right running head

Contents
Introduction 3
Fiction 6
1 Bug Muldoon and the Garden of Fear 6
2 An Inspector Calls 10
3 A Study in Scarlet 14
4 Lamb to the Slaughter 18
5 The Adventure of the Final Problem 22
6 The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency 26
7 The Mysterious Affair at Styles 30
8 The Murders in the Rue Morgue 34
Non-fiction 38
9 In Search of Sherlock 38
10 ‘Poirot has been my best friend’ 42
11 Jonathan Creek 46
12 ‘I’m a homicide detective in the LAPD’ 50
13 Sherlock Gnomes 54
14 Real Life Detectives 58
15 The Timeless Secret of Nancy Drew 62
16 Police Now 66
Poetry 70
17 The Bloodhound 70
18 What Has Happened to Lulu? 74
19 Macavity the Mystery Cat 78
20 Inspector Tweede 82
21 Flannan Isle 86
22 About His Person 90
23 The Man Who Finds Out His Son Has 
Become a Thief 94
24 A Case of Murder 98
Key terms 102

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 Introduction

What do you think of when you hear the word ‘detective’? You may have
read a book about a detective solving crimes, watched a film where
a detective outwits a villain or perhaps you are the family champion
at Cluedo! Maybe you have thought that you would like to become a
detective yourself one day and become famous by solving the ‘crime of
the century’! There are several reasons why you may enjoy detective
stories or films. Perhaps you enjoy the hunt for evidence and solving
clues and puzzles, or maybe you enjoy the thrill of mystery and danger.
However, have you actually thought about what a detective is and
what detectives actually do?
The dictionary definition of a ‘detective’ is ‘a person, often a police
officer, whose occupation is to investigate and solve crimes’.
There are different types of detectives, such as:
● police detectives
● private investigators
● amateur sleuths.
In this book, you will be reading about fictional and real-life detectives
and exploring what makes a successful detective story. You might be
surprised by how many fictional detectives you have heard of!

Kid detectives: The Famous Five

You might have read about The Famous Five. These fictional
detectives are four children (Julian, Dick, Anne and Georgina) and
their dog (Timmy), who always get caught up in adventures or find
a mystery to solve – whether on a treasure island, in a caravan, at
sea or on Demon’s Rock. Beginning in 1942, the British author Enid
Blyton wrote 22 books about The Famous Five.

NOW TRY THIS

Undertake some research to find out the titles of the 22 books. Which
of the titles do you think sounds the most exciting or the scariest? Be
prepared to explain your choice to your class.

Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys

The Nancy Drew Mysteries were a series of books by an American
writer about a clever, confident and independent teenager who had
a knack for solving crimes and mysteries. Linked to these stories are
the Hardy Boys – two fictional brothers who solved the cases that p N
 ancy Drew as she
adults couldn’t. a
­ ppears in a 2007 film

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 Introduction

Sherlock Holmes
Probably the most famous fictional detective of all time is Sherlock
Holmes – in fact some people even thought he was real. However,
Sherlock Holmes was a character created by the Scottish writer
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the late nineteenth and early twentieth
centuries. The character lived at 221B Baker Street in London and his
stories are narrated by his trusted friend Watson. There are many
famous stories about Sherlock Holmes and his crime fighting skills.

NOW TRY THIS

How many of the Sherlock Holmes stories can you name? Who is Holmes’s arch enemy?
If you are not sure, you could undertake some research about the character.
Here are some images of actors who have played the role of Sherlock Holmes. Which is the closest to how you
imagine him to look? Share your opinion with your partner.

Using the pictures to help you and drawing on your own knowledge, list some of the clothes and props that are
associated with Sherlock Holmes. What do these suggest to us about the type of character he is? Share your
opinions with your partner.

Auguste Dupin
Interestingly, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle based his character of Sherlock
Holmes on another fictional detective, Auguste Dupin, created by
the American writer Edgar Allan Poe. Dupin appears in several
stories and perhaps the most famous one is Murders in the Rue
Morgue. Arthur Conan Doyle said that Poe ‘was the model for all
time’. What you think he might have meant by this?

Hercule Poirot
Another famous fictional detective is Hercule Poirot, created by the
British writer Agatha Christie. He is probably best known for his
immense moustache and his intelligence in solving tricky cases.

NOW TRY THIS

Make a list of adjectives you would use to describe a detective, for

example intelligent, determined.
p Hercule Poirot

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 Introduction

Real life detectives

Almost every time you read a newspaper or watch the news on
television, you will hear stories of real-life detectives and police
officers solving crimes, saving lives and helping people. However,
the day-to-day life of a real detective is probably not as exciting or
glamorous as the fictional detectives you read about.

NOW TRY THIS

p A
detective conducting an
With a partner, research some of the real-life detectives from the list interview
below. Produce a fact file for the detective(s) you find the most interesting.
✪ Allan Pinkerton ✪ William J Burns
✪ Ignatius Pollaky ✪ Frank Hamer and Maney Gault.

Wyatt Earp (1848–1929)

Of course, officers of the law have been keeping citizens safe and
protecting the innocent for centuries. Many of these officers were known
as ‘sheriffs’ in the American Old West. One of these real-life heroes was
Wyatt Earp, who was most famous for the gunfight at the OK Corral.

NOW TRY THIS

Research facts about the OK Corral gunfight and write a front-page

newspaper story describing the dramatic events of the shoot-out.
Imagine you interview Wyatt Earp after the shoot-out. With a partner,
write a script of the interview.

Detectives in poetry p Wyatt Earp

Poets across the ages have written about the work detectives do and
their skill in solving mysteries. Probably some of the earliest detective
poems are in the form of ballads (a narrative poem in verses). Some
of these poems are Lord Randall and The Ballad of Charlotte Dymond.
In these ballads, the murderer is often not revealed and the reader
is meant to act as the detective to try to come up with an answer.
In this book, you will come across some ballads, so to help you
become used to this genre, carry out some research into where
ballads originated.
Look for some ballads and work out what they have in common. You
can even try to create your own mystery ballad with a partner!

WIDER READING SUGGESTIONS

If you want to read some detective fiction, you could try:
✪ Agatha Oddly: The Silver Serpent, Lena Jones ✪ The ABC Murders, Agatha Christie
✪ The Murder Most Unladylike series, Robin Stevens ✪ The Sign of Four, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

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 Section 1: Fiction
1 Bug Muldoon and the Garden of Fear
By Paul Shipton

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
✪ To recognise implicit ideas in a text.
✪ To explore the writer’s techniques.
✪ To comment on the writer’s presentation of characters.

CONTEXT
Bug Muldoon is a fictional detective created by Paul Shipton but he is a
very unusual one. In fact, he is actually a beetle and his cases are set in
the world of the garden, with insects as his clients. Shipton deliberately
makes Bug sound and act like an American detective from novels and
television shows that were popular in the 1950s, especially the detective
Phillip Marlowe, who was created by the novelist Raymond Chandler.
The following extract is from Chapter 1, where Bug Muldoon is
approached by three worried earwigs to help find their missing brother.
p ‘Bug. The name is Bug.’

The earwigs have gone ‘Mr Muldoon?’ he asked.

to Bug Muldoon’s office
to ask for help in finding ‘Bug. The name is Bug.’ (It makes me tense when The words and sentences
their missing brother. people call me Mister.) ‘What do you guys want?’ used by Bug make him
The big one introduced himself as Larry. Nice name, sound like an American
detective.
I thought. Larry did all the talking. The other two
nodded their heads in encouragement.
‘It’s our brother, Eddie,’ said Larry. ‘He’s gone missing …’ The writer uses an
The other two jiggled their heads. ellipsis to show that the
earwigs are nervous
They needn’t have bothered – this sounded like a story
and anxious about what
I’d heard a million times before. A bug going missing has happened to their
isn’t exactly big news in the Garden. Still, the three brother.
Bug doesn’t sound earwigs looked like they expected me to ask some
particularly interested in questions, so I did. Anything to oblige a client.
the case so far. ‘When did he disappear?’ I asked. It seemed like as
good a place to start as any.

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 Bug Muldoon and the Garden of Fear

Larry’s antennae waved nervously as he spoke. He was

an edgy kinda guy.
‘Late last night was the last time we saw him …’
‘And did he say anything – any indication that he was
going somewhere?’
Larry hesitated. It gave one of the other two a chance
to chip in.
‘He said he was going to the meadow,’ he blurted. It sounds as if Bug
Larry shook his head. ‘Eddie was all talk, he’d never thinks he knows what
really do it – ’ has happened. Do you
I nodded, but I knew better. How many innocent think this will be a
straightforward case?
young insects had I met who dreamed of a better life
Bug sounds very Remember that this
outside of this Garden – in the meadow on the other
experienced and seems conversation is from
side of the stream? They thought that life would be Chapter 1.
to think this case will not
easier. They thought they could spend their days there
be unusual.
without always worrying about being eaten by a spider,
a bird or just by the bug next door. Now, I like fairy
stories as much as the next beetle, but I knew one Bug is a realistic
thing: life was as hard in the meadow as it was in this character and knows
hell-hole of a Garden that we call home. If Eddie had that life is hard for the
struck out for the meadow there was no guarantee he insects, no matter where
had made it. Still, I didn’t see any point in turning away they live.
Bug decides to take the
case as he has to make clients.
a living. ‘Could be he headed for the meadow, could be he got
stuck along the way. If the second is true, I might be
able to find him,’ I said.
I told them I would look for Eddie, or at least try to
dig up any information on where he had gone. I told
them my daily fee – plus expenses – and they didn’t
look too worried.

GLOSSARY
Tense: uncomfortable or stressed
Jiggled: wiggled
Oblige: please
Edgy: nervous
Struck out for: made a break for
Fee: charge
Expenses: costs

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 Fiction

SKILLS FOCUS
✔ Understand how writers create effect through language and technique.
✔ Consider how the choice of language affects our opinion.
✔ Consider how the writer uses dialogue to create tension in the extract.

LOOK CLOSER
11 Read the extract again. What do we learn about the three earwigs and their relationships with each other?
Think about:
✪ how they behave
✪ what they say
✪ the language that the writer uses to describe them.

22 What impression does the writer create of Bug Muldoon here? You can use a copy of this table to help you.

Quotation Effect: This suggests that …

‘Bug. The name is Bug.’

‘What do you guys want?’

‘this sounded like a story I’d heard a million

times before.’

‘Anything to oblige a client.’

‘I nodded, but I knew better.’

Now write a paragraph to answer the question, using the information from your table to help you.
33 ‘“He said he was going to the meadow,” he blurted.’ What does the verb ‘blurted’ suggest?
44 The writer creates tension in the passage by using more dialogue than description. Pick out two pieces of
dialogue and think about how they create tension. Think about:
✪ the length of the sentences
✪ the punctuation used.

‘Larry’s antennae
p

waved nervously
as he spoke’

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 Bug Muldoon and the Garden of Fear

NOW TRY THIS

11 Bug Muldoon is a good detective. What characteristics (typical features) does he show here that
prove that he is good at his job? Write a list of these characteristics and add any ideas of your own
from other things that you have seen or read about detectives.
22 Imagine you are replying to a job advertisement to become a detective with the ‘Ace Detective
Agency’. Write your letter of application for this job. Think about:
✪ a formal letter layout
✪ how you found out about the job
✪ why you would be suitable for this job
✪ why you would like this job.

33 With a partner, share your lists about the typical characteristics of a good detective from Now
Try This Question 1. Discuss what you consider to be the most important qualities for a detective
and rank them in order from 1 to 5. Be prepared to explain and defend your ideas to the class.
Remember to use full sentences when speaking and use connectives like ‘because’, ‘since’ and
‘therefore’ to support your ideas.

FAST FINISHERS
With your partner and using all the information you have gathered from this chapter, write a script
where you are interviewing your partner for a job as a detective. Decide who will be the interviewer
and who will be the interviewee. Write down the questions you will ask and your partner can prepare
his/her answers. You might want to use these lines as a starting point:
INTERVIEWER: Good morning, Miss Smith. Please sit down.
APPLICANT: Thank you.
INTERVIEWER: I see that you have applied for the position of …
Practise acting out the interview.

2
PRACTICE QUESTION
Read the extract again. Choose four statements below which
are true. [4 marks]
✪ Copy out the ones that you think are true.
✪ Choose a maximum of four true statements.
A Bug is asked to investigate the case of a missing ant. o
B Bug’s surname is Muldoon. o
C The missing brother is called Larry. o
D The missing brother was last seen at lunchtime on the
previous day. o
E Eddie said his brother had been going to the meadow. o
F Larry does most of the talking for the earwigs. o
G The earwigs live in the city. o
H Bug is used to dealing with cases like this. o

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 2 An Inspector Calls
By J B Priestley

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
✪ To recognise implicit ideas in a text.
✪ To comment on the writer’s presentation of characters.
✪ To understand the social and historical context.

CONTEXT
An Inspector Calls is a play written by J B Priestley (1894–1984) and it is
set in Edwardian England in 1912. It tells the story of the wealthy Birling
family who are somehow involved in the death of a young girl called
Eva Smith. A mysterious police inspector arrives at the Birlings’ home to
question them about their involvement with the dead girl.
The following extract is from Act 1 of the play and is at the point where
p T
 he mysterious Inspector
Inspector Goole arrives to question members of the Birling family.
Goole

The inspector need not be a big man but he creates at once an impression
of massiveness, solidity and purposefulness. He is a man in his fifties,
dressed in a plain darkish suit of the period. He speaks carefully, The stage
weightily, and has a disconcerting habit of looking hard at the directions tell the
person he addresses before actually speaking. audience how the
Inspector enters
INSPECTOR Mr Birling? the Birlings’ home.
He is described
as being a very
BIRLING Yes. Sit down, Inspector.
serious man.
INSPECTOR [Sitting] Thank you, sir.
Mr Birling is polite
to the Inspector
BIRLING Have a glass of port – or a little whisky?
and offers him
some refreshments.
INSPECTOR No, thank you, Mr Birling. I’m on duty.

BIRLING You’re new, aren’t you?

The Inspector
reveals very little
INSPECTOR Yes sir. Only recently transferred.
information about
himself.
BIRLING I thought you must be. I was an alderman for years –
and Lord Mayor two years ago – and I’m still on the Bench – so
I know the Brumley police officers pretty well – and I thought I’d
never seen you before.

10

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 An Inspector Calls

INSPECTOR Quite so.

BIRLING Well what can I do for you? Some trouble about a Mr Birling is
warrant? confused about
why the Inspector
INSPECTOR No, Mr Birling. has come there.

BIRLING [After a pause, with a touch of impatience] Well, what is

it then? The Inspector
reveals that a
INSPECTOR I’d like some information, if you don’t mind, Mr young woman
Birling. Two hours ago a young woman died in the Infirmary … has died in
hospital.
BIRLING [Rather impatiently] Yes, yes, horrible business. But
I don’t understand why you should come here Inspector –
What does this
INSPECTOR [Cutting through massively] I’ve been round to the dash suggest about
room she had, and she’d left a sort of diary there. Like a lot of these Birling’s attitude to
young women who get into various kinds of trouble, she’d used the Inspector here?
more than one name. But her original name – her real name – was
Eva Smith.

BIRLING [Thoughtfully] Eva Smith?

In England in
INSPECTOR Do you remember her, Mr Birling? the 1900s, many
women worked in
The dashes (–)
BIRLING [Slowly] No – I seem to remember hearing that name – factories for very
show that Birling’s Eva Smith – somewhere. But it doesn’t convey anything to me. And little money and
speech has I don’t see where I come into this. would often move
slowed down as to another factory
he struggles to INSPECTOR She was employed in your works at the time. in the hope of
remember the girl. earning more. The
BIRLING Oh – that’s it, is it? Well, we’ve several hundred young factory owners,
women there y’know, and they keep changing. like Birling, were
unconcerned
INSPECTOR This young woman, Eva Smith, was a bit out of the about the welfare
of their workers
ordinary. I found a photograph of her in her lodgings. Perhaps
and took very little
you’d remember her from that.
interest in them.
The inspector takes a photograph, about postcard size, out of his
pocket and goes to Birling. Both Gerald and Eric rise to have a look
at the photograph, but the inspector interposes himself between
them and the photograph. They are surprised and rather annoyed. A tense
Birling stares hard and with recognition at the photograph, which the atmosphere is
created here as
inspector then replaces in his pocket.
the Inspector
doesn’t reveal any
GERALD [Showing annoyance] Any particular reason why I more information
shouldn’t see this girl’s photograph, Inspector? and keeps the
characters in
INSPECTOR [Coolly, looking hard at him] There might be. suspense.

11

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 Fiction

GLOSSARY SKILLS FOCUS

Purposefulness: confidence ✔ Understand how writers create effect through language
Disconcerting: making someone feel and technique.
uncomfortable or uneasy ✔ Consider how the writer creates character.
Addresses: speaks to ✔ Consider how the writer creates suspense in the extract.
Alderman: member of the council
On the Bench: a magistrate
Warrant: official police document
Infirmary: hospital
Convey: mean
Lodgings: the place where she lived
Gerald and Eric: Gerald is Birling’s
future son-in-law; Eric is Birling’s son
Interposes: stands between
Coolly: calmly

LOOK CLOSER

1 Read the stage directions at the start of the extract again. What impression do you have of the Inspector
here? Think about:
✪ his appearance and the clothes he wears
✪ his behaviour
✪ the language that the writer uses to describe him.

2 What important positions has Mr Birling held in the town?

3 How does the writer show that Mr Birling gradually becomes more annoyed with the Inspector? Fill in a
copy of this table to help you track through Mr Birling’s feelings.

Quotation Effect: This suggests that …

‘Sit down, Inspector.’

‘Have a glass of port – or a little whisky?’

‘You’re new, aren’t you?’

‘Well, what can I do for you?’

‘With a touch of impatience’

4 Now, using your table as a plan, write two paragraphs answering the following question: How does
Mr Birling behave towards the Inspector and how do his feelings change as the extract develops?

12

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 An Inspector Calls

NOW TRY THIS

11 At the start of the extract, the Inspector is described as being an intimidating character. Write a
short description of a character who is a bit scary or menacing. Think about:
✪ what your character looks like
✪ what your character wears
✪ how your character speaks and moves.

Remember to use interesting adjectives and adverbs where you can.

22 Write a diary entry from the Inspector’s point of view, describing his meeting with Mr Birling.
Remember to write in first person narrative.
You might want to use this line as a starting point for the Inspector’s diary:

What an unpleasant and uncooperative man Mr Birling is!

FAST FINISHERS
Now write a diary entry from the point of view of Mr Birling. You might wish to start:

I have never been treated so badly in my own home! Who does that Inspector
think he is? I’ve a good mind to report him …

33 With a partner, imagine what will happen next in the interview between Mr Birling and the
Inspector. Think about what you have found out about the two characters so far and try to
create tension between them. Remember to:
✪ set your interview out in script form
✪ include stage directions to describe the actions of the characters and to show the tone of
their voices and their moods.
Be prepared to act out the meeting in front of your class.

PRACTICE QUESTION
Read the extract again. Choose four statements below which
are true. [4 marks]
✪ Copy out the ones that you think are true.
✪ Choose a maximum of four true statements.
A The Inspector is a shy and timid character. o
B The Inspector wears dark coloured clothes. o
C Mr Birling is a police officer. o
D The Inspector has a glass of whisky. o
E Mr Birling has been a Lord Mayor. o
F The local police officers are well known to Mr Birling. o
G A young woman died six hours ago. o
H The Inspector uses short, blunt sentences. o
13

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 3 A Study in Scarlet
By Arthur Conan Doyle

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
✪ To recognise implicit and explicit ideas in a text.
✪ To explore the writer’s techniques.
✪ To comment on the writer’s presentation of characters.

CONTEXT
Sherlock Holmes is a famous fictional detective created by Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle (1859–1930) during the Victorian period. Holmes lives in
the fictitious 221B Baker Street in London and is helped by his trusted
friend Dr Watson to solve mysterious and puzzling crimes. The most
famous novels about Sherlock Holmes are A Study in Scarlet, The Sign of
Four and The Hound of the Baskervilles. Like all successful crime fighters,
Holmes has a deadly enemy, Professor Moriarty, and, in his final novel,
Conan Doyle kills Sherlock off in a clifftop fight with Moriarty.
The following extract is from A Study in Scarlet, in which Sherlock
p S
 herlock Holmes with his
Holmes reveals the identity of a murderer. It is told from the point of
trademark accessories: a
view of Dr Watson.
pipe and magnifying glass

‘Gentlemen,’ he cried, with flashing eyes, ‘let me Sherlock Holmes

introduce you to Mr. Jefferson Hope, the murderer of announces the identity
Enoch Drebber and of Joseph Stangerson.’ of the murderer as
Jefferson Hope.
The whole thing occurred in a moment – so
quickly that I had no time to realise it. I have a vivid
recollection of that instant, of Holmes’s triumphant
Everything happens very expression and the ring of his voice, of the cabman’s
quickly and the writer dazed, savage face, as he glared at the glittering
shows a clear difference handcuffs, which had appeared as if by magic
between the feelings of
upon his wrists. For a second or two we might have The writer uses the
Sherlock Holmes and the
been a group of statues. Then with an inarticulate metaphor ‘we might
murderer.
roar of fury, the prisoner wrenched himself free have been a group
from Holmes’s grasp, and hurled himself through of statues’. What
The writer uses violent impression do you have
verbs to show how the window. Woodwork and glass gave way before
him; but before he got quite through, Gregson, of the characters and
the murderer becomes their behaviour here?
furious and tries to Lestrade and Holmes sprang upon him like so many
escape. staghounds. He was dragged back into the room, and
then commenced a terrific conflict. So powerful and so
fierce was he that the four of us were shaken off

14

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 A Study in Scarlet

again and again. He appeared to have the convulsive

The murderer is very
strength of a man in an epileptic fit. His face
strong and resists arrest
and hands were terribly mangled by his passage violently.
through the glass, but loss of blood had no effect in
diminishing his resistance. It was not until Lestrade
succeeded in getting his hand inside his neckcloth
and half-strangling him that we made him realise that
Eventually Sherlock
his struggles were of no avail; and even then we felt
Holmes and the
policemen manage no security until we had pinioned his feet as well as
to overpower the his hands. That done, we rose to our feet breathless
murderer. and panting.

GLOSSARY SKILLS FOCUS

Triumphant: feeling pleased after winning something ✔ Understand how writers
Cabman: driver create effect through
Inarticulate: being unable to express ideas or feelings clearly language and technique.
Staghounds: large dogs used for hunting deer ✔ Consider how the choice of
language affects our opinion.
Convulsive: jerky, violent and uncontrollable movements
✔ Consider how the writer
Epileptic: uncontrollable movements as if in a seizure
creates excitement and
Diminishing: lessening tension in the extract.
Lestrade: the name of a police inspector helping Sherlock
Holmes
No avail: no use
Pinioned: restrained or tied up

LOOK CLOSER
1 Read the opening of the extract. The writer shows a clear difference between the detective and the
murderer.
✪ Holmes is described as having a ‘triumphant expression’.
✪ The murderer is described as having a ‘dazed, savage face’.
What impressions do you have of these characters?
2 The metaphor ‘we might have been a group of statues’ is used to describe the behaviour of the characters.
Explain how they are behaving at this moment and why they are behaving in this way.
3 A few lines further on in the passage, the detectives jump on the criminal. The writer says that they ‘sprang
upon him like so many staghounds’. What impressions do you have of the characters’ behaviour now?
4 Think about how the writer makes the passage tense and exciting.
(a) Track through the passage from beginning to end and write down what actually happens and in what
order the events take place. You can do this in point form.
(b) Copy and complete the table on the next page to help organise your ideas.

15

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 Fiction

Evidence from the text Effect on the reader

‘So quickly that I had no time to realise it’

‘the cabman’s dazed, savage face’

‘for a second or two we might have been a group of statues’

‘the prisoner wrenched himself free’

‘hurled himself through the window’

‘then commenced a terrific conflict’

‘the four of us were shaken off again and again’

‘we rose to our feet breathless and panting’

NOW TRY THIS

11 Imagine you are a newspaper reporter who has been asked to write a front-page newspaper
exclusive about the arrest and capture of the dangerous criminal, Jefferson Hope. Remember to:
✪ use a newspaper layout and a dramatic headline
✪ find a suitable picture and caption to match the story
✪ include an interview with Sherlock Holmes about the arrest
✪ include the important information for the 5Ws – who, where, what, when, why
✪ use details from this passage and make up any other details.

22 There are many synonyms for the word ‘detective’. Look at the table below and decide whether
these words are synonyms for the term ‘detective’ and how the dictionary explains them.

Word Synonym: Yes or No Dictionary definition

Mole

Lawman

Investigator

Sleuth

16

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 A Study in Scarlet

Villain

Spy

Agent

Offender

Criminal

Snoop

Lawbreaker

FAST FINISHERS
Carry out some research and try to find out where some of these terms originally came from.

23 How would you recognise a detective? With your partner, discuss what you think a ‘typical’
detective might look like, what a detective might wear and how he or she might behave.
Write down your ideas and be ready to share your opinions with the class. When explaining your
opinions, try to include as much detail as possible. Aim to speak in full sentences and include the
word ‘because’ to justify your ideas.

PRACTICE QUESTION
Read the extract again. Choose four statements below which
are true. [4 marks]
✪ Copy out the ones that you think are true.
✪ Choose a maximum of four true statements.
A The murder victim was called Jefferson Hope. o
B It took a long time to arrest the criminal. o
C Holmes and the police were so shocked at first that they
did not move. o
D Lestrade is an inspector involved in the arrest. o
E Jefferson Hope doesn’t put up any fight when he is being
arrested. o
F Jefferson Hope badly cut his hands when jumping through
the window. o
G The prisoner struggled so violently that his hands and feet
had to be bound. o
H At the end of the extract, the prisoner makes another dash
for freedom and escapes. o

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 4 Lamb to the Slaughter
By Roald Dahl

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
✪ To select evidence purposefully.
✪ To understand how the writer creates mood and atmosphere.
✪ To comment on the writer’s presentation of characters.

CONTEXT
Roald Dahl (1916–1990) is a famous author of children’s books and
is probably best known for novels such as Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory, Matilda, The Twits and Fantastic Mr Fox. However, he also wrote
many stories full of suspense for an older audience, with mysterious
twists and shocks along the way.
The following extract is taken from the short story ‘Lamb to the
Slaughter’, in which an ordinary housewife, Mary Maloney, has murdered
her husband Patrick (a police officer) with a frozen leg of lamb! However,
she claims she came home from a shopping trip to find her husband
p M
 ary prepares to murder her
dead. At this point in the story, the investigating officer, Jack Noonan,
husband with the frozen leg
has arrived to try to solve the murder.
of lamb

The search went on. She knew that there were other policemen
Mary Maloney
in the garden all around the house. She could hear their footsteps
peeps through the
curtains to watch
on the gravel outside, and sometimes she saw a flash of a torch
the policemen as through a chink in the curtains. It began to get late, nearly nine
they search for the she noticed by the clock on the mantle. The four men searching
murder weapon. the rooms seemed to be growing weary, a trifle exasperated.
‘Jack,’ she said, the next time Sergeant Noonan went by. ‘Would you
mind giving me a drink?’
Mary asks
Sergeant Noonan
‘Sure I’ll give you a drink. You mean this whisky?’
to bring her a glass ‘Yes please. But just a small one. It might make me feel better.’
of whisky to help He handed her the glass.
calm her down.
‘Why don’t you have one yourself,’ she said. ‘You must be awfully
She behaves in a
kind and friendly tired. Please do. You’ve been very good to me.’
way by offering ‘Well,’ he answered. ‘It’s not strictly allowed, but I might take just a
the sergeant a drop to keep me going.’
drink as well. One by one the others came in and were persuaded to take a little
nip of whisky. They stood around rather awkwardly with the

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 Lamb to the Slaughter

drinks in their hands, uncomfortable in her presence, trying to The Sergeant

say consoling things to her. Sergeant Noonan wandered into the notices that Mary
kitchen, came out quickly and said, ‘Look, Mrs Maloney. You know has left meat
that oven of yours is still on, and the meat still inside.’ cooking in the
‘Oh dear me!’ she cried. ‘So it is!’ oven and she asks
him to turn it off.
‘I better turn it off for you, hadn’t I?’
‘Will you do that, Jack? Thank you so much.’
When the sergeant returned the second time, she looked at him
with her large, dark tearful eyes. ‘Jack Noonan,’ she said.
‘Yes?’
Mary Maloney
‘Would you do me a small favour – you and these others?’ asks the policemen
‘We can try, Mrs Maloney.’ if they would do
‘Well,’ she said. ‘Here you all are, and good friends of dear Patrick’s her a favour and
too, and helping to catch the man who killed him. You must be eat the cooked leg
terribly hungry by now because it’s long past your suppertime, of lamb as she is
too emotional and
and I know Patrick would never forgive me, God bless his soul, if
uncomfortable to
I allowed you to remain in his house without offering you decent
eat anything that
hospitality. Why don’t you eat up that lamb that’s in the oven. It’ll she had prepared
be cooked just right by now.’ for her now-dead
‘Wouldn’t dream of it,’ Sergeant Noonan said. husband.
‘Please,’ she begged. ‘Please eat it. Personally I couldn’t touch a
thing, certainly not what’s been in the house when he was here. At first, the
But it’s all right for you. It’d be a favour to me if you’d eat it up. policemen are
Then you can go on with your work again afterwards.’ reluctant and feel a
There was a good deal of hesitating among the four policemen, but bit uncomfortable,
they were clearly hungry, and in the end they were persuaded to but Mary keeps
go into the kitchen and help themselves. The woman stayed where insisting. This
creates quite
she was, listening to them speaking among themselves, their voices
an awkward
thick and sloppy because their mouths were full of meat. atmosphere.
‘Have some more, Charlie?’
‘No. Better not finish it.’
As they are eating
and enjoying ‘She wants us to finish it. She said so. Be doing her a favour.’
the meal, the ‘Okay then. Give me some more.’
policemen discuss ‘That’s the hell of a big club the guy must’ve used to hit poor As Mary is in
what happened to the next room
Patrick,’ one of them was saying. ‘The doc says his skull was
Mary’s husband listening to this
and are surprised
smashed all to pieces just like from a sledgehammer.’
conversation, she
that they haven’t ‘That’s why it ought to be easy to find.’ begins to giggle
been able to ‘Exactly what I say.’ at the irony of the
find the murder situation – the
‘Whoever did it, they’re not going to be carrying a thing like that
weapon. policemen are
around with them longer than they need.’
actually eating the
One of them belched. murder weapon!
‘Personally, I think it’s right here on the premises.’ Mary knows that
she has deceived
‘Probably right under our very noses. What you think, Jack?’
the police and got
And in the other room, Mary Maloney began to giggle. away with murder!

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 Fiction

GLOSSARY SKILLS FOCUS

Chink: gap ✔ Understand how writers create effect through
Mantle: mantelpiece above the fire language.
Weary: tired ✔ Produce a lively written account in role as a
Trifle exasperated: a bit frustrated and fed up character.
Nip: drop ✔ Comment on writers’ presentation of
characters, using appropriate references
Consoling: comforting
from texts.
Hospitality: welcome
Belched: burped
Premises: building/house

LOOK CLOSER
1 Mary Maloney calls Sergeant Noonan by his first name, Jack, three times in the extract. Explain why you
think she repeats his name.
2 Mary is a crafty character who has planned how she can manipulate the policemen. How does the writer
use language to create this impression of her? Complete a copy of this table to help you organise your ideas
and then write your answer in a paragraph.

Evidence from the text Impression of Mary

‘It might make me feel better.’ This implies that Mary is …

‘You’ve been very good to me.’ This creates the idea that …

‘Will you do that, Jack? Thank you so much.’

‘her large, dark tearful eyes’

‘dear Patrick’

3 When discussing the case, the policemen describe Patrick’s injuries as: ‘his skull was smashed all to pieces
just like from a sledgehammer’. What do these details suggest about the character of Mary? How would
this impression be different from Jack Noonan’s view of her?
4 Mary is able to deceive the policemen quite easily. What impression does Roald Dahl create of the
policemen? Complete a copy of the table below and then write your answer in a paragraph.

Evidence from the text Impression of the policemen

‘seemed to be growing weary’ This makes the reader think that …

‘I might take just a drop to keep me going’

‘They stood around rather awkwardly’

‘One of them belched.’

‘Probably right under our very noses.’

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 Lamb to the Slaughter

NOW TRY THIS

11 Imagine you are Mary Maloney. Write an entry in your diary describing your thoughts and feelings
about what happens when the police arrive at your house to investigate the murder of your
husband. Remember the following points:
✪ Write in first person narrative.
✪ Think about Mary’s opinion of the police.
✪ Write in full sentences and paragraphs.
You can use this opening sentence or one of your own, if you prefer:

I can’t believe that I have actually got away with murder!

2 (a) What notes do you think Sergeant Jack Noonan would have written down about this case? Write
the notes that you think he would have made.
(b) Would these notes be different from the report he would write up for the Chief Inspector?
Explain the difference and then write the report Sergeant Noonan would give to his Chief
Inspector. You might want to use this opening sentence for your report:

On Friday 13 May 2019, I received a call to attend an incident at the house of

Patrick Maloney, a colleague and police officer.

FAST FINISHERS
A lot of dialogue is used in this extract but Roald Dahl does not often use the word ‘said’. With a
partner, make a list of synonyms or alternative verbs for the word ‘said’ that would indicate how the
person speaking is feeling. Have a competition with other groups in the class to see who can think of
the most verbs! Here are a few examples to begin with:
✪ Bellowed ✪ Groaned ✪ Sobbed

33 Using the following details, make up a murder whodunit story line with your partner by inventing
possible suspects and motives. Discuss your ideas, produce your plan and present your whodunit
to the rest of the class.
✪ Place – a manor house in the English countryside
✪ Victim – Lord Sotherby, the owner of the manor
✪ Weapon – a rope
✪ Body found – in the library

PRACTICE QUESTION
Read the story again. How has Roald Dahl structured the extract to interest you as a reader? Think about what
happens at the beginning, what happens in the middle and whether this is a turning point, and then what
happens at the end. Write three paragraphs. [8 marks]

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 5 The Adventure of the Final Problem
By Arthur Conan Doyle

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
✪ To recognise implicit ideas in a text.
✪ To explore the writer’s techniques.
✪ To comment on the writer’s presentation of characters.

CONTEXT
Many detectives have an arch enemy or master criminal to defeat and
capture. ‘The Adventure of the Final Problem’ is a short story about the
fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. In this story, there is no case for
Holmes to solve; instead it tells the story of Holmes’ final showdown
with his arch enemy, the notorious Professor Moriarty. At the end of the
story, Holmes and Moriarty fall to their deaths at Reichenbach Falls,
after a tense fight. Holmes sacrifices his life to protect the world from
the evil of Moriarty.
p H
 olmes and Moriarty fall to
In the following extract, Sherlock Holmes is describing the character of
their deaths at Reichenbach
Professor Moriarty to Dr Watson.
Falls

Moriarty is ‘He is the Napoleon of crime, Watson. He is the organiser of half Holmes describes
described as Moriarty as an evil
that is evil and of nearly all that is undetected in this great city.
clever and a good criminal genius
He is a genius, a philosopher, an abstract thinker. He has a brain
organiser who who has not yet
doesn’t commit of the first order. He sits motionless, like a spider in the centre of been caught.
the crimes himself its web, but that web has a thousand radiations, and he knows well
but encourages every quiver of each of them. He does little himself. He only plans.
others to do his But his agents are numerous and splendidly organised. Is there a
dirty work for him. crime to be done, a paper to be abstracted, we will say, a house to be Moriarty has
rifled, a man to be removed – the word is passed to the Professor, managed to get
the matter is organised and carried out. The agent may be caught. away with all the
In that case, money is found for his bail or his defence. But the crimes he has
been connected
Holmes is appalled central power which uses the agent is never caught – never so much
with.
at how evil as suspected. This was the organisation which I deduced, Watson,
Moriarty is, yet, and which I devoted my whole energy to exposing and breaking up.
at the same time, I had met an antagonist who was my intellectual equal. My horror
he is impressed Moriarty has
at his crimes was lost in my admiration at his skill. But, at last, he
by his intelligence finally made
made a trip – only a little, little trip – but it was more than he could a mistake and
and ability.
afford, when I was so close upon him. I had my chance, and, starting Holmes is ready to
from that point, I have woven my net round him until now it is all set a trap for him.

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