The story “The Specked Band” was set in the 18th century. the victim in “The Specked Band” was Helen Stoner. When we first meet her in the story she is described as a Lady dressed in black, veiled, terrified, scared and grey-haired about in her 30s but she looked older. “A lady dressed in black and heavily veiled……..we could see that she was indeed in a pit able state of agitation, her face all drawn and grey, with restless, fright-ended eyes.”
The murderer in “Lamb to the Slaughter” – Mary Maloney is not what you would usually describe a murderer as. She seemed a normal caring and loving person, this is what makes the murder so interesting. “Her skin- for this was her sixth month with child- had acquired a wonderful translucent quality, the mouth was soft and the eyes, with their new placid, seemed larger, darker than before.” Mary Maloney murdered her husband after he had told her something. I think he had told her that he had cheated on her. After her getting so angry inside it drove her crazy and she flipped and hit Patrick Maloney over the head with a leg of lamb. This is why the story is called “Lamb to the Slaughter” As Mary’s husband was a detective she learned a few “tricks of the trade” she knew exactly what to do to get away with it. And she did get away with it. She didn’t want to go to prison because of the fact that she was pregnant; she didn’t want the child to go thought all that trouble. “What about the child? What were the laws about murderers with unborn children? Did they kill them both- mother and child? Or did they wait until the tenth month? What did they do?” I feel a little sympathetic towards her because she has a child, and I don’t think she meet to do it, she did it out of sheer frustration and disappointment.
The murder in “The speckled Band” seems a bit weird and a bit of a freak. Maybe the type of a murder. “…..seldom came out save to indulge in ferocious quarrels with whoever might cross his path. Violence of temper approaching to mania has been hereditary in the men of the family, and in my step fathers case, I believe, been intensified by his long residence in the topics.” This quote shows his history, and that he does have violent ways. He murderer his daughter because her wedding was coming up and he had to give his daughter £250 fro it. But he wanted the money so he murdered her. I don’t feel sympathetic towards the murderer, I think he is selfish and money isn’t worth murdering someone.
The setting in “Lamb to the Slaughter” seemed is warm and calm it seemed very homely. “The room was warm and clean, the curtains drawn, the two table lamps alight” I feel sympathetic to the victim because I don’t think he deserved it.
The setting in “The Specked Band” is quite scary, and a bit typical. “the building was of grey, lichen-blotched stone, with a high central portion and curving wing, like the claws of a crab, thrown out on each side. In one of these wings the windows were broken and blocked with wooden boards, while the roof partly cared in, a picture of ruin.” There are details that are added to the horror. There are two animals wondering around the eastate that is why when the people of the house used to lock themselves in there room before they go to bed. That is why she could not get help quick when she was bitten. The animals were a baboon and tiger, he also owned a number of different animals but they were kept in cages and were locked away.
In “Lamb to the slaughter” shouldn’t of let there personal matter get involved, because if the didn’t the they wouldn’t of eaten the leg of “Lamb” the only evidence they had. They also let there personal feelings towards Mrs Maloney gets involved because they know her they never suspected it was her.
In the “speckled band” the detective is very thorough and seems to be experienced in her work he also seems to have a great deal of knowledge. The detective checked the victim’s room very well. He does this by going to the victim’s house whilst the susptect wasn’t at home. When the detective susses out the whole murder sequence he does not tell us. This will create a lot tension and make the reader want to carry on reading to find out what he knows. The detective has inferences that he has used a animal to kill the animal as the victims. This is very ironic as the victim owned many dangerous animals.
In “Lamb to the slaughter” the murders does get away from it even thought they did suspect it was her. They just didn’t believe it was she so they just passed judgement over her. One of the major reason they she does get away with it because she has a alibi she said she was at the shop and when she came back she found her husband dead. This is not what usually happens in murder mysteries. They are normally at more complex; I think this is one of the reasons why “lamb to the slaughter is so gripping”
In “The Speckled Band the murder is bitten by his own murder weapon- a snake. I suppose he does deserve it because he did do it tot someone else and he just got a taste of his own medicine. This is not what usually happens in murder mysteries; the murderer normally gets caught and put in prison. That is how I like my murderer mysteries to end.
The part of “Lamb to the slaughter” I find the most interesting is the part just after she hits her husband over his head. This a quote was one of the quotes which made me want to read on- “All right, she told her self, So I’ve killed him. It was extraordinary, now, how can clear her mind became all of a sudden. She began thinking very fast.”
In “the speckled Band” The part I found most exciting was when Sherlock Holmes and his friend were in the victim’s room and the snake went past. - “You see it Watson?” He yelled “you see it?” Another exciting part in the story was when entered the suspects home “That’s our signal” said Holmes, springing to his feet; “it comes from the middle window.”
You can tell that “The speckled Band” was set in Victorians times because of the way the people dressed and there homes you can tell that “Lamb To The Slaughter” was set in the 1950’s because of the house and detectives and the fact that a ladies was drinking whisky and because she went it a freezer to get a “leg of lamb”. It is slightly unusual that there are not any female detectives in this story. Maybe because of the time the story was set in and females wouldn’t want to take up such a job.
Out of both “lamb to slaughter” and” the speckled band” I liked lamb to the slaughter the most, because the story had a slight hint of humour towards the end, which most of the readers will pick up on. I didn’t pick the” speckled band” because I think is drags on a bit to much and doesn’t get straight to the point, but maybe the author wanted this so that the readers are kept in a great deal of suspense. Both the stories I think are excellent, they are very gripping and believable. The authors have both pick a wide and selective amount of language with fits the story and the atmosphere. Both the stories have an intensive amount of suspense, which makes it very interesting to read. I think that an usually but believable murder mystery makes them gripping to read. I think that is why I liked to read “lamb to the slaughter” and “The speckled Band” I personally think people will always love to read murder mysteries because they are spellbinding, out of the ordinary, and realistic.
