| Title: | The Adventure of the Crooked Man | Collection: | The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year published: | 1893 (July) | Year set in: | |
| Mystery: | Who killed a colonel and why? | ||
| Apparent crime: | Betrayal | Actual crime: | Shown below (possible spoiler) |
| Summary: | A colonel is found dead in a room with his unconscious wife after an argument between them, | ||
- Introduction
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Colonel Barclay and his wife, Nancy, who had always seemed a loving couple, are heard having an argument inside a locked room. When a servant manages to get inside, he finds Barclay dead and his wife lying unconscious. Holmes believes that a third person was involved.
- Actual crime
- Betrayal
- Explanation (spoiler alert)
-
Whilst serving in India, Barclay had betrayed a man, Henry Wood, who had been a rival for his future wife. Wood had eventually returned to England where he met Nancy and told of his betrayal. She had an argument over it with Barclay and, when he saw Wood, he died of a stroke or heart attack.
- Quotations in this story (1)
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Quote "Excellent!" I cried.
"Elementary," said he.
- Characters in this story (3)
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Surname First name Title Holmes Sherlock Simpson Baker Street Irregular Watson John Doctor
- Locations in this story (1)
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Location Town/City County Lachine Aldershot Hampshire
- Other notes
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This is one story which does not involves Baker Street. It also has similarities with "The Sign of the Four" with an Indian military source, and betrayal.
- Keywords
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Colonel James Barclay Nancy Devoy Henry Wood Major Murphy Morrison David Aldershot Royal Musters Lachine mongoose Simpson