"The Case of Lady Saxxon" by Arthur Conan Doyle

"The Case of Lady Saxxon" by Arthur Conan Doyle (1983, 12 pages)

A Short Story by the Creator of Sherlock Holmes

Arthur Conan Doyle (1859 to 1930-Edinburgh, Scotland) created the great fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock Holmes, like few other literary creations, has taken on a life way beyond the confines of the pages of a book. He is the first of the great fictional detectives solving crimes with logic and keen observation.  I am a bit embarrassed to admit I have never read any of the work of Doyle before today.

"The Case of Lady Saxxon" feels very much like late Victorian prose. It was meant to attract readers through its focus on the rich and their foibles. The vices of the poor do not sell as well as the vices of the rich. As the story opens we meet Douglas Stone and "the notorious Lady Saxxon". Douglas Stone is a very successful surgeon. Most of his patients are from the top levels of society. His income is high and his expenses at least match. He has developed a taste for exotic artifacts and seems to be a rather advanced voluptuary as well. He was captivated by Lady Saxxon on sight and nearly in plain view of her husband begins an affair with her.

The heart and the fun of the story is the revenge taken by Lord Saxxon on his wife and Dr. Stone. The ending is very clever and I liked it a lot.

Dolyle did a good job of making me feel I was out and about in Late Victorian London. The story is very easy to read and feels like newspaper man turned writer style prose. I enjoyed this story and will, I hope, at least read my first Sherlock Holmes story soon. ( I like the old movies from the 1930s and 40 and I cannot stand the newest one. )


Mel u