The Adventure of the Gold Hunter

Last updated

"The Adventure of the Gold Hunter" is a Sherlock Holmes murder mystery by Adrian Conan Doyle (the youngest son of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the Sherlock Holmes creator) and John Dickson Carr. The story was published in the 1954 collection The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes . It was first published in Collier's on 30 May 1953, illustrated by Robert Fawcett. [1]

Plot

The Reverend James Appley asks Holmes to investigate the sudden and unexpected death of Squire Trelawney of his parish in Somerset. Rev. Appley is concerned because the suspect is his nephew, Dr. Paul Griffin, the attending physician. Trewlaney recently named Griffin his sole beneficiary, disinheriting the previous beneficiary, his niece, Miss Dolores Dale. Miss Dale's fiancé, Jeffrey Ainsworth, claims that he saw Trewlaney alive and well until late in the night.

The problem is that no one can determine the cause of death, not even the famous pathologist Sir Leopold Harper, who conducted an autopsy. A clue might lie in the gold hunter, a popular pocket watch, owned by the deceased gentleman. Holmes once more solves the puzzle to the chagrin of Inspector Lestrade. [2]

"And see," he continued, hastening to the small table in question, "what a treasure–trove we have here! Look at this, Lestrade! Look at it!"

"But, Holmes, it is only a small pot of vaseline such as you may buy at any chemist's!"

"On the contrary, it is a hangman's rope."

Related Research Articles

Sherlock Holmes Fictional character (consulting detective) created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and logical reasoning that borders on the fantastic, which he employs when investigating cases for a wide variety of clients, including Scotland Yard.

Adrian Conan Doyle Son of Arthur Conan Doyle

Adrian Malcolm Conan Doyle was the youngest son of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his second wife Jean, Lady Doyle or Lady Conan Doyle. He had two siblings, sister Jean Conan Doyle and brother Denis, as well as two half-siblings, sister Mary and brother Kingsley.

<i>A Study in Scarlet</i> 1887 detective novel by Arthur Conan Doyle

A Study in Scarlet is an 1887 detective novel written by Arthur Conan Doyle. The story marks the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, who would become the most famous detective duo in literature. The book's title derives from a speech given by Holmes, a consulting detective, to his friend and chronicler Watson on the nature of his work, in which he describes the story's murder investigation as his "study in scarlet": "There's the scarlet thread of murder running through the colourless skein of life, and our duty is to unravel it, and isolate it, and expose every inch of it."

The Boscombe Valley Mystery Short story by Arthur Conan Doyle featuring Sherlock Holmes

"The Boscombe Valley Mystery", one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the fourth of the twelve stories in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. It was first published in the Strand Magazine in 1891.

"The Adventure of the Highgate Miracle" is a Sherlock Holmes mystery story written in collaboration by Adrian Conan Doyle and John Dickson Carr. The story was published in the 1954 collection, The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes. It was first published in Collier's on 6 June 1953, illustrated by Robert Fawcett.

"The Adventure of the Black Baronet" is a Sherlock Holmes murder mystery written by Adrian Conan Doyle and John Dickson Carr. The story was published in the 1954 collection The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes. It was first published in Collier's on 23 May 1953, illustrated by Robert Fawcett.

"The Adventure of the Sealed Room" is a Sherlock Holmes murder mystery by Adrian Conan Doyle and John Dickson Carr. The story was published in the 1954 collection The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes. It was first published in Collier's on 13 June 1953, and was illustrated by Robert Fawcett in Collier's.

"The Adventure of Foulkes Rath" is a Sherlock Holmes murder mystery by Adrian Conan Doyle, the youngest son of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the Sherlock Holmes creator. The story was published in the 1954 collection The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes. It was first published in Collier's on 27 June 1953, and was illustrated by Robert Fawcett in Collier's.

"The Adventure of the Dark Angels" is a Sherlock Holmes murder mystery by Adrian Conan Doyle, the youngest son of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the Sherlock Holmes creator. The story was published in the 1954 collection The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes. It was first published in Collier's on 7 August 1953, and was illustrated by Robert Fawcett in Collier's.

<i>The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes</i>

The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes is a short story collection of twelve Sherlock Holmes pastiches, first published in 1954. It was written by Adrian Conan Doyle, who was the son of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and by John Dickson Carr, who was the authorised biographer of the elder Conan Doyle. The first six stories were written in collaboration by the two writers, while the last six stories were written solely by Adrian Conan Doyle.

Inspector Lestrade Fictional character from Sherlock Holmes

Detective Inspector G. Lestrade, or Mr. Lestrade, is a fictional character appearing in several of the Sherlock Holmes stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle. Lestrade's first appearance was in the first Sherlock Holmes story, the novel A Study in Scarlet, which was published in 1887. The last story in which he appears is the short story "The Adventure of the Three Garridebs", which was first published in 1924 and was included in the last collection of Sherlock Holmes stories by Doyle, The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes.

The Adventure of the Cardboard Box Short story by Arthur Conan Doyle featuring Sherlock Holmes

"The Adventure of the Cardboard Box" is one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The story was first published in The Strand Magazine in the United Kingdom in January 1893, and in Harper's Weekly in the United States on 14 January 1893. It is the second of twelve stories collected in The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes in most British editions of the canon, and the second of the eight stories from His Last Bow in most American versions.

The Adventure of the Norwood Builder

"The Adventure of the Norwood Builder", one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the second tale from The Return of Sherlock Holmes. The story was first published in Collier's (US) on 31 October 1903 and in The Strand Magazine (UK) in November 1903.

<i>A Study in Terror</i> 1965 film by James Hill

A Study in Terror is a 1965 British horror thriller film directed by James Hill and starring John Neville as Sherlock Holmes and Donald Houston as Dr. Watson. It was filmed at Shepperton Studios, London, with some location work at Osterley House in Middlesex.

<i>Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon</i> 1943 film by Roy William Neill

Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1942) is the fourth in the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce series of 14 Sherlock Holmes films which updated the characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to the then present day. The film is credited as an adaptation of Conan Doyle's 1903 short story "The Adventure of the Dancing Men," though the only element from the source material is the dancing men code. Rather, it is a spy film taking place on the background of the then ongoing Second World War with an original premise. The film concerns the kidnapping of a Swiss scientist by their nemesis Professor Moriarty, to steal a new bomb sight and sell it to Nazi Germany. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson have to crack a secret code in order to save the country.

<i>Sherlock Holmes Faces Death</i> 1943 film by Roy William Neill

Sherlock Holmes Faces Death is the sixth film in the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce series of Sherlock Holmes films. Made in 1943, it is a loose adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Holmes 1893 story "The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual." Its three immediate predecessors in the film series were World War II spy adventures with Holmes and Dr. Watson as characters, but this one marks a return to the pure mystery film form. Though several characters are military men and there are frequent mentions of the war, it is not the focus of the story.

<i>Sherlock Holmes</i> (2010 film) 2010 film by Rachel Lee Goldenberg

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, also known simply as Sherlock Holmes, is a 2010 British-American steampunk mystery film directed by Rachel Lee Goldenberg and produced by independent American film studio The Asylum. It features the Sherlock Holmes characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, though it follows an original plot. The film details an unrecorded case in which eccentric detective Holmes and his companion Dr. Watson investigate a series of unusual monster attacks and a plot to destroy London. Gareth David-Lloyd plays Dr. John Watson and Ben Syder, making his film debut, plays Sherlock Holmes.

<i>The Sign of Four</i> (1983 film)

The Sign of Four is a 1983 British made-for-television mystery film directed by Desmond Davis and starring Ian Richardson and David Healy. The film is based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 1890 novel of the same name, the second novel to feature Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson.

<i>The Hound of the Baskervilles</i> (1983 film) 1983 film directed by Douglas Hickox

The Hound of the Baskervilles is a 1983 British made-for-television mystery thriller film directed by Douglas Hickox, starring Ian Richardson as Sherlock Holmes and Donald Churchill as Dr. John H. Watson. It is based on Arthur Conan Doyle's 1902 novel The Hound of the Baskervilles.

"The Abominable Bride" is a special episode of the British television programme Sherlock. The episode was broadcast on BBC One, PBS and Channel One on 1 January 2016. It depicts the characters of the show in an alternative timeline: the Victorian London setting of the original stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. The title is based on the quote "Ricoletti of the club foot and his abominable wife" from "The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual" (1893), which refers to a case mentioned by Holmes. The story also draws on elements of original Conan Doyle stories of Holmes such as "The Five Orange Pips" (1891) and "The Final Problem" (1893).

References

  1. De Waal, Ronald Burt (1974). The World Bibliography of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Bramhall House. p. 425. ISBN   0-517-217597.
  2. The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes , Chapter 2