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vivdunstanContinuing my reread, and this is one that I could remember well from the past.
This is the story of a young lawyer accused of the murder of an elderly builder who had drawn up a will leaving everything to the lawyer. Who did not know the man at all. And I think it's one of the best stories in the whole canon.
The opening tells us that Watson has moved back in with Holmes. The latter also laments the loss of Moriarty, reducing the fascinating criminal cases that he has to deal with. And then the lawyer arrives, telling his story in a mix of first person and newspaper reports. And it's quite a story.
Unusually this is a case where everything looks doomed for Holmes's client, with the case against him unarguable. Even Holmes feels that there is no hope. And Lestrade is triumphant. But then a new clue appears - a fingerprint spotted in the crime scene a couple of days after the crime - which Holmes alone knows was not there the day before. This prompts Holmes to cause another "witness" to appear from hiding in a concealed part of the house. And it's the supposedly murdered man, who had conspired to frame the young lawyer for murder in an act of revenge against the lawyer's parents, especially his mother.
This story has so much interest. An intriguing crime scene, family saga, novel forensic evidence, a seemingly insurmountable case, a triumphant reveal, and a wicked and conniving criminal.
A very worthwhile read.
This is the story of a young lawyer accused of the murder of an elderly builder who had drawn up a will leaving everything to the lawyer. Who did not know the man at all. And I think it's one of the best stories in the whole canon.
The opening tells us that Watson has moved back in with Holmes. The latter also laments the loss of Moriarty, reducing the fascinating criminal cases that he has to deal with. And then the lawyer arrives, telling his story in a mix of first person and newspaper reports. And it's quite a story.
Unusually this is a case where everything looks doomed for Holmes's client, with the case against him unarguable. Even Holmes feels that there is no hope. And Lestrade is triumphant. But then a new clue appears - a fingerprint spotted in the crime scene a couple of days after the crime - which Holmes alone knows was not there the day before. This prompts Holmes to cause another "witness" to appear from hiding in a concealed part of the house. And it's the supposedly murdered man, who had conspired to frame the young lawyer for murder in an act of revenge against the lawyer's parents, especially his mother.
This story has so much interest. An intriguing crime scene, family saga, novel forensic evidence, a seemingly insurmountable case, a triumphant reveal, and a wicked and conniving criminal.
A very worthwhile read.