Short Story Collection Discussion Questions

Select a story to view the corresponding discussion questions.

The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual

The Field Bazaar

The Un-Burglars

The Problem of the Crystal Gazer

Fear

The Lost Duchess

The Horror of the Heights

The Lost Special

The Man with the Twisted Lip

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The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual

1. Sherlock Holmes possesses the gift of thinking logically and deductively. What do you think your gift is?
2. Does your family possess any rituals that have been handed down through generations?
3. Can you think of any different explanations for Rachel Howells' disappearance? Might Sherlock have gotten this part of the case wrong?

The Field Bazaar

1. Would it be easier or harder to have someone as perceptive as Sherlock Holmes as a roommate, always analyzing and interpreting your actions?
2. Have you ever participated in a bazaar to fundraise for a cause? What are other community events that you participated in?
3. Do you find that when you make inferences based on things you observe, are you more often correct or incorrect? Are you a good judge of character?

The Un-Burglars

1. Does Detective Gubb accidentally solve cases, or is he a truly skilled detective?
2. What do you believe to be the purpose of this story? Is it meant to be humorous? Is it meant to further a moral, such as illustrating a point about people who think they are better than others?
3. If the town halfwit, John Gutman, was guilty of un-burgling, of what was John Westcote guilty?

The Problem of the Crystal Gazer

1. Is there any amount of money that would entice you to commit a serious crime? Murder?
2. While Mr. Varick decides he is no longer interested in the supernatural after the affair with the crystal gazer, are you open to the idea of the occult, ESP, or other supernatural phenomena?
3. If you could see the future, would you want to know what was in store for you?

Fear

1. Have you ever experienced fear in the sense that the mysterious traveler explains it, and do you believe that true fear can only be instilled by the unknown?
2. Have you ever encountered a ghost or what you believed was a ghost?
3. Is there any time in your life that you have been afraid of something that was later revealed to be entirely innocent?

The Lost Duchess

1. Do you think there was a limit to what the Duke would have paid to have his wife back safely? Can we ever put a price on life? And are there examples in day-to-day life where we do put a price on life?
2. At the end of the story, the Duchess starts laughing, imagining how the white-hatted man was laughing at the Duke. Did you find this an odd response from her?
3. If the Duke was not entertaining the Prince for dinner that night, do you think he would have handled the situation differently?

The Horror of the Heights

1. Do you think it's possible to die from extreme emotional states, like fright, which is how the narrator asserts Hay Connor died? What about dying of sadness?
2. What might be an alternative explanation for the jelly-like creatures that Joyce-Armstrong supposedly witnessed above 40,000 feet?
3. Do you believe that people like Joyce-Armstrong, who are always pushing limits and breaking barriers, are a little insane? Do you have to be a little crazy to attempt these feats?

The Lost Special

1. When Herbert de Lernac says he sometimes thinks he should write to McPherson's wife, would he be acting out of compassion for the wife or out of a sadistic impulse to further cause the wife pain?
2. Can you think of other crimes that seem like they were impossible to carry out or that remain unsolved to this day?
3. Lernac seemed to have no problem buying people off to help him commit his crimes. Do you believe that people are more likely to act morally, or can we all be bought for the right price? What might your price be?

The Man with the Twisted Lip

1. Obviously, opium is addictive, but what are some other non-drug addictions that are easier to attain than to get rid of?
2. What do you think Mrs. St. Clair's response would have been, had she found out about her husband's true vocation?
3. Could you keep a secret for years, like Mr. St. Clair did, or are you someone who spills the beans as soon as you can?