| Plot Summary of The Adventure of the Speckled Band |
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"Both the author and a poll of readers by the London Observer judged this to be the very best Holmes short story. It concerns a young woman who comes to Holmes because her older sister, soon to be married, died under mysterious circumstances -- the smell of cigar smoke, a whistle, and a metallic clang -- several years before; and now the client herself is about to marry and has experienced several of the same portents. Both lived in the run-down mansion of their uncle, Dr. Grimesby Roylott, a man of violent temper and unsociable ways, on his estate with a baboon and a cheetah...."
David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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"The 'Speckled Band' is about the Roylotts of Stock Moran, who were once very rich. Since then, they lost there wealth. One of the step daughters wants to get married, but then her stepfather, Dr Roylott, an old doctor who was arrested for murder, again kills but this time kills his stepdaughter so as he does not have to give up some of his money. The story ends with the stepdaughter getting killed, however Dr Roylott also getting killed, byt the same techinique that he used against his step daughter. Sherlock Holmes solver the murder."
Lawdown, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Adventure of the Speckled Band |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 40%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain?
- Very obvious
Time/era of story:
- 19th century
Spying/Terrorism Thriller
Yes
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- nearly 100%
Special suspect?
- relative
Murder of certain profession?
- doctors/patients
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- cooped up in spooky house
- character killed during/after sexing
- Big focus on forensic evidence
Kind of investigator
- british mystery (I say!)
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
- animal antics
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- government investigator
- private investigator
Age:
- 40's-50's
Eccentric/Mental:
Yes
Eccentric:
- eccentric
How much violence does he/she use?
- a little
Ethnicity/Race
- British
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- bulging muscles
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- government investigator
- wealthy
Eccentric:
Yes
- eccentric
- emotionally unstable
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
- throughout most of the book.
Motive of antagonist
- money/treasure
The antagonists are:
- evil doctors
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- bulging muscles
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
City?
Yes
City:
- London
- dangerous
Misc setting
- fancy mansion
Style
Part of a series?
Yes
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 2
- 3-4
Unusual forms of death
- poisoning
Unusual form of death?
Yes
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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