SHERLOCK HOLMES STORIES (1)

THE SPECKLED BAND

One of the amazing Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is The speckled band. It is about a murdered by Dr Roylott, that after his wife death, he tries to keep all her money just for him. Helen Stoner is an english young woman that find Sherlock Homles because has a suspicious of her sister`s death. Julia (her sister) had been egaged to be married so she would received some money from her mother`s income.

On the other side, her stepfather Dr Roylott, had killed a man and was sent to prision for many years but later he returned to England. He did not seem to oppose the Julia`s wedding, however, one nigth shortly before the marriage, Julia went to the Helen`s room and said that he had been listening a whistle in recent nights but she didn`t know where it came from. After the conversation, Julia returned to her room where minutes later died. Before Julia died, she screamed Helen: oh my God, it was the speckled band!, bur police never discovered the cause.

Now, Helen is engaged to be married and she is afraid so asks Homes for help. Holmes investigate matters and discover Roylott will lose a lot of money if Helen marries. Then Holmes an his friend, Watson, go to the Dr Roylott`s house, enter in his room and see a strange bell cord over the bed.

That night they go back to that room and suddenly hear a whistle. Holmes sees what the bell cord is realy for and Speckled band were in fact describing the deadliest snake in India. The snake had been sent to Julia`s room by Dr to murder her and after the snake bit Julia he called teh snake with the whistling which made it climb up throug the bell cord, disappearing from de scene. Now the snake is sent again to kill Helen but Holmes attacks the sanke, sending it back through the air ventilator conected to the next room. The snake attacks Dr Roylott and he die.

Doyle reveled that he thought this was his best Holmes strory. I can`t agree because I have not read all his stories but I think this one is so good. The interesting thing here is that we know that Dr Roylott is guilty, is obvious, but I could not imagine how did he do it.

In this case, is incredible how somebody can be able to murder his “daugthers”. This talks about the wrong society in which we live. But also in the ingenuity to do something to get something else.Well, you should read this story, I never got bored and all the time was thinking, that's what I think is the objective of any mistery book, isn`t it?.