I’ll be uploading rankings of Sherlock Holmes stories from my new book, Wherever Fact May Lead Me: A Ranking of the Sherlock Holmes Stories, every day till we reach the best story. After that, I’ll share my ranking of the best villains in the Holmes canon. You can find the rankings on my website, and you can buy a copy of the book on Amazon.
Ranking the Sherlock Holmes Stories
38. The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place (April 1927, Case-Book)
A rather macabre and fascinating story, partly cloudy in its resolution, and novel in some respects, The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place is the last story that Doyle ever published for Holmes, and it ends the canon on a good note. Originally titled The Adventure of the Black Spaniel, its name was changed before publication. But the title might have been better in its unpublished form, for Shoscombe Old Place sounds much like Boscombe Valley, and the lady’s beloved Spaniel plays an important (though not conclusive) role in this story.
More than once has Doyle used the idea of dogs in his stories to useful effect, and the most famous of these, Silver Blaze, like Shoscombe, also involves horse-racing, gambling, and a desperate need for money. Here in Shoscombe, the dog’s sense of smell confirms that Holmes is on the right scent. Still, Holmes must take further measures, and his hunt leads him to a creepy crypt. Like in The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax, in Shoscombe, a pair of the dead will be concealed by a single grave. But though there’s some evocation of old plots, Doyle’s storytelling is nevertheless impelling enough to carry readers on. The description of Sir Robert Norberton appearing at the entrance to the crypt is powerful, and the prose shows that good writers—even in the twilit, less motivated stages of their careers—can still write well.
For instance, John Mason’s account of the Shoscombe matter, when he brings it before Holmes, is really exemplary. Mason starts off upon the subject of madness, wondering whether his irascible employer has gone out of his mind. Mason’s recital becomes ever more intriguing as it goes on, for not once but twice does Mason succeed in making Holmes start with surprise. First, Mason introduces us to the crypt: a weird and attractive place. Once we are entranced by this locale, Mason tells us of the presence of ancient bones from an unknown human skeleton, remains that have appeared in the crypt without explanation. Certainly the case is fantastic enough for Holmes to investigate at once; it is just the thing he lives for.
And though the reader can quickly approximate the story’s final resolution, there are some points that need Holmes’ help in clearing up. It seems apparent, for instance, that the dog is aware that its mistress has vanished; still it is not clear what has caused her demise—perhaps, as Holmes suggests, Sir Robert Norberton has murdered her. Perhaps, as it turns out, she has died of natural causes. Holmes establishes the truth, refers the matter to the police, and Norberton’s story ends well. Sir Robert is guilty only of a “delay in registering the deceased,” and, like the modern story of Hans Kristian Rausing (the real-life Swedish billionaire who lived with his wife’s corpse in their Belgravian apartment, and whose sister owns Granta magazine), Norberton was let off with a slap on the wrist by the British authorities. Thus, in imitating life, even some of Doyle’s farthest-fetched stories, like The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place, chime with truth.
