Summary of Detective Fictions
The book is one of the earliest murder mysteries, in which the city of Paris is under siege by what the locals consider an organized band of thieves. These thieves rob the public of items such as costly jewelry on the streets. They also rob people in their homes. They render the street victims helpless by a blow to the head while deliberately killing others by thrusting daggers to their hearts. The author uses his story telling skills and ability to maintain the attention of the audience to the end of the book. He uses the cruel fate and terrible personage of Rene Cadillac in most part of the story to retain the interest of the readers. Notably, Cadillac appears only in one living form in the book; however, most of the novella occurs after his death. The author ensures that the readers are involved in the book to find out if Oliver would succeed in proving his innocence in Cadillac’s murder.
I strongly agree with the researchers and novelists who have considered “Mademoiselle de Scudery” to be Hoffmann’s biggest achievement in his carrier. The book provides an accurate psychological portrait of a pathological personality of the master jeweler, Cadillac. The writer has used his writing to reveal the actual historic occurrences and the mood in Paris at the time when Luois XIV reign as King. I would recommend the book for university libraries and to some extent, high school libraries. The book contains scenes that might be scary to younger children or might incite them to involve in criminal activities. The books also depict leadership styles in the past and recent scenarios, where people use their power to influence judgments in legal proceedings.
The Girl with Silver Eyes
As I read this book, I realized that the plot is less interesting than the book that I first read and summarized in the above paragraphs. The characters are not that interesting and the mystery does not exactly a mystery. The detective in the story appeared to me as if he knew everything about Delano even before most readers or I did know. He was aware of her previous inclusion in the criminal scenes and the murders that came from them. However, the interesting thing that I found in the story is the way Hammett often referred to Delano as “The girl with silver eyes”. Even after disguising herself by altering her outer appearance, the detective was able to recognize her at the White Shack by her distinguishable eyes.
Just like other hard-boiled stories, this story uses the girl with silver eyes to indicate to the audience that it is impossible to evade your past even if you try to disguise yourself with the present. Delano has a distinguishing feature, her eyes, which Hammett describes to remain silvery, as they have always been.
“I took the silver eyes to mean snake like. “A slimy reptile whose highest thought had been a sinful a dope had gone grimly to death that she might get away (Hammett 2009). This quote from the story reveals Delano’s snake like evil motives. Additionally, the snake character in her is revealed at the end of the story when the detective says she whispered in his ear.
In my opinion, the story relates to the way men underestimate the capabilities of women. In this story, the major criminal is Delano, a woman who most of the men render helpless. The most notable thing in the story that makes it even a more fiction is the fact that only the detective knows her to be the bad one.
The Adventure of the Speckled Band
This is one of the most popular Sherlock Holmes stories. In this story, early one morning, Holmes wakes Dr. Watson and informs him the housekeeper, Mrs. Hudson had woke him up to inform him of the arrival of a young woman client. They leave for Holmes waiting room where they find the client waiting for them. After introducing herself as Helen Stoner, and that she lives with her stepfather, Dr. Roylott, who was the last survivor of the Roylott family, she explains how her mother met Roylott. Her sister Julia and she were only two. Unfortunately, her mother died in a railway accident on their way back to England. Julia was killed in her own room after she was engaged and her dying words were “The Band! The Speckled Band!” Roylott later appears and warns Holmes to stay away from his business. When Holmes and Watson set to solve the case, they eventually find out that, the murder weapon was a snake and that the mastermind behind the killings was Roylott, who is in the end murdered by his murder weapon.
The theme that I can draw from this story is greed. Roylott strives to kill both Helen and Julia in order to keep the 1,000 pounds entitled to the sisters upon their marriage. The story also reveals that every person has to suffer the consequences of their actions. Roylott dies from his own murder weapon and leaves Helen with all the possession that rightfully belongs to her. The story also reveals that justice has to take its course, no matter how long it would take. Even though Roylott warns Holmes, justice still prevails. The story is interesting and I would recommend it for family reading and school libraries.
Reference:
Hammett D. (2009, February 1). The Girl With the Silver Eyes. Film Noir in its Entirety. Retrieved from http://bg303j.blogspot.com/2009/02/girl-with-silver-eyes.html
