"The Adventure of the Speckled Band" exemplifies Conan Doyle's formula for the Sherlock Holmes stories.

Miss Stoner tells her tale to Holmes and Watson; Holmes questions her; he and Watson examine the scene of the crime and he devises a plan of action; the murderer is caught in the act; and Holmes explains how he deduced the solution to the mystery. More than in The Hound of the Baskervilles, the pleasure in the short story stems from following Holmes from clue to clue.

Conan Doyle is scrupulously fair in presenting most of the details that Watson observes while he records Holmes's activities. Holmes sees more than Watson, but the basic clues are before the reader prior to the revelation of the mystery's solution. Readers may try to outthink Holmes, and Holmes's explanation may evoke the pleasure of recognition as he sorts out the clues. In addition, the story...