. It's quite eerie, and Holmes puts on a fine show of his powers of deductive reasoning. However the title refers to what turns out to be an annoyingly huge red herring. I guess I should expect that by now, but I still feel cheated. Plus, I like my villains a bit more dastardly.
October 29, 2017
Woooooooow. O_O
This is still one of the best mysteries I've read. The suspense is incredible, and I felt my heart pounding during the climax even though I've already read this once in the past.
The BEST Sherlock Holmes story that I've encountered yet - perfect for reading on a blustery autumn day!
5 stars!
This is still one of the best mysteries I've read. The suspense is incredible, and I felt my heart pounding during the climax even though I've already read this once in the past.
The BEST Sherlock Holmes story that I've encountered yet - perfect for reading on a blustery autumn day!
5 stars!
June 25, 2023
Creo que es el primer caso en el que más o menos puedo descifrar cuál será la respuesta a todo antes de que la revele Sherlock. La verdad es que las menciones a las mascotas exóticas que tenía este doctor y las muertes extrañas que sucedieron por ahí me ayudaron a conectar un poco las cosas.
Ahora, obviamente nunca me imaginé que el culpable fuera un tercer animal que no habían mencionado, pero disfruté bastante este relato.
En general, adoro ver la dinámica entre Sherlock y Watson... y me da igual lo que digan, pero yo los shippeo xD.
Ahora, obviamente nunca me imaginé que el culpable fuera un tercer animal que no habían mencionado, pero disfruté bastante este relato.
En general, adoro ver la dinámica entre Sherlock y Watson... y me da igual lo que digan, pero yo los shippeo xD.
February 11, 2024
I didn't find any interest, suspense or mystery in this story. All the characters are introduced in such a way that it didn't take long to find out actual murderer. It would be absolutely interesting for children but for me it was a complete nonsense and underdeveloped story. I really won't recommend it to any Sherlock Holmes lovers...
March 25, 2022
اشتقت لهولمز بعد انقطاع لستة أشهر عن مغامراته، وهذه القضية الثامنة في السلسلة. من بين الست وخمسين قصة قصيرة لشيرلوك هذه هي المفضلة لمبتكره آرثر كونان دويل... لكنها بعيدة من أن تكون كذلك لي.
هيلينا ستونر تلجأ مرتعبة لمحقق شارع بيكر بعد أن لحظت نفس الملابسات التي حكتها لها توأمتها جوليا في ليلة وفاتها بنفس المنزل وبذات الغرفة المغلقة.
المميز بالقضية أنها لم تكتف بمهارات شيرلوك الاستنتاجية بل تطلبت وجوده في وجه المدفع، في الغرفة المغلقة لتأكيد فرضيته وحماية عميلته.
هذي أكثر قضية غمرتني بأجواء مشؤومة وأبقتني مضطرب خلال قراءتها... لكن الخدعة اللي تتضح مع النهاية ظريفة.
🔥حرق🔥
هوية المجرم سهلة التوقع لكن اللغز بالكيفية اللي ما قدرت أعرفها. وعلى عكس باتمان والمحقق كونان، تفاجأت بكون شيرلوك لا يمانع التسبب بمقتل القاتل.
هيلينا ستونر تلجأ مرتعبة لمحقق شارع بيكر بعد أن لحظت نفس الملابسات التي حكتها لها توأمتها جوليا في ليلة وفاتها بنفس المنزل وبذات الغرفة المغلقة.
المميز بالقضية أنها لم تكتف بمهارات شيرلوك الاستنتاجية بل تطلبت وجوده في وجه المدفع، في الغرفة المغلقة لتأكيد فرضيته وحماية عميلته.
هذي أكثر قضية غمرتني بأجواء مشؤومة وأبقتني مضطرب خلال قراءتها... لكن الخدعة اللي تتضح مع النهاية ظريفة.
🔥حرق🔥
هوية المجرم سهلة التوقع لكن اللغز بالكيفية اللي ما قدرت أعرفها. وعلى عكس باتمان والمحقق كونان، تفاجأت بكون شيرلوك لا يمانع التسبب بمقتل القاتل.
March 7, 2024
❄️مستمرون مع العزيز هولمز في كشف الغموض المثير للنفس البشرية ففي هذه القصة تدور الأحداث حول رجل من هواة تربية الحيوانات الغريبة وابنتا زوجته المتوفاة التي تتوفي احداهما في ظروف غامضة وتهرع الأخري لطلب المساعدة من هولمز في كشف هذا الغموض ،هل يمكن للنفس البشرية ان تصل لحد مخيف من الدنائة ؟،هل يمكن ان ينعكس الشر في نهاية المطاف ليودي بصاحبه ؟
❄️لا تنسو اخوتنا في فلسطين من الدعاء
July 31, 2024
5+ stars (6/10 hearts). I love this story. I love the glimpse at Sherlock’s real heart—the kind heart that battle injustice and evil for the sake of helping the weak and innocent. The lady is so sweet and appealing; the stepfather is one of the most terrifying yet interesting villains in the Sherlock stories; the mystery/suspense is spectacular; Sherlock’s work is fantastic; the whole mood/setting is epic… Ahhh, it’s one of my very favourite Sherlock stories!
Content: smoking; 2 instances of swearing; one use of “d**il.”
A Favourite Quote: “Violence does, in truth, recoil upon the violent, and the schemer falls into the pit which he digs for another.”
Favourite Humorous Quote: “Very sorry to knock you up, Watson,” said he, “but it’s the common lot this morning. Mrs. Hudson has been knocked up, she retorted upon me, and I on you.”
“What is it, then—a fire?”
“No; a client. It seems that a young lady has arrived in a considerable state of excitement, who insists upon seeing me. She is waiting now in the sitting-room. Now, when young ladies wander about the metropolis at this hour of the morning, and knock sleepy people up out of their beds, I presume that it is something very pressing which they have to communicate.”
Content: smoking; 2 instances of swearing; one use of “d**il.”
A Favourite Quote: “Violence does, in truth, recoil upon the violent, and the schemer falls into the pit which he digs for another.”
Favourite Humorous Quote: “Very sorry to knock you up, Watson,” said he, “but it’s the common lot this morning. Mrs. Hudson has been knocked up, she retorted upon me, and I on you.”
“What is it, then—a fire?”
“No; a client. It seems that a young lady has arrived in a considerable state of excitement, who insists upon seeing me. She is waiting now in the sitting-room. Now, when young ladies wander about the metropolis at this hour of the morning, and knock sleepy people up out of their beds, I presume that it is something very pressing which they have to communicate.”
August 26, 2018
{{ إنها جريمة ماكرة و مروعة جدا ، فعندما يتجه طبيب إلى طريق الشر يكون من أفضل المجرمين فهو يمتلك المعرفة و قوةالأعصاب }}
May 6, 2016
If it's Sherlock Holmes, you know its good.
January 6, 2023
Not many characters involved in the crime, and thus fairly less suspense or room for other possibilities to exist, but overall readable.
February 25, 2017
وتبقى أجاثا كرستي ملكة الرواية البوليسية و لا مجال لمنافستها .
January 30, 2023
An ok mystery, not one of Holmes better cases
December 24, 2022
Ne bih pospajala tragove. Dobro je da imamo Sherlocka! Vjerujem da će se kratka priča svidjeti svima koji vole poznatog detektiva, a oni koji ga tek trebaju upoznati, mlađa ekipa za koju je knjiga i namijenjena, će biti zadovoljna maštovitom idejom. Zabava za cijelu obitelj!
November 18, 2015
I can say that this is one of the best S.H stories, this man is rad, even with insufficient data, he managed to get things right, Sir. Arthur, chapeau!
October 30, 2017
I read this a few years ago for school, and oh my crumpets! I never thought I'd like this story, but... this is kinda what got me hooked on the BBC's Sherlock. ;)
October 20, 2021
مغامرات شارلوك هولمز، تأليف السيد آرثر كونان دويل
قضية "لغز العصابة الرقطاء" هي القضية -أو المغامرة- الثامنة من مغامرات شارلوك هولمز .
عندما تعمى البصيرة بسبب المال فإن الإنسان يتحول إلى الهمجية والحيوانية المفرطة، هذه هي قصة الدكتور السابق -كان دكتورا في الهند- والذي قرر قتل ابنتي زوجته المتوفية بعد قرارهن الزواج- فنجح في قتل واحدة بينما لجأت الأخرى إلى المنقذ شارلوك وصديقه واطسون .
May 22, 2022
I am not a big fan of mystery fiction, therefore I am not very knowledgeable about the Sherlock Holmes books. However, this is a children’s version of Holmes, so I was suddenly interested. More importantly, it is a glow-in-the-dark version of Holmes. That’s it. Sold!
The story is set up wonderfully, full of foreboding and tension. A once grand family, a decrepit mansion, mysterious happenings, and ghostly fear bring Sherlock and Watson into the investigation. It is different than most children’s books in that there is more text than pictures, so it can also qualify as a middle-grade book. The illustrations are by the late Dean Morrissey (R.I.P. 2021), who was known for his realistic artwork. The selling point of this volume is what happens when the lights go out at night. If the reader shines a light upon the illustrations, certain sections glow-in-the-dark, showing clues to the mystery. A young reader will want to turn the pages to get more clues and to see the glow effect. I like that, it made it fun to peruse.
It should also be a fun read for a parent who wants to bring a supernatural tone to a bedtime reading for their children.
Book Season = Winter (catlike whines)
The story is set up wonderfully, full of foreboding and tension. A once grand family, a decrepit mansion, mysterious happenings, and ghostly fear bring Sherlock and Watson into the investigation. It is different than most children’s books in that there is more text than pictures, so it can also qualify as a middle-grade book. The illustrations are by the late Dean Morrissey (R.I.P. 2021), who was known for his realistic artwork. The selling point of this volume is what happens when the lights go out at night. If the reader shines a light upon the illustrations, certain sections glow-in-the-dark, showing clues to the mystery. A young reader will want to turn the pages to get more clues and to see the glow effect. I like that, it made it fun to peruse.
It should also be a fun read for a parent who wants to bring a supernatural tone to a bedtime reading for their children.
Book Season = Winter (catlike whines)
April 17, 2018
"The Adventure of the Speckled Band" is the eighth story in the
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
story collection, the third publication in the Sherlock Holmes series (after the first two novels, so the first story collection).
Holmes and Watson help a scared young lady who's sister died mysteriously shortly before her wedding, uttering only the words "the speckled band", and who now fears the same may happen to her as her own wedding approaches.
Another twisty one, I had heard that this was one of the greats a while before reading it, and I was happy to find I was not disappointed.
Holmes and Watson help a scared young lady who's sister died mysteriously shortly before her wedding, uttering only the words "the speckled band", and who now fears the same may happen to her as her own wedding approaches.
Another twisty one, I had heard that this was one of the greats a while before reading it, and I was happy to find I was not disappointed.
August 30, 2023
A short Sherlock Holmes classic in which the “whodunnit” is fairly obvious but the “howtheydunnit” takes a little more concentrated contemplation.
December 1, 2018
A short story that takes place in the early days of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. In this one, a woman comes to Holmes in asking him to investigate her sister's death which occurred before her wedding day. The surviving sister is about to be married and she is afraid that she will succumb to the same fate of her sister.
I am not the biggest fan of short stories but this one I thoroughly enjoyed. Maybe I enjoyed this one because I have read another adventure with these characters. Immediately, I was transported back in time to when this story was written and immediately I could see the strength of the relationship between the two characters. As for the mystery, the clues are there for the reader to solve (I did not) and I enjoyed how the author shows the deductive reasoning of the main character and how he solves the mystery.
Right away I was enthralled in the story which is critical considering there is a limited amount of pages with this short story. I am new to these adventures and I am so enjoying them. They are truly timeless.
I am not the biggest fan of short stories but this one I thoroughly enjoyed. Maybe I enjoyed this one because I have read another adventure with these characters. Immediately, I was transported back in time to when this story was written and immediately I could see the strength of the relationship between the two characters. As for the mystery, the clues are there for the reader to solve (I did not) and I enjoyed how the author shows the deductive reasoning of the main character and how he solves the mystery.
Right away I was enthralled in the story which is critical considering there is a limited amount of pages with this short story. I am new to these adventures and I am so enjoying them. They are truly timeless.
August 14, 2021
5 Stars. There's a reason why this short story is among the best and most famous ever published. Is it perfect? Far from it, but the sensation it created in 1892 is palpable even today. I read it in "Sherlock Holmes The Complete Novels and Stories," a 2 volume work from 2020. When it came out in "The Strand" in February 1892, it made Conan Doyle's name. Fear and anxiety lead Helen Stoner to come to see Holmes and tell her tale. She believes her stepfather, Dr. Grimesby Roylott is going to kill her. He's in much need of her inheritance, which came to Helen through her mother; with Helen's pending marriage, it will leave with her. She explains that he is a man of vile temper who lashes out if he doesn't get his way. The clincher for Holmes and Watson has to be the upsetting memory Helen has of the death of her twin sister two years earlier after she too became engaged. Her mysterious dying words? "Speckled band." Our two detectives are convinced something horrible may happen and travel to Sussex to the Roylott estate where they surreptitiously spend the night in Helen's new bedroom. Were the repairs in her usual one necessary? Enjoy one of the best. (July 2021)
March 11, 2020
"I have heard, Mr. Holmes, that you can see deeply into the manifold wickedness of the human heart."
One of the most creative and imaginative short stories ever written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
The Adventure of the Speckled Band has a satisfying structure. The reader is drip fed information. A story inside a story. There is just enough character development to make us care about the intended victim. Who is ... a well-bred young woman in distress. Factor in an overbearing cad. Sprinkle a few foreign countries. A country mansion. A few unsavoury types, thieves and gypsies. And a complex dilemma.
This all goes to making this one of Doyle's best "closed room" short stories. He later dramatised this into a successful stage play. Recommended, and it even has a satisfying, although not 100% legal, ending.
One of the most creative and imaginative short stories ever written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
The Adventure of the Speckled Band has a satisfying structure. The reader is drip fed information. A story inside a story. There is just enough character development to make us care about the intended victim. Who is ... a well-bred young woman in distress. Factor in an overbearing cad. Sprinkle a few foreign countries. A country mansion. A few unsavoury types, thieves and gypsies. And a complex dilemma.
This all goes to making this one of Doyle's best "closed room" short stories. He later dramatised this into a successful stage play. Recommended, and it even has a satisfying, although not 100% legal, ending.
August 8, 2017
Helen Stoner counsels Sherlock Holmes about the passing of her twin sister, Julia, who kicked the bucket before her wedding, crying that: "it was the Speckled Band!" Holmes must research their mom's domain and the unsavory Dr. Roylott, Helen's stepfather, who enables tramps to camp on his home and has both a cheetah and a primate going crazy in the grounds. Be that as it may, would helen be able to be accepted? Is Dr Roycroft as terrible as he appears? Furthermore, can the specked hankies worn about the necks of the wanderers truly be an occurrence?
January 7, 2015
5 Words: Perfect length for a cuppa.
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