| Spoiler review I like the story, and I don't feel that it ends abruptly because we don't need to resolve everything. But I do have some nitpicking. The couple was aware of their dire situation, so let's imagine this. Was it necessary for the husband to signal Beware three times? Anyone would be suspicious to see that, no? ATTENTA three times! 1 20 20 5 15 20 1 times three. In total, someone could see 246 flashings without the message going anywhere! Other people are living opposite, and I don't even think he needed to say it one time because their situation was clear. I also don't understand why he didn't just say it through the newspaper. He could have suspected that the enemy had found out the method. Still, it would be quite foolish to send that code. High red house with white stone facings. Third floor. Second window left. I believe brick has been a common building material since 1850s, and the houses commonly stood at two-three stories. So, it could be difficult to identify the specific location mentioned; therefore, the husband felt safer doing so. But that would depend on what he needed to warn his wife about, especially after his previous message 'the path is clearing.' (Did he see the enemy lurking around (just like what his wife saw?) Giving a warning would be counter-effective. As an influential organization, it's also possible that the enemy could just send people around to watch out for three-story brick houses with some residential opposite. Sherlock deduced the occupant of the flat was different because of the language for orders sent to Mrs. Warren. I wonder if Sherlock deduced it from the newspaper ads would be more intriguing. In the 80s, I often watched my father send 'encrypted' telegrams. They were not spy messages, but it was a significant effort to save money and time. It was (and still, in today's communication) common to use abbreviations to substitute longer words. I don't know about Victorian times, but as recently as three years ago, I placed an ad in the newspaper, and even though it was no way as extensive as telegram, I used the same method because it was still expensive. Every word and every space counts. So, instead of identifying weird messages in the paper, Sherlock thought it was odd that there was one message that didn't use abbreviations (for the reason that it would be difficult for his wife to pick it up because of her limited English). Just an idea. View all my Goodreads reviews |
