Sherlock Holmes

With close reference to at least two Sherlock Holmes stories, explain how Arthur Conan Doyle creates and maintains interest in the form of a short story?

      Arthur Conan Doyle employs various methods to capture reader attention and build up tension within the frame work of a short story. The two stories which I have studied are “The Red-Headed League” and “The Speckled Band”. The Sherlock Holmes Stories are amazing tales of mysterious and sinister cases with questions needing to be solved and answered. These are to be solved by two friends/associates of the detective business - Dr Watson and Sherlock Holmes. Each plot deals with different characters and events, but there are many patterns and clues to be seen in each. These occur and can be seen right from the beginning to the end.
      “The Red-Headed League” and “The Speckled Band” both start with a person coming forward with a crime that needs an expert’s intervention. It could be about a death, a robbery or a complete mystery etc. However Arthur Conan Doyle very cleverly writes each story with Dr Watson as the narrator. This in itself adds interest to the reading of each tale. Mainly because we know that Sherlock Holmes, the central main character, holds vital information and that extra knowledge that we read about. He is also an extremely deep thinker and carefully thinks out everything possible. This brings me to the conclusion that if Sherlock Holmes was narrating instead of Dr Watson interest, suspense, tension and excitement in each story would most likely be lost. He would in turn be giving important information and the answer away too quickly. The delay and long wait before the answer at the end keeps you intrigued.   This is one of Arthur Conan Doyle’s excellent methods for keeping the reader interested in the form of a short story.
      In the beginning of the Red-Headed League we read that Sherlock Holmes is in deep conversation “with a very stout, florid-faced, elderly gentleman, with fiery...