The Adventure of the Cardboard Box [short story]

This is not Sherlock Holmes at his best. The resolution of the story includes a long information dump in the form of a letter written by the guilty person. Sherlock Holmes isn’t supposed to need those.

This is the first classic detective story that I have ever read. Two factors influenced my decision to read this short story: 1. The title grabbed my attention and intrigued me! 2. I thought it was time to read a classic detective story, and I immediately decided to try Sherlock Holmes.

I was certainly not disappointed. I had no idea what to expect, but to be honest, the idea of two human ears being delivered in the cardboard box was not one of them!
I found it most interesting in the way Holmes and Watson went about their business. I agree with another reviewer who mentioned that it was remarkable what clues were deduced from some packaging and the ears themselves!

When Holmes became aware of the lifestyle of Miss Susan Cushing, and the show more further clues themselves, it didn't take him long to deduce that this was going to be a family related affair. So it soon became apparent that adultery, jealousy and drink, all had a major part to play, in this sad and gruesome, but nevertheless, entertaining and interesting plot.

If like me, you have never read a classic detective story before, but would like to, I can fully recommend and endorse starting with a short story like this. I'm already looking forward to reading my next detective story! show less

In this story, Miss Susan Cushing of Croydon receives a parcel in the post that contains two severed human ears packed in coarse salt. Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard suspects a prank by three medical students whom Miss Cushing was forced to evict because of their unruly behaviour. The parcel was sent from Belfast, the city of origin of one of the former boarders. Upon examining the parcel himself, Holmes is convinced that it is evidence of a serious crime. He reasons that a medical student with access to a dissection laboratory would likely use something other than plain salt to preserve human remains, and would be able to make a more precise cut than the roughly hacked ears suggest. The address on the package, roughly written and show more with a spelling correction, suggests to Holmes that the sender lacks education and is unfamiliar with Croydon. The knot in the string suggests to Holmes that they are looking for someone with sailing experience.
Holmes considers the solution so simple that he asks Lestrade not to mention his name in connection with it. A few simple questions to Miss Cushing, a few observations, a cable to Liverpool, and a visit to Miss Cushing's sister Sarah (Holmes was denied admittance by the doctor because she was having a "brain fever") convince Holmes that the ears belong to Miss Cushing's other sister, Mary, and her extramarital lover, and that they have been murdered. He is convinced that Mary's estranged husband, Jim Browner, is the murderer, and that Browner had sent the cardboard box containing the ears to the Cushing's house in Croydon (addressing it merely to "S. Cushing"), not realizing that Sarah was no longer resident there. Browner, who is an unpleasant man when drunk, had meant to horrify Sarah (rather than Susan) because he blamed Sarah for causing the trouble that culminated in his murder of his wife and her lover.
Browner is indeed a sailor, and Belfast was the first port where he had the chance to post the parcel. Lestrade, acting on Holmes's information, is waiting to arrest him when his ship reaches London. He confesses everything. He is presented with considerable sympathy, a simple man so tormented by guilt at his act that he would welcome being hanged. The real villain of the story - morally if not legally - is Sarah Cushing, who tried to seduce Browner herself and, when he rejected her advances, set out to wreck his marriage with her sister Mary.

Another very well written story, I recommend this one to all readers that appreciate a good mystery, mainly featuring Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. show less