There is a part in the story which is very ironic because Mrs. Malony cooked the lamb, she offered some to the detectives to eat and while they were eating, they were talking and one of the detectives mentioned that the murder weapon could be right under their noses.
In this story we, the readers, know who the killer is but wait in anticipation to see if the detectives in the story could solve the mystery.
‘The Speckled Band’
The second murder mystery we read was ‘The Speckled Band’. Like the first story, this story also had a very mysterious title. In this story, a lady named Helen asked the famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, to investigate the death of her sister, Julia. Helen and Julia were staying with their step-father, Dr. Roylott. Julia was sleeping in the room next to Dr. Roylott and Helen heard the words “the band, the speckled band!” just seconds before Julia died. This was very strange because near the house, there lived a band of gypsies, but there was no way that anyone could get into Julia’s room, as the door was locked from the inside, and the only window in the room was boarded up and had grills on the outside. The detectives investigate the house, but Dr. Roylott seems very wary and tells them to go away. The detectives ignore the warning from Dr. Roylott and carry on investigating behind his back. Soon they find a few clues to how Julia died and when they go and search through Dr. Roylott’s room, they find a very deadly and poisonous snake, which had lots of colourful dots on its skin. This is the final clue they needed and then the put all their clues together and worked out that Dr. Roylott was the mastermind behind the tragic death of Julia.
In this story we do not know who is responsible for Julia’s death until the end, and read on with eagerness to see if the famous detective could unravel the real story behind the scenes.
The two killers are so different. Dr. Roylott, a doctor, who had been in India, did time for having killed his butler in a fit of temper; he had two exotic pets, a baboon and a cheetah and was friends with gypsies. These clues were sufficient for the detective and the reader to identify a possible murderer. Mrs. Maloney seemed the opposite: a solicitous, loving, pregnant wife, so peaceful, mild and understanding. Her husband’s detective friends would not suspect her killing the father of her unborn child.
The two stories we were required to read were similar in some ways but were very different in others. In the first story the author writes the story in such a way that the reader is left wanting to know more, even though they know who the murderer is. In the second story, the author does not reveal the killer until the end of the story, but gives clues along the way so that the reader could make a picture in their mind of who the murderer might be.
In the story ‘Lamb to the slaughter’ we know that the murderer is Mrs. Maloney and read on to see how she cunningly covers her tracks and does Oscar winning acts to confuse the detectives and hide the cold-hearted murderer inside her.
In the story ‘The speckled band’ we do not know who the murderer is until the end of the story, but we can guess that the death of Julia has something to do with Dr. Roylott, as he is described as a very peculiar character who has very dangerous pets and does not cover the fact that he could be very malicious if he wanted to.
Both writers are masters of description. Roald Dahl presents a very peaceful, passive opening scene. Mrs. Maloney lovingly awaits her husband’s return. She follows mentally his every movement; “the tyres on the gravel outside and the car door slamming, the footsteps passing the window, the key turning in the lock”. She was deeply in love with him: “She loved to luxuriate in the presence of this man”. She is excessively possessive and cracks when he tells her he wants to leave her, killing him with one blow to the head with the raw leg of lamb she was about to cook for his dinner.
Similarly Conon-Doye is the master of description. He adds detail upon detail to give us a clear picture of a killer in Dr. Roylott; a doctor with a large practice in Calcutta, India; beating his butler to death after the servant completed a series of robberies; making a marriage of convenience to get money, a violence of temper making him quarrel ferociously with his neighbours; friendly with a band of gypsies and the owner of exotic pets.
Dr. Roylott’s home in the country is also clearly described: “the building of grey lichen-blotched stone with a high central position, and two curving wings, like the claws of a crab, thrown on each side.
‘Lamb to the Slaughter’ ends ironically, with Mrs. Maloney, the killer, giggling when she hears one of the detectives eating the lamb, say: “Personally right under our very noses” (this refers to the leg of the lamb). ‘The Speckled Band’ ends with the killer getting his own medicine; the death he planned for the second sister boomeranged on him.
