Title: The Adventures Of The Dancing Men
Written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
All of the Sherlock Holmes books were first published in the Strand Magazine.
This book was published in 1979, by the Dover Thrift Publishing House.
I bought the paperback for $1.00 CAD at a Used Book Show.
It is also available in a hardback and audio cassette.
It has about 50 pages.
ASIN# 088646461
.What you should know.
Before Harry Houdini, (the famous escape artist died), he told his friends, that after he died, he would come back and prove to them, that there was life after death.
Arthur Conan Doyle wasn’t interested in the occult. His, wife, Jeanne, was, and very interested in seances.
She hired a medium to come to their house and hold a seance, to try and find the spirit, Harry Houdini.
Once the medium went into a trance she began to write the messages down, they were in picture forms.
She claimed she was talking to Houdini’s mother, (who was a Polish, Jew), and told her about her son.
Sir Arthur Doyle used part of this experience, when her wrote this book.
.My Review.
This is a book about one of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and documented by his friend, Dr. Watson.
The book begins with Holmes talking to Watson, when Mr. Hilton Cubitt, who lives in the Riding Thorpe Manor, in Norfolk, arrives.
Mr. Culbitt hand him a piece of paper with some strange symbols on them. He asks Holmes what he thinks they mean.
Holmes looks at the paper, and thinks some one is playing a prank, because the only thing on the paper, is a drawing, like a child would make, (stick men), of a few people dancing across the paper.
Culbitt, tells Holmes, that he brought him the paper because his new wife has been receiving notes like this, for a while, and it is scaring her.
Holmes asks Culbitt to repeat the story that he told when he wrote him the letter, asking for a meeting.
Cubitt says, ’’Last year I came up to London for the Jubilee, and I stopped at a boardinghouse in Russell Square, because Parker, the Vicar of our parish, was staying there. I met Elsie Patrick, (an American lady), and we became friends. A month later I was in love, and asked her to marry me.’’
He continues, ’’She accepted, and we were married at the Registry Office, before I took her home.’’
’’We have been married for a year now, and a month ago my wife received a letter from the United States. She opened it up, and the blood in her face drained, until it was white. She didn’t tell me what was in it, and just threw it into the fire.’’
’’Two weeks ago, I saw some chalk drawings, on my window. I had them washed off, and told my wife about it later. She asked me if I saw any more drawings to let her see them.’’
’’A week later I found this piece of paper in the garden. I showed it to Elsie and she fainted. Since then she’s been in a daze and her eyes look like they have seen a ghost.’’
Holmes asks Mr. Cubitt, why he hasn’t asked his wife to tell him her secret. Cubitt says, ’’If she wanted to tell me she would have.’’
The messages keep coming and Elsie, wouldn’t get out of her bed. One night when he was getting into bed, Cubitt heard some one break into the house. He got out his gun and when to find out who it was, but his wife stopped him.
Holmes told Cubitt he’d think about taking the case. A few days later a wire arrived telling him that Cubbit had been murdered, and Elsie was in the hospital, after being shot.
Holmes and Watson travelled to the Squire mansion, and began looking for evidence. The first clue came, when he found a few bullets in the window sill.
The second clue found when Holmes begins to open and close the windows. The third clue is happens when Holmes finds out how many candles were used.
The suspects: Abe Slaney, (an American Gangster), the butler, the Vicar or some one I haven’t told you about!
And put them together and what have you got? Ah well, you’ll have to buy the book to find out!
.My Thoughts.
It always amazes me that I read about the clues, and have no idea what they mean until Sherlock Holmes, and the end, with his pipe in his mouth, explains how he solved the case.
I know he smoked opium, from time to time, and I often wonder if this helped him see what the other character in the book, never see!
.My Conclusion.
If you like old fashioned mystery books, you’ll enjoy this book. It isn’t scary, but shows you how a good detective can solve a murder, through reasoning.
This book is a quick read, but it you don’t have time to read the book, it was made into a film, (for ITV, in England), that is now out on DVD, Video.
If you have read all of the Sherlock Holmes books, and want read more, then I suggest your read the books written by Laurie K. King, using the name of Mary Russell
Mary Russell is Holmes’ wife and companion. She replaces Dr. Watson, and I have just finished reading her book, called ’’The Moor’’.
Thank you for reading this review.
©LL2004