Meeting Minutes BRUC '25
Max Magee
Meeting Minutes
Notorious Canary-Trainers
Attendees
Johanna
Max
John
Mary
Tyler
Sophie
Jim
Vicki
Announcements
Johanna brought show-and-tell, books to share
Max announced November’s The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes reading activity and offered to lend paperbacks
Story Discussion:
Johanna - One of my favorites because Mycroft is in it (and Lestrade is in it) and I like the supporting characters. “Sometimes he is the British government”
Max - Middling…bottom of the top half for me. Interesting that Mycroft was just cheering along for Holmes in this one vs. Greek Interpreter where he shows Sherlock up.
John - Doyle’s 14th favorite of his own stories. Classic “Put the body on the train that just happens to stop in front of my house.” Classic Holmes bit, looking carefully into his glass. Mycroft hates this one, because it’s beneath him. I think it’s a great story.
Mary - I like this one quite a bit, probably in my top five. I like the mystery and the interaction. Good scenes with Homes and Watson and of course, there’s Mycroft. Folks say he’s the first M. in the James Bond series. The writing is great in this—probably the most horrific description of fog I’ve ever read. Really liked it, has a lot going on.
Vicki - I like this one a lot. I would echo a bunch of what was just said. I like the interaction and I like how Mycroft doesn’t want to mess with the details, which is exactly what Holmes likes to do. I thought it was a bit of an abrupt ending—in this case, it worked. Favorite line: about the fog
In the third week of November, in the year 1895, a dense yellow fog
settled down upon London. From the Monday to the Thursday I doubt
whether it was ever possible from our windows in Baker Street to see
the loom of the opposite houses.
Jim - I like this story very much, but I didn’t do my homework with Klinger or Baring-Gould. I like the TV show very much. The phrase “served his turn” came up at the end of Norwood Builder as well as this one.
Tyler - Haven’t really read Sherlock Holmes
Sophie - Underground trains, is that a metaphor. “You can write me down as an ass this time, Watson.” I agree that the ending was abrupt and I was looking forward to the denouement with Oberstein.
Dave - I liked it, especially among the later ones, this is one of the best. I think this one was a hit. Especially the early part, where he’s bouncing off the walls. It was good—I’ve had experience with people like that! But it was also fun that Sherlock was doing things the police can’t do.
Discussion
There’s a parallel of the brothers betraying the other.
“How could a gentleman and an officer do such a thing?”
Did Aldgate have above-ground rails at the station in 1895? Doyle didn’t really know the landscape, but did that exist?
This story takes place in 1895 (throw back from 1908 publication date)
A lot of scenes with Mycroft and Lestrade—does Mycroft prefer to work with Lestrade?
Really liked the account of breaking into Oberstein’s house, especially the children’s party (and the fog and children’s voices)
The passage where Watson stuffs his pockets with jemmy, chisel, and revolver etc. Very funny. Then Holmes is the one to force the door...seemingly without the need of any of the stuff.
Talking about January plans—we will not have a story discussion in January, and Max will try to find a more central venue (as opposed to Sun Prairie) that will serve us coffee and curaçao. ;-)
Next month’s story: The Adventure of the Dying Detective (1913)
Next month's discussion leader: Who knows!?
Yeoman Purser of the Barque of the Lone Star & Cap'n Basil's Mignonettes