The Adventure of the Speckled Band

In “The Adventure of the Speckled Band,” Sir Arthur Conan Doyle plays with the conventions of detective fiction. In most detective stories, the intrigue stems from watching the sleuth uncover the criminal’s identity, which is why these stories are sometimes called “whodunits.” However, in this short story, the murder weapon, not the murderer, is the mystery that Sherlock Holmes must solve. Dr. Roylott quickly emerges as the only plausible suspect, and the rest of the story seeks to discover the titular speckled band’s identity and its connection to the death of Helen Stoner’s sister.

Helen’s tale, like those of her mother and sister, thematically warns of the dangers of one-sided love and loyalty. She comes to Baker Street “in a pitiable state of agitation” (142) and tells Holmes and Watson of her past griefs and current fears. After Helen’s father died, her mother married Dr. Grimesby Roylott, “a man of immense strength, and absolutely uncontrollable in his anger” (144). Due to her misplaced faith in her second husband, Mrs. Stoner entrusted her fortune to Dr. Roylott with the stipulation that her daughters each receive a portion of the trust (£250) if they married.