Childrens Literature and Literacy

Sherlock Holmes: A Case of Identity

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Miss Mary Sutherland goes to Sherlock Holmes so that he can find her missing love, Mr. Hosmer Angel. She met Mr. Angel at a party. They dated and he asked her to marry him. On the morning of the wedding, when he was supposed to step out of the carriage, he was discovered missing. Mis Sutherland pledged her devotion to this man and feared some horrible thing happened to him. Her mother and step-father were angry about the incident and refused to contact the police to look for him. When she goes to Sherlock Holmes to relay her story he does not even need to leave his apartment in order to figure out what had happened. He confirms the truth as soon as Mr. Windibank comes to the apartment in order to apologize for his step-daughter’s behavior. Unfortunately, the crime is not punishable by law, and Sherlock Holmes does not think that Miss Sutherland would believe him. Therefore, there are no consequences for the trick.

One of the key elements that makes this a mystery book is that the story is laden with clues. From beginning to end, subtle though they are, the clues allow the reader to figure out the answer before the ending is given. Some examples of the clues given are:

1. Mr. Windibank and Mr. Hosmer Angel were never in the same place at the same time (If Mr. Windibank were home then Mr. Angel would not visit her)

2. Mr. Windibank and Mr. Angel had similar features - the only differences could be made with make-up, glasses, changing his voice by whispering, and a costume

3. Mr. Angel was ‘shy,’ only willing to be seen in the evenings by Miss Sutherland (so she could not see him clearly)

4. Mr. Windibank was not concerned about Mr. Angel’s absence and refused to go to the police or Sherlock Holmes for help finding him

5. Mr. Windibank and Mr. Angel wrote letters from the same typewriter

My favorite part of this story was the unsatisfactory end. It seems cruel, but it is amusing that even though Sherlock Holmes knows exactly what is going on, it is impossible for the law to help Miss Sutherland. After all, no laws were broken.