The Case Files of Sherlock Holmes: The Speckled Band

It is not cold which makes me shiver,' said the woman in a low voice, changing her seat as requestd. What then?' It is fear, Mr Holmes. It is terror.' With those three short sentences, Conan Doyle succeeds in sending tingles down the spines of his readers, raising the hairs on the backs of their necks, and setting the scene for what is perhaps the most popular of all the Sherlock Holmes short stories. Conan Doyle also creates mysteries within the mystery, which have fuelled Sherlockian debate for decades: do snakes drink milk? could a snake be trained to climb a bell-rope? In addition to examining previous scholarship relating to the case, this latest addition to The Case Files of Sherlock Holmes' examines Conan Doyle's possible sources and his stage dramatisation, and offers modern interpretations of the story's features. Join us on this latest journey to Stoke Moran, home of the fearsome Dr Grimesby Roylott. Once more, the game is afoot!