Despite the Sherlock Holmes Stories being timeless in their narrative of an intricate mind at work, Arthur Conan Doyle was in fact writing for the British public. By giving some of them a fixed place in British history he stimulated interest from his readers all the more.
The Crooked Man begins when Holmes and Watson are summoned by the acting commander of a regiment that had been posted to India. It's the proverbial locked door mystery. The regiment's late colonel is lying dead with a look of horror on his face and his wife in a dead faint. She hasn't awakened from her swoon, but it is certain she will be charged with her husband's murder as there was a large cut on the back of his neck, the blunt instrument trauma. The new commander hopes that scandal to the regiment's name can be averted.
The fixed place in British history this story starts with is during the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857. This is when the native Indian soldiers rose against the British occupiers and it was put down, but bloodily. Our victim was a hero during that uprising, he was a man in the ranks and got a commission and eventually became the commanding officer. He also married the regimental sergeant major's daughter.
Holmes of course solves the mystery and I won't reveal, but let's say that our colonel was not what he seemed and another man suffered dreadfully for his ambition. Jeremy Brett and David Burke are the usual intrepid duo of Holmes and Watson and Norman Jones is unforgettable in the title role. And remember the title.
The Crooked Man begins when Holmes and Watson are summoned by the acting commander of a regiment that had been posted to India. It's the proverbial locked door mystery. The regiment's late colonel is lying dead with a look of horror on his face and his wife in a dead faint. She hasn't awakened from her swoon, but it is certain she will be charged with her husband's murder as there was a large cut on the back of his neck, the blunt instrument trauma. The new commander hopes that scandal to the regiment's name can be averted.
The fixed place in British history this story starts with is during the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857. This is when the native Indian soldiers rose against the British occupiers and it was put down, but bloodily. Our victim was a hero during that uprising, he was a man in the ranks and got a commission and eventually became the commanding officer. He also married the regimental sergeant major's daughter.
Holmes of course solves the mystery and I won't reveal, but let's say that our colonel was not what he seemed and another man suffered dreadfully for his ambition. Jeremy Brett and David Burke are the usual intrepid duo of Holmes and Watson and Norman Jones is unforgettable in the title role. And remember the title.