BrucePartingtonPlans

The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans | Arthur Conan Doyle

#NoPlaceLikeHolmes @Cuilin
#BrucePartingtonPlans

Thoughts, Sherlockians?

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Bookwomble Oh, I listened to Hugh Bonneville narrating this one earlier in the week. I like this story 😊 2d

Bookwomble I think Holmes had Cadogan-West down for it initially, to his evident disappointment as he expressed increasing regret that the evidence was stacking against him. Once he had ruled him out, I think Johnson, the senior clerk, was next on his list. His failure to consider that a member of the aristocratic family of Sir James Walter was the culprit is an example, I think, of Holmes's class prejudice. 2d

Bookwomble As for the lax security, Imperial arrogance and an assumption of security and inviolability? Who, actually, would have the effrontery to trespass into the sacred groves of Empire? I guess today we might call it privilege 2d

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Librarybelle Completely agree on both counts, @Bookwomble . It‘s also good to see that Holmes is actually human and does think incorrectly from time to time. 2d

dabbe @Bookwomble True, Johnson would be the logical choice. Still, there is nothing in particular to make one suspect Johnson. He's only in one scene, and says and does nothing to make anyone suspicious of him. Perhaps Doyle should have made him more suspicious to the reader--at least this one! 🤩 1d

dabbe @Bookwomble 🎯! 1d

dabbe @Librarybelle @Bookwomble And that he does have the humility to admit it, even calling himself an “ass!“ 🤣 1d

dabbe @Librarybelle @Bookwomble I also am left wondering this: why did Oberstein leave copies of the agony ads lying about? He seemed to have destroyed all of the other evidence. Did he forget about them? Was he planning to use them and come back to blackmail Valentine later? It seems unbelievably sloppy (and lucky for Holmes). 1d

Bookwomble I guess Oberstein is no Moriarty! 1d

eeclayton Well they did have 3 keys, then again, there's a mention of Sir James having kept the 3 keys on the same ring, if I'm not mistaken 🤦
I was wondering about his death, too, I don't think it's ever explained. Suicide? Accident? Knowing who the culprit was in the main case, could he have a hand in it?
1d

dabbe @Bookwomble #fersure 🎯 17h

dabbe @eeclayton Ooh, excellent observation! What if James told his brother he was onto him; then, the Colonel could have killed him to quiet him. And, how do we truly know Sir James is dead? We don't see a body, and the only person who tells us he's dead is the bad guy! 17h

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dabbe

The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans | Arthur Conan Doyle

#NoPlaceLikeHolmes @Cuilin
#BrucePartingtonPlans

Thoughts, Sherlockians?

Librarybelle I thought Mycroft‘s comparison of himself to Holmes was interesting—sure, he could solve the crime too, but Holmes is better at ferreting out the truth by visiting locations and talking to people. Imagine those dinner time conversations growing up! 😂 2d

dabbe @Librarybelle Mycroft may be superior in intellect (even Sherlock has stated this), but Sherlock has grit and mettle to add to his capability in solving a case. Mycroft might be the British government at times, But Holmes is the detective I would want on my case. 🤣 1d

Librarybelle Me too, @dabbe ! 😂 1d

Read4life I did like having more of Mycroft in this one. Sherlock is humble when he speaks of Mycroft‘s superior intellect & Mycroft praises Sherlock in a way that is very cerebral vs the way praise is heaped on him by detectives & clients. 1d

dabbe @Read4life 🎯! You know when Mycroft praises Sherlock, it's probably the highest praise given--since he's supposedly even smarter than his bro. 17h

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dabbe

The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans | Arthur Conan Doyle

#NoPlaceLikeHolmes @Cuilin
#BrucePartingtonPlans

Thoughts, Sherlockians?

Bookwomble Given his previous experiences in such cases, Holmes might have had more regard for the family members of the principles that first came to his notice. The laxity of security seems curious, until you remember the relatively recent instances of heads of state communicating on insecure channels or storing government secrets in the toilets of their holiday homes 🗃️🚽 🧐 2d

TheLudicReader I tell my students 3 is a magic number in writing all the time. 🤓 2d

dabbe @TheLudicReader Did you ever watch Schoolhouse Rock? For multiplication, they had a song entitled (wait for it) “3 is a Magic Number.“ It has stuck in my head since I was a kid. If you want to watch it, here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8lRKCw2_Pk

#nerdsunite 🤓 2d

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Librarybelle Yes, @Bookwomble —thinking of security and then the current era of “security” of state secrets. Also, the threats from the East are still threats today. 2d

dabbe @Librarybelle @Bookwombile Interesting to also note that in every one of these so-called espionages, all of the criminals were family members! And in all three stories, it was only blind luck that kept these documents from being leaked or getting into the wrong hands. 1d

Bookwomble @Librarybelle @dabbe Subverting an insider is probably a more common tool of espionage than the high jinks of Mission Impossible. 1d

dabbe @Bookwomble 🎯, especially if said insiders are in desperate need of cold, hard, cash. 17h

Bookwomble @dabbe In debt and susceptible to blackmail for their indiscretions! 🧐 16h

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dabbe

The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans | Arthur Conan Doyle

#NoPlaceLikeHolmes @Cuilin
#BrucePartingtonPlans

Thoughts, Sherlockians?

Bookwomble I like this story, despite Doyle's typical slapdash approach to certain details. As a storyteller, he's more concerned with atmosphere than accuracy, and what would we have to talk about were it otherwise? 😁 2d

Daisey I enjoyed this one! 2d

Librarybelle This was a good one! 2d

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dabbe @Bookwomble Oh, I think atmosphere is so much fun to talk about! In this one, what about the dense fog? Its yellow oils dripping on the window! And would we even have this mystery without it? To me, it was the main character! 🤩 2d

dabbe @Daisey @Librarybelle Yay! I did, too! The body on the train scene reminded me of the film noir from the 40s, DOUBLE INDEMNITY. If you like those kind of movies, you should see it. It's INCREDIBLE! 🤩 2d

Read4life I agree that this was a good one. I could “feel” the fog not just “see” it. 1d

Bookwomble The yellowness and oily quality of the fog tells us that it was actually smog, a poisonous brew of hydrocarbon fumes from millions of coal fires and steam-powered engines supported by a global empire that provided some with great affluence, but which fueled the international conflicts of which espionage was an aspect. No empire, no global war, no military-industrial complex, no submarine plans, no murder, no case for Holmes to investigate. 👇 1d

Bookwomble The smog is a metaphor for the rot at the heart of empire, though I'm certain Doyle didn't intend it as such. 1d

eeclayton I enjoyed this story and agree that the fog added an eerie and sinister atmosphere. 1d

dabbe @Bookwomble Why are you so certain? Inquiring minds are dying to know! 17h

dabbe @eeclayton The atmosphere totally reminded me of DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE, too! 17h

Bookwomble @dabbe Doyle was a supporter of empire, and Holmes's death at Reichenbach was retconned as The Great Hiatus, during which The Great Detective was involved in the Great Game of espionage and political intrigue between the British and Russian empires. Holmes often intervenes on the side of Establishment figures, and at times his respected brother IS the Government, which means he is also the Empire! IRL, Doyle defended British atrocities in the 👇 16h

Bookwomble ... Boer War, and supported involvement in WWI on political and anti-German grounds. He wasn't above criticising some colonial actions, but I think due to how implemented rather than in objection to the enterprise. 16h

Bookwomble @Dabbe If you've not read it, I'd recommend Jack London's book, The People of the Abyss as a view into the reality of Holmes's city. He lived in the slums of London for a couple of months to gather materials on the lives of people living in poverty at the heart of empire in 1903. It's a shocking indictment of the then most affluent nation, & so offended the British establishment that London was thrown out of the country and banned from returning.

The People of the Abyss

16h

dabbe @Bookwomble #stacked! Thanks for sharing this info! 15h

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