The Valley of Fear (Parts 1 and 2): Detectives near and far

[marysutherland.livejournal.com]

Canon Story: The Valley of Fear (Parts 1 and 2)
Title: Detectives near and far
Author: Mary Sutherland
Rating: PG




Even the best of London and provincial police officers have severe limitations. Give Mr Mac and his friend White Mason a trail to follow and they will follow it doggedly. But point out the problems with their solution and they will pooh-pooh them. Their minds run on fixed tracks and cannot be derailed even by the most striking of clues.

As for American detectives, judging by Birdy Edwards' account, there is little of detection in their job. "John McMurdo" revealed his flair for dissimulation, cool nerve and handiness in a fight, but nothing of the science of deduction. I have been invited to America several times, but there is surely no place for a Sherlock Holmes in the United States.

Comments

[spacemutineer.livejournal.com]

Oh, this is a very clever comparison, one that never occurred to me until now. You're quite right that Birdy Edwards, while tough and unrelenting, really never did much of the science that Holmes perfects. I wonder if Holmes is right here, or perhaps America could desperately have used someone with his dedication to deduction? He does eventually go and use his powers there at the end of his career. I wonder what he made of it all?