The Adventure of the Red-Headed League
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Here’s a short-story for all you Sherlock Holmes fans where, indubitably, he captures the trickster. In the story, a pawnbroker named Jabez Wilson goes to Sherlock Holmes seeking help after reading a vague message on the office door of the place he works at on a part-time basis. The message: THE RED-HEADED LEAGUE IS DISSOLVED. Wilson, whose business has been suffering lately, had taken up another job as a clerk during the afternoons in an office, getting paid four pounds a week. Nothing too odd about that except the job demanded only red-haired people, allowing Wilson to get the job purely because of his distinct fiery-red hair. Having read the message, he uses the address given to trace the owner of the Red-Headed company, Mr Duncan Ross. Here’s the twist: there is no Duncan Ross. Feeling swindled, Wilson is more upset about not receiving his steady four pounds a week and looks to the dynamic-duo for help. By tracing the dates and the time periods between events, read the story to find out how Holmes’ accurate deductions solve the case of the mysterious Red-Headed League.
The Secret Agent on Flight 101
by Franklin W. Dixon
Frank and Joe Hardy find themselves in the middle of yet another riveting mystery when they accompany their father, NYPD Detective Lieutenant Fenton Hardy, to a magic show. The magician performs a very convincing disappearing act which piques the detectives’ curiosity. When asked about his secret, the magician offers to do the trick again. Only this time the person who disappears is Fenton Hardy himself. Things start taking a turn for the worse when Fenton Hardy fails to reappear. The magician tries to explain that perhaps their father was playing a practical joke on them, one that Frank and Joe don’t find the least bit funny. The Hardy Boys arrive at the conclusion that their father has been kidnapped, which isn’t surprising, owing to Fenton Hardy’s previous career of putting bad guys behind bars. He is sure to have made his fair share of enemies. What begins as a manhunt soon changes course and leads the Hardy Boys into the heat of a smuggling operation. Where did their father go? Will they find him? Reading this book will not only answer those questions, but throw more questions at you. Can you solve the mystery before the boys do?
The Importance of Being Earnest
by Oscar Wilde
“It suits you perfectly. It is a divine name. It has a music of its own. It produces vibrations,” said Gwendolen of the name, Ernest. Widely regarded as Wilde’s masterpiece, The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People , is a play which was first staged on Valentine’s Day (February 14) at St James' Theatre, London in 1895. Critics described it as “extremely funny.” The plot revolves around the two lead characters of Jack and Algernon, who pose as “Ernest”, to impress their prospective partners. The imposters find themselves in impossible situations that lead to some very funny moments in the play.
Along with its witty dialogue and irreverent take on social institutions like marriage, The Importance of Being Earnest remains one of the most popular plays in the English language. The play was published in 1898. It was also adapted for the screen in 1952, 1992 and 2002.
