Written by Jim Clelland (@UrbanSpaceMan64) and Monique Boodram (@TriflesAndEggs)
The Problem of Thor Bridge, which first appeared in 1922, is one of my favourite Sherlock Holmes short stories from the collection “The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes” first published in the Strand Magazine. It features an unhappy marriage, a hot-blooded Brazilian wife, a late-night meeting, a shooting, a guilty governess, (after all the gun is found in her belongings), unusual marks in some stonework, a pair of revolvers and a deep passion. The solution to the case is clever and has been used a few times now by other authors, in print, play and television.
It should be pointed out Dr John H. Watson’s tin dispatch box, located in the vaults of the Cox and Co. Bank is mentioned for the first time. As we all know this tin box contains details of some of Holmes’ unsolved and unfinished cases. It may be the same box featured The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual, where Holmes entertains Watson with the case well before his biographer.
With the suspected governess being innocent, the case has much to do with framing. Framing in the Sherlockian canon a familiar subject, exempli gratia The Adventure of the Norwood Builder. In our introductory article, we mentioned Sherlockian scholar Richard Lancelyn Green’s case. It’s been speculated that his he set up his suicide to look like a most singular murder, creating somewhat a parallel to the incident at Thor Bridge.
Like all short story collections, you can read the lot or just dip in and out as it suits you and “The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes” is no exception.
Thank you for tuning in to this series of reviews, permission of Jim’s adventures. Please stay curious, and we look forward to serving the Sherlockian community as always. Au revoir!
The Baskerville Pups 