Milverton is a uniquely idiosyncratic villain, not the least because he was based on a real life model who shared his first and middle name. The master blackmailer who assumes he is above such mundane concerns as morality draws the ire of Holmes in a way that even Moriarty failed to do. She is prepared to take a proactive approach in assisting the detective and Watson assist with her peculiar predicament. The bicycling Miss Smith is another of Doyle’s memorable female characters that Sherlock helps after his return from the grave. Elsie is an American trying to escape her past association with members of a secret society who communicate through little stick figures that appear to be dancing.
(For the record, Oldacre’s housekeeper is pretty strong herself, but not in admirable way).
One of a number of admirably strong female characters that pop up in this collection is Elsie Patrick. A little deception on the part of Holmes manages to trick Oldacre out of his own deceit. One of the craftiest villains to square off against Holmes, Oldacre is so consumed by a lust for revenge that he is willing to destroy former loves, kill innocent people, fake his own death and escape detection by hiding in a cramped space behind a wall. Watson gets to be the hero here by knocking Moran down before he complete his dastardly assignment. The location: the empty house across from 221B Baker Street. The man that Holmes was characterized as the second most dangerous in London attempts to complete the job that the world thought Professor Moriarty had accomplished, but actually did not: kill Sherlock Holmes. Indeed, “The Empty House” is notable Watson’s description of his own decidedly non-military fainting spell at the sight of the return of the boon companion he thought dead for the past three years. The ever-dependable chronicle of the adventures of Holmes and his faithful companion as always plays a big role in the in the investigation of these cases. “The Empty House” reveals how Doyle managed to get around this admittedly significant creative hindrance. Following a three year break from writing stories about Holmes after apparently having killed his creation off, public pressure forced Arthur Conan Doyle to literally resurrect Holmes from the grave. The return in the anthology’s title refers to a return from the grave. The hero of the stories is the very model of private detective the world’s first consulting detective, in fact.
We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community.
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