Sherlock Holmes: Trifles

Latest Episodes:

Guilt in The Abbey Grange Jan 25, 2017

Show notes

"vox populi, vox dei" [ABBE]

Sir Eustace Brackenstall met with a grisly, if appropriate end in "The Abbey Grange." Ultimately, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson let his killer go free.

But was Captain Crocker solely responsible for Brackenstall's death? Other individuals were involved with the calm plotting of the aftermath of the death — but whose shoulders bear the ultimate brunt of the guilt in the end?

Links

"The Abbey Grange"
"The game's afoot" as found in King Henry's speech "Once more unto the breach" in Henry V.

Simpson's Jan 18, 2017

Show notes

"something a little nutritious at Simpson's" [DYIN]

Dr. Watson tells us that he and Sherlock Holmes visited one London restaurant two times. And while the gustatory habits of the famed Baker Street duo are not entirely well-documented, we have a good sense as to what they must have eaten at the famed Simpson's in-the-Strand.

This is a case of fact meeting fiction, as Simpson's is very much a real establishment in London — one that was recently in danger of losing its identity. We bring you inside this gem that dates from the 1820s as a cigar and chess divan and explore what dining like Sherlock Holmes was like.

Links

Simpson's in-the-Strand
Restaurant Frequented by Sherlock Holmes May Vanish — I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere
"The Illustrious Client"
"The Dying Detective"

Watson in the City Jan 11, 2017

Show notes

The opening lines of A Study in Scarlet are rich with details about Dr. Watson's past. His medical degree, his army service, even his injury. He recalls how he came to London without knowing anyone in the city and proceeded to blow through his cash reserves.

Just how far could one get on 11s. 6p. per day in 1881? And how fortunate we are that Watson couldn't keep to his budget. For his cash situation is what required him to find a flatmate...

Links

The Man Who Created Sherlock Holmes: the Life and Times of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle by Andrew Lycett
Teller of Tales: The Life of Arthur Conan Doyle by Daniel Shashower
A Study in Scarlet

Optimism Jan 04, 2017

Show notes

The new year usually brings resolutions and offers a new beginning. In our new podcast which begins in January 2017, we thought it was the ideal time to look at optimism in the Sherlock Holmes stories.

Was there more hope or despair in the Canon? Certainly, many cases began with despair, but which ones ended in optimism?

From "The Stockbroker's Clerk" to "The Copper Beeches," we have clients who were optimistically heading into new jobs. But all was not as it seemed... And what ends well for Sherlock Holmes does not always mean the same thing for his clients.

Links