THE CANON PART TWO

The Man with the Twisted Lip - A city businessman seems to have been murdered by a man with a deformed lip. We learn from this story that Holmes is a expert horseman. There are some problems with the story in that Doyle seems to have forgotten Watson's name and has his wife calling him , James. Nevertheless it's a captivating story with Doyle sneaking in some of his socialist politics. 9/10

The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle - A jewel is stolen from a countesses hotel room. In this story we discover that Holmes believes the size of a person's head indicates intelligence. He calls a mugging - a whimsical little incident. It's an okay tale but hardly amongst the best. 6/10


The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor - A newly married bride disappears at her wedding breakfast - what foul deeds are afoot? There is much propaganda, particularly about the Anglo/American relationship, in the story that detracts from the real story. 5/10


The Adventure of the Speckled Band- The pure locked room mystery - why did a woman die of fright in a locked room. It is excellently paced and the conclusion does come as a surprise. Not for nothing is this one of the best known stories.10/10

The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb - An engineer loses his thumb while escaping from an evil counterfeiters ring. Poor after the brilliance of The Speckled Band. 4/10