Sherlock Holmes reread: The Six Napoleons
Nov. 19th, 2025 09:53 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
vivdunstanOnto another story ...
And this one is a cracker. A mysterious tale of smashed plaster busts of Napoleon, combined with a good-natured sparring match between Lestrade and Holmes, and a satisfying ending.
I do like the stories where Holmes and Lestrade pit wits. And it's touching in the opening of this story that we learn that Lestrade often comes round in the evening to chat with Holmes and Watson about cases.
The story quickly turns into a treasure hunt for the six Napoleon plaster busts, as Holmes follows the breadcrumb clues to crack the case. And it's of course the last Napoleon he needs to finally prove his theory.
In its ultimate resolution the story is obviously very similar to "The Blue Carbuncle", but I find this to be a much more satisfying story. Not least because of the Lestrade/Holmes interactions.
Looking at adapted versions it's amusing that there were two Basil Rathbone films based on this story. I must rewatch the Jeremy Brett, which has Marina Sirtis in a guest role, years before the BBC started airing Star Trek: The Next Generation. I can, of course, remember the BBC Sherlock version ("The Six Thatchers"), but I can't really recall the Elementary one, though definitely saw it. Should rewatch that too.
And this one is a cracker. A mysterious tale of smashed plaster busts of Napoleon, combined with a good-natured sparring match between Lestrade and Holmes, and a satisfying ending.
I do like the stories where Holmes and Lestrade pit wits. And it's touching in the opening of this story that we learn that Lestrade often comes round in the evening to chat with Holmes and Watson about cases.
The story quickly turns into a treasure hunt for the six Napoleon plaster busts, as Holmes follows the breadcrumb clues to crack the case. And it's of course the last Napoleon he needs to finally prove his theory.
In its ultimate resolution the story is obviously very similar to "The Blue Carbuncle", but I find this to be a much more satisfying story. Not least because of the Lestrade/Holmes interactions.
Looking at adapted versions it's amusing that there were two Basil Rathbone films based on this story. I must rewatch the Jeremy Brett, which has Marina Sirtis in a guest role, years before the BBC started airing Star Trek: The Next Generation. I can, of course, remember the BBC Sherlock version ("The Six Thatchers"), but I can't really recall the Elementary one, though definitely saw it. Should rewatch that too.