The Speckled Band: An Adventure of Sherlock Holmes

The curtain rises on the large, gloomy, oak-lined hall of a dilapidated manor in Stoke Moran, Surrey. A coroner’s inquest is about to commence.  Enid Stoner, dressed in black and heavily veiled, is crouched on a sofa, her face buried in the cushions, sobbing over the mysterious death of her sister, Violet. Her stepfather, Dr. Grimesby Rylott, advises Enid to “stamp down” her emotions and assures the grieving girl of his love. Dr. John Watson, a friend of the family since his military days in India, arrives on the scene. Concerned for Enid’s safety, he tells her she must seek the help of his singular friend, Sherlock Holmes.

The Speckled Band was first published in the Strand Magazine in 1892 and later reprinted in the short-story collection The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. A locked-room puzzle with horrific overtones, the tale was considered by Doyle and many of his readers to be his best effort. Doyle adapted the story for the stage in 1912 (the year the Titanic sank) and the play was a hit that year in London and on Broadway