Basic Information

Abbreviation: MISS (J. F. Christ, 1947)
Word length: 8,076 (C. E. Lauterbach, 1960)
First published: Strand Magazine, August 1904; Collier's Weekly, November 26, 1904

Redmond's Question

There are conspicuously old-fashioned elements in this tale—Holmes's detective work hangs largely on telegrams and on following a horse-drawn carriage by bicycle—and yet its central feature, the apparent kidnapping of a prominent athlete, is chillingly modern. At the same time, it moves from the broad comedy of Lord Mount-James to the pathos of the final scene. Is the combination effective?