There is a lot of evidence in the case, all of it pointing to different people. Eventually, Holmes uses all the evidence to reveal that Straker was killed by the horse in trying to ‘nick’ its tendons and prevent him from winning the race. However, a lot of the evidence turns out to be a ‘red herring’, for example Simpson carrying a large stick that could have delivered the blow that killed Straker, when really the weapon was a kick from the horse.
Suspense is also created in Silver Blaze. This originally comes from not knowing who committed the crime. Holmes playing mind games with the colonel creates tension, we want to know what it is that Holmes knows and is so enjoying in keeping from him.
The twist in the end of Silver Blaze is also very characteristic of detective stories. In Silver Blaze, we learn that the horse killed Straker and then Silas Brown hid the horse. We find that the colonel did not recognise his horse as Brown painted his famous white streak.
There are two main suspects in Silver Blaze. These are Fitzroy Simpson and Silas Brown. Both of these men have strong evidence pointing towards them.
Fitzroy Simpson is a suspect. He would be interested in the disappearance of Silver Blaze as he worked doing ‘a little quiet and genteel book-making in the sporting clubs of London’. When they looked at Simpson’s betting book they found that bets of up to five thousand pounds ‘had been registered by him against the favourite’ Silver Blaze. This gives him a motive. Fitzroy Simpson didn’t want Silver Blaze to enter the race as if the horse won; he would loose all the money.
There are many clues which point awards Simpson. We are told that he approached the maid after she had taken the stable boy his supper. The maid and the stable boy saw him so he could possibly have been at the scene of the crime. He tries to bribe the stable boy by saying:
‘You’ve two horses in for the Wessex cup – Silver Blaze and Bayard. Let me have the straight tip and you wont be the loser.’
Simpson is up to no good. He wants to find out about Silver Blaze, and see how likely he is to win the race.
When he saw the maid he ‘carried a heavy stick with a knob to it’. John Straker was killed as ‘his head had been shattered by a savage blow from some heavy weapon’. This injury could have been caused by him being hit by the stick Simpson was carrying.
When the boys found Straker’s body, he held a cravat in his left hand ‘which was recognised by the maid as having been worn’ by the stranger who had visited the stables, this stranger was Fitzroy Simpson. Hunter, the stable boy who was drugged, is also sure that the cravat belonged to Simpson. This suggests that he dropped his cravat when killing Straker.
Finally, we are told that Simpson’s ‘wet clothing showed that he had been out in the storm of the night before’. If he committed the crime, he must have been out in the storm.
However, some evidence also tells us that Simpson cannot be guilty. Curried mutton was served as the meal in the house. This is important, as the stable boy was drugged with powdered opium. Holmes says ‘a curry was exactly the medium which would disguise this taste’, this taste being the powdered opium with which the meal was drugged. Simpson could not have known that curry would be served so he cannot be guilty.
Silas Brown is the other suspect in the case. He would be interested in the disappearance of Silver Blaze because he had big bets on Desborough, the second favourite, and so if Silver Blaze was out of the way Desborough would be more likely to win. Holmes found the tracks of a horse and man leading back to the Capleton stables. It later emerges that brown tried to hide the horse until the race was over. The story says ‘A man’s track was visible beside the horses’. Silas Brown’s boots exactly match the impressions on the track. Holmes says ‘you observed the peculiarly square toes in the impressions, and that his [Silas Brown’s] own boots exactly correspond to them. ‘. Holmes discovers that brown led the horse back to his stables to hide him.
I believe that if Conan Doyle had made Simpson or Brown the murderer; the story would have been boring. Making Straker the victim and the villain was very clever, it adds an interesting twist, which brings excitement to the story. If Simpson or Brown were the murderer, the story would have been very straightforward and obvious.
Holmes is the traditional detective. He has a magnifying glass, eyepiece, pipe, and ‘ear-flapped travelling cap’. Most important however, is his trusty sidekick, Watson.
Holmes is presented as a very competent detective. ‘Which could challenge his powers of analysis’ tells me that Holmes has a keen mind. He uses his intellectual strength to solve problems and mysteries. Holmes is very thorough when investigating a crime, ‘he made a careful study of the trampled mud’ tells me that Holmes checks absolutely everything when he is investigating. He even looks in places that no one else would think of. ‘He crawled among the ferns and bushes’ is also an example of this.
Holmes is also logical. He likes to organise his thoughts. Holmes says ‘it was the first link in my chain of reasoning.’ The story also says that Holmes has a ‘quiet and systematic method of work.’ He concentrates a lot and has a very organised manner. ‘Checking off the points on the palm of his hand’ also tells me that Holmes was organised. He pieces all the clues together.
We are also told that Holmes enjoys his work. He is keen to solve mysteries; he is excited by it and enjoys it. Holmes cuts straight to the point. I know this as the story talks about his ‘sharp eager face’. Although Holmes does really enjoy detective work he tries not to show it. ‘There was a gleam in his eyes and a suppressed excitement in his manner’ tells me this. He tries to hide emotions.
Holmes also enjoys joking with people. When the colonel asks him who murdered John Straker he says the murderer is ‘in my company at the present moment.’ This implies that he thinks colonel Ross is the murderer but really he knows it is the horse. He says ‘I suppose you’d know him when you saw him’. The colonel finds this very patronising. He enjoys puzzling the colonel and making him feel uncomfortable.
We are told that Holmes is an independent person. He says ‘I follow my own methods, and tell as much or as little as I choose.’ He is presented as quite a private person who enjoys thinking to himself and keeping his thoughts private.
‘As he read the menace in his eyes’ tells me that Holmes can be quite threatening.
The ‘I’ of the story was Watson. I think this was so that we could hear about Holmes’s thought but also hear details of his physical appearance and his reactions. Watson knows Holmes’s the best and can even begin to think the same things as him. Watson can give views on Holmes’s easily without Holmes’s having to say anything.
I think the best part of the essay was the twist at the end. It was really interesting to piece together all the clues and to eventually realise what happened. I think it was very clever to use the horse as the ‘murderer’ as I never expected the crime to turn out like this.
However, I did not really enjoy the story. I found it quite boring. I feel that this is because I could not really relate to either the plot or the characters. I found the story tiring and unexciting. The story failed to capture my imagination.
I enjoyed watching the video more than reading the book, as I felt more involved with the story although I didn’t really enjoy the video either. The positive thing about the book was that I could use my imagination.
Overall, I did not enjoy Silver Blaze. I do not enjoy detective stories in general and this was no exception. I would not like to read any similar stories in the future and would not really recommend this one.