Linda, who regularly attends the meetings, could not make it this evening.  We missed you, Linda!  We also missed Ed, who has decided to take a break from the meetings until we resume meeting in person.  

While waiting for all meeting attendees to arrive, Tom talked about the "Gardner Heist",  the true story of The True Story of the World's Largest Unsolved Art Theft.  Although this topic created a lot of discussion, unfortunately, the mystery remains UNSOLVED!

Special mention goes to Candace, for an outstanding job at presenting THE ABBY GRANGE!  Well done!  You may recall that when she presented THE SPECKLED BAND, she created a diorama of the rooms talked about in the story.  Another member who deserves special recognition is Bill, for bring a poster and miniature ship to help illustrate his assigned stories. 

During the fun fact, Rick did a great job at breaking down the elements of a traditional mystery story, as ACD did many times during his stories.  Kudos to Rick for recognizing ACD's use of the mystery story formula.

December's Meeting is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, December 8, 2020, at 7pm. The meeting assignments are as follows:

• Michelle will bring a QUOTE
• Candace will provide us with a CHARACTER DESCRIPTION
• Barb will describe a PLACE
• Barry volunteered to bring us a FUN FACT
• Chuck will provide the SHOW AND TELL
• Tom will also moderate the Q&A to solve a MYSTERY
• Pat will lead the discussion of the ADVENTURE OF THE SECOND STAIN

Tom brought us a quote this evening from The Solitary Cyclist, which was identified by Candace very quickly.  Both Pat and Barry brought fun facts about Arthur Conan Doyle, which were very interesting indeed.  Tom's show and tell was his English coin commemorating Sherlock Holmes, and Barb's show and tell were her grand kids, both of which were very well received. And after Tom moderated the discussion about the assigned mystery, Michelle brought us a review of tonight's story, which was The Missing Three-Quarter. Speaking for myself, I thought the meeting was in keeping with the highest traditions of a Sherlock Holmes scion.

November's Meeting is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, November 17, 2020, at 7pm. The meeting assignments are as follows:

• Linda will bring a QUOTE
• Pat will provide us with a CHARACTER DESCRIPTION
• Tom will describe a PLACE
• Rick volunteered to bring us a FUN FACT
• Tom will provide the SHOW AND TELL
• Tom will also moderate the Q&A to solve a MYSTERY
• Candace will lead the discussion of the ADVENTURE OF ABBY GRANGE

This was a very enjoyable meeting indeed! Everyone seem to be in very good spirits, and we had the pleasure of welcoming our newest member, Marv.  

The level of participation at tonight's meeting was high.  ​Pretty much everyone guessed "Irene Adler" from Michelle's quote, and almost everyone recognized Barry's character description was from the Adventure of the Crooked Man.  Linda's fun facts were very interesting and evoked much discussion. Ed correctly guessed the mystery, which revealed that the man killed his wife because he found out she was actually a transsexual, who was originally born a man.

Well done, everyone!

October's Meeting is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, October 20, 2020, at 7pm. The meeting assignments are as follows:

• Ed will bring a quote for us to identify
• Pat will provide us with a character description
• Barry volunteered to bring us a fun fact
• Tom will provide the show and tell
• Tom will also moderate the Q&A to solve the mystery shown below
• Michelle will lead us in a discusson of the Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter.

I feel like we are all getting used to using ZOOM to conduct our meetings.  While they were a little "choppy" at first, everyone seems to have settled in and are enjoying them as much as meeting in person.  Who knows... we may never go back to "Live"!

Everyone seemed very delighted that Carol joined us this evening.  She is a friend of Linda's, and seemed to enjoy our little group. I hope she joins us again!

Before beginning the meeting, we sang happy birthday to Michelle! She and Pat were over celebrating with Rick and Barb, and they joined the meeting as a group of four.  

September's meeting will take place on September 22, 2020 at 7pm, and we will continue using ZOOM.  Here are the assignments for that meeting:

First of all, let me say that I reviewed the video recording of the meeting, and without a doubt, Linda had the most fun. I am not suggesting that we create a special award for the person who has the most fun, but if we had one, then she would definitely receive it!

NOTE: In past meeting notes I have always taken the time to review in detail what occurred during the meeting.  After giving it some thought, I am discontinuing this practice, except when something really unique occurs.  

August's meeting will take place on August 18, 2020 at 7pm.  We all decided that we would stick with ZOOM for the time being, rather than risk exposure to Covid-19.  Click on the button below to connect to the ZOOM meeting.  If prompted for a password, enter 12345.

Once again, a very successful ZOOM meeting.  Here are the highlights:

July's meeting will take place on July 21, 2020 at 7pm.  We all decided that we would stick with ZOOM for the time being, rather than risk exposure to Covid-19.  Click on the button below to connect to the ZOOM meeting.  If prompted for a password, enter 12345.

Since this was our second ZOOM meeting, the proceedings were much smoother than last month.  Henry joined us, but could not be pictured because his computer did not have a camera or microphone.  Still, it was nice having Henry join us!  

The June meeting will take place on June 16th at 7 pm.  At the present time, we plan for the meeting to be held in person at Beach PC, 5905 Carolina Beach Road, Unit 7, Wilmington, NC   28412 (just south of Monkey Junction).  If it looks like we will still be restricted by Covid-19, then the meeting will be handled using ZOOM.  Tom will let you know by email as we get closer to the date.

​The mystery to solve is displayed below:

The meeting had it's challenges!  We were all treated by visions of pet dogs, not to mention the appearance of Tom's grandson, Ezra. Tom's shirt color changed, and his camera (or Internet connection) caused his picture to freeze from time to time.  Barry had similar problems, but managed to hang in for the entire meeting.  All in all, it was a good meeting, primarily because we were all "together" again.

The next meeting will be held on May 19th, and will probably be conducted using ZOOM again.  It that changes, Tom will let everyone know.  Here are the assignments for the May meeting:

The mystery to solve is displayed below:

After welcoming Ed, our newest member, we went around the room and introduced ourselves, stating our name and occupation. Then, we got down to business...

Notes from this Meeting​

The October meeting will take place on the 15th, and Tom has volunteered to present the story, entitled "The Crooked Man".  If you want to watch Granada TV's adaptation of this story starring Jeremy Brett, click  on the following link.

Barry has volunteered to bring a fun fact, Michelle has volunteered to bring a character description, and Tom will once again read a quote at the beginning of the meeting.  The mystery to solve is displayed below:

The meeting started on time, with discussions about what everyone has been doing over the summer. We mentioned several members who couldn't make tonight's meeting, including Barb (she was kind enough to allow Rick to attend). 

Mystery Quote:  Since Tom forgot to post a mystery quote in the notes from the last meeting, he provided one "on the fly".  The quote was from "Scandal in Bohemia", and it was guessed correctly by  Candace, Barry, Michelle, and Rick.

Mystery to Solve:  The mystery this month was entitled D.O.A.  After much discussion, Beth and Candace shared credit for uncovering the key parts to this mystery.

Story to Discuss:  Bill did a masterful job at presenting "The Gloria Scott", and even brought a model sailing ship to liven up the discussion.

​The next meeting will be Tuesday, September 17, 2019, at 7pm.  Pat volunteered to lead a discussion on "The Reigate Squire", and Beth agreed to bring mystery Character, and Barry said he would come prepared with a "Fun Fact". The Mystery to solve is shown below:

Our 26th meeting was conducted on Tuesday, June 11, 2019, and began at 7pm at 5905 Carolina Beach Road, Unit 7, in Monkey Junction. Attending was (from left to right) Candace, Michelle, Pat, Rick, Tom, Barb, Beth, Henry, and Bill (taking the picture).

Although it was not yet time to discuss the story for tonight's meeting (which was "A Study in Scarlett"), several members could not wait to comment on the Mormons and the part they planed in the story. Just after 7pm, I started the meeting and told everyone that we would have to postpone that discussion until it was time! Also, we were all saddened to hear that this will be Henry's last meeting with us. Henry is moving to Chapel Hill, and we wish him all the best!  He will be GREATLY missed!

Mystery Quote:  The Mystery quote was from the "Adventure of the Priory School".  By the way, Tom chose this particular quote because of ACD's colorful language ("We stared in silent amazement at this ponderous piece of wreckage..."). Bill, Rick, Barb, and Candace get credit for correctly naming this story.

Mystery Character Description:  Candace brought us the mystery character, which turned out to be Mary Morston from the story "The Sign of Four".  Bill and Candace get credit for guessing the story!

​Mystery to Solve: The mystery was entitled "An evening with Pat and Mike". This story was difficult, and yielded much discussion and many questions concerning the solution. Credit for helping solve this mystery was Michelle, who correctly identified the piece of paper to be a suicide note, and Beth, who correctly that the cause of death was poison.  Candace receives honorable mention for asking questions which led to the discovery that Pat was blind.

Story to Discuss:  Henry did a great job at presenting the story "A Study in Scarlett".  Everyone participated in a lively discussion of this story, which made for an interesting evening.

Since so many of our members are travelling during the month of July, we have decided to skip that month.  The next meeting will be Tuesday, August 20, 2019, at 7pm.  Bill volunteered to lead a discussion on "The Gloria Scott", and Beth agreed to bring mystery Character. The Mystery to solve is shown below:

​Our 25th meeting was conducted on Tuesday, May 21, 2019, and began at 7pm at 5905 Carolina Beach Road, Unit 7, in Monkey Junction. Attending was (from left to right) Candace, Barb, Pat, Michelle, Tom, Rick, Bill, Beth, Henry, and Barry (sorry you got "cut in half", Candace). Just an observation, but why is Tom and Rick leaning to their left?

Our 25th meeting began at around 7pm as usual, with small talk about what's new with members present.  Tom reported on the brief interaction with the SH club in Mt. Olive, which really never got off the ground.  

Mystery Quote:  The Mystery quote was from the "Adventure of the Dancing Men" - Barry, Rick, Barb, and Candace get credit for correctly naming this story.

Mystery Character Description:  Pat brought us the mystery character, which turned out to be Grimsby Roylett from the story "The Speckled Band".  Noone gets credit for this one!

Mystery to Solve: The mystery was entitled "A fatal attack of gas", which was difficult, but not unsolvable.  Barry guessed correctly that the oxygen container that was supposed to keep the millionaire safe was actually the murder weapon. Candace guess that the glass enclosure was actually the revolving door in the man's building.

Story to Discuss:  Michelle did a great job at presenting the story "The Stockbroker's Clerk".

The June meeting will take place on Tuesday, June 11, 2019, at 7pm. The place will be Beach PC, 5905 Carolina Beach Road, #7 in Monkey Junction.  The mystery quote to identify is as follows:

The Mystery character description will be brought by Candace, and the story to discuss will be "A Study in Scarlett", led by Henry.  The mystery to solve will be as follows:

​Our 24th meeting was conducted on Tuesday, April 16, 2019, and began at 7pm at 5905 Carolina Beach Road, Unit 7, in Monkey Junction. Attending was (from left to right) Barry, Barb, Candace, Michelle, Pat, Rick, Bill,  Henry, and myself (Tom).

Our 24th meeting began at around 7pm as usual, with small talk about what's new with members present.  Pat & Michelle discussed their upcoming trip to NYC, and that led to several comments about NYC from other members.  In addition, Tom mentioned to the group that our mailing list of people interested in our Club has grown to 32.  Even so, we still average about 10-12 at each meeting.  

Tom chose a very easy quote this month, which was from the Red  Headed League.  In fact that it was so easy, that everyone get's credit for guessing it! 

Tom brought the mystery character, which turned out to be Henry Baker from the story The Blue Carbuncle.  No one recalled the man's name, but many guessed the name of the story.  Credit goes to Barry, Michelle, Pat, Candace and Rick.

Tom brought one his smaller statues of SH, as well as a SH Zippo lighter. Also, Tom passed around the Baker Street Almanac, which he had just recently received in the mail.  Henry quickly pointed out that our club was recognized by the Almanac, along with one other club in North Carolina.  At that news, Tom proposed that we plan a future trip to Mt. Olive to visit them during one of their meetings.

Tonight's mystery was entitled "Terminal Encounter", which was rather difficult.  The solution turned out to be the result of a common cold.  The killer planted poison in a place that would hopefully be consumed by the victim, then promptly gave her a cold by spending "close up" time with her at the airport.  Michelle gets credit for figuring out that the poison was added to the victim's cough syrup, which hopefully she would drink when she got a cold from the killer.  Congratulations Michelle!

The Copper Beeches was brought to us by Candace, who did a great job at describing the story, and then leading us in a discussion.  Well done, Candace!

It was agreed that the May meeting will take place on Tuesday, May 21st, at 7pm, at the usual place.  

The Mystery Character will be brought by Pat, and the story will be The Stockbrokers Clerk brought to us by Michelle. The Mystery to solve is shown below:

INTRODUCTION:  The meeting began on time, and everyone seemed to be in a jolly mood.  

TONIGHT'S STORY:  Henry led us in a discussion of "The Horror of the Heights", a story written by Arthur Conan Doyle.  Although this was not a Sherlock Holmes story, it was nevertheless very entertaining.  In fact, Henry also drew pictures to illustrate his presentation as shown below:

MYSTERY CHARACTER:  To be perfectly honest with you all, I can't recall who agreed to bring a character description... so hopefully if it's you, then you will be ready. LOL

  STORY TO DISCUSS:  The story we are discussing is "The Copper Beeches".  You can watch the full length video starring Jeremy Brett below:

Our 22nd meeting was conducted on Tuesday, February 19, 2019, and began at 7pm at 5905 Carolina Beach Road, Unit 7, in Monkey Junction. Attending was (from left to right) Barry, Candace, Barb, Michelle, Pat, Rick, Beth, Bill, Linda, Henry, and myself (Tom).

INTRODUCTION:  The meeting began about 10 minutes late.  Tonight's small talk on one side of the room was political, and on the other, it was quite literary.  But finally, when everyone settled down, we began.

MYSTERY QUOTE:  Credit for the correct identification of the quote is awarded to Barb, Candace, Barry, Bill, Pat, and Beth.  It was a description taken from the story "The Musgrave Ritual", and everyone agreed that it was pretty easy. 

MYSTERY CHARACTER:  Candace did a marvelous job with two character descriptions.  In both cases, she actually read the descriptions as if she was the character! Very well done!  Credit will be awarded to herself, Bill, Pat and Beth. The first was a character from "The Noble Bachelor", and the second was a character from "The Empty House."

SHOW AND TELL:  Tonight, Tom brought two books - one large book that described how SH came about, and a very small book containing only 2 stories.  He also brought the Sherlock Holmes action figure.

MYSTERY TO SOLVE:  The mystery at tonight's meeting was entitled, "Melvin Plays the Ponies", and was correctly solved by Henry. In case you missed the meeting, the solution is as follows:  "This is an old con game that can be performed by any criminal willing to make several hunded telephone calls - 343 at first, then 49, then 7 more.  Eventually, one name will surface that has won all three races, and that person is the patsy that will fall victim to the criminals activities."  If you need more of an explanation than that, please give me a call!

TONIGHT'S STORY:  Rick did a great job leading us in a discussion of ACD's story entitled "The Final Problem."  As we discussed this story, much was revealed about ACD himself, and how he wrote his stories.  Furthermore, we discussed the impact that Sherlock Holmes has had on the world, and the pressure that ACD was under to bring him back from the grave!

Once again, Candace has volunteered to bring one or two character descriptions from one or more stories we have already read.  Thanks Candace!

During the March meeting, Henry has volunteered to bring a story for us to discuss, but it's not a Sherlock Holmes mystery.  Instead, Henry wants us to read "Horror of the Heights", which can be read by clicking on the following button:

​​Our 21st meeting was conducted on Tuesday, January 22, 2019, and began at 7pm at 5905 Carolina Beach Road, Unit 7, in Monkey Junction. Attending was (from left to right) Barry, Candace, Michelle, Pat, Beth, Bill, Linda, Rick, Henry, and myself (Tom). Once again, we missed Barb (Rick's better half), but someone had to stay home with the puppies (don't ask me to explain).

INTRODUCTION:  Tom began the meeting with his usual "witty" remarks, which caused others to join in the conversation.  Officially, the meeting began a few minutes after 7pm.
QUOTE:  The assigned quote for this meeting came from "The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton", and was guessed correctly by Barry, Candace, Michelle, Rick, Bill, and Pat. 
CHARACTER:  Linda brought us a character description from the story "The Boscombe Valley Mystery", which described Lestrade of Scotland Yard.  Credit goes to Barry, Pat, and Michelle for guessing the name of the character, but no one was able to guess the name of the story!
SHOW AND TELL:  This month, Tom brought in his statue of Sherlock Holmes created by Tom Clark (yes, the same guy who designed the collectible gnomes).  Here is a description and photo of this piece:

MYSTERY:  The mystery to solve this month was entitled "Rip Van Winkle RIP", and proved to be a challenge for everyone! But after the questions were asked and answered, Rick was able to guess the solution to the crime.  Candace deserves credit as well for asking the most number of questions. In case you could not make the meeting, the solution is as follows:  "The man was a spy and had never been in a coma.  He was fooled into believing that the cold war was over and so he could discuss his secrets freely.  Not being able to live with the guilt he committed suicide by jumping out of the window."
STORY:  Once again, Bill did a masterful job at describing the assigned story for this month, "Silver Blaze".  He really went above and beyond the call of duty by bringing a small stuffed horse, dog, and lamb to help him with his description (if you are not sure how those animals play a part in the story, then you better read it again!"

The next meeting will take place on Tuesday, February 19, 2019, and be held at Beach PC, 5905 Carolina Beach Road, Unit 7. The starting time is 7pm, and the meetings usually last until 8:30pm. All are welcome to attend, but, it would be a nice gesture to let Tom know in advance if you plan to come. ​

Candace has agreed to bring a character description.

Rick coordinate a discussion of the story entitled "The Final Problem". 

INTRODUCTION:  Tom welcomed everyone to the meeting, and then proceeded with opening remarks which included reading from the "Afterword" section of a collection of Sherlock Holmes stories. That prompted a brief discussion about how Conon Doyle chose to publish his stories, both in England and the USA.
QUOTE:  The assigned quote for this meeting came from "The Engineer's Thumb", and was guessed correctly by Candace, Michelle, Rick, Bill, and Pat. 
CHARACTER:  Barry presented the character description for us all to guess, and credit goes to Pat, Michelle, and Candace for guessing the title to be "The man with the Twisted Lip", and the character to be "Sherlock Holmes" himself!
​SHOW AND TELL:  Tom brought in 4 of his Sherlock Holmes collectibles - Meerschaum pipes, small red Sherlock Holmes book, a Sherlock Holmes Zippo lighter, and small SH mug.
MYSTERY:  The mystery to solve was entitled "A Christmas Eve Surprise", and was rather difficult to solve.  Although all participated in the discussion, ultimate credit goes to Beth was asking the key questions that resulting in the solution.  In case you tried to solve the mystery but missed the meeting, here is the solution:  Richard had murdered his girlfriend Shelley exactly one year ago on Christmas Eve. She had been Donna's best friend.  To hide his crime, he packed up Shelley's suitcases and buried the body and her luggage together. Then, he spread the word that Shelley had made a sudden decision to move to Alaska.  Unfortunately, someone knew about the murder, because a few weeks ago Richard started to receive anonymous letters that threatened to turn him into the police. No wonder Richard was acting erratically! The present that had arrived at the house was addressed to D. Albans - "D" for Dick. It was more blackmail material. It was the sweater that Richard had given to Shelley last Christmas Eve - and it had been buried with Shelley. Donna mistakenly opened the package thinking it was for her. When Richard saw Donna wearing the sweater at the party, he was convinced that she was the blackmailer and that she had married him only to gather evidence against him. Richard's next victim had to be Donna!
STORY:  Linda did a masterful job of introducing and explaining "The Empy House" which was the assigned story for December.  After a brilliant job of summarizing the story, she led a lively discussion which included everyone present! Well done, Linda!

​The next meeting will take place on Tuesday, January 22nd, and be held at Beach PC, 5905 Carolina Beach Road, Unit 7. The starting time is 7pm, and the meetings usually last until 8:30pm. All are welcome to attend, but, it would be a nice gesture to let Tom know in advance if you plan to come.  The quote for the January meeting is as follows:

Linda has agreed to bring a character description, so that we may attempt to guess the identity and the story.  Tom has agreed to bring more show and tell (but others are encouraged to bring their stuff as well), and the story to be discussed is entitled "Silver Blaze", and will be presented by Bill. Below is the mystery to solve:

Meeting number 19 was conducted on Tuesday, November 13, 2018, and began at 7pm at 5905 Carolina Beach Road, Unit 7, in Monkey Junction. Attending was Barry, Michelle, Pat, Beth, Barb, Rick, Linda, Bill, Henry, and myself (Tom).

INTRODUCTION:  As members gathered at Beach PC for this meeting, Tom and Henry discussed the Sherlock Holmes plan put on by Big Dawg Productions, entitled "Baskerville". Both agreed that it was a production worthy of attending, and that if it ever came back, everyone in the club should plan to be there!
QUOTE:  The quote for this meeting was from the ACD story entitled "Five Orange Pips", which must have been easy, because just about everyone guessed correctly. Official credit goes to Barry, Rick, Barb, Michelle, and Bill, mainly because the took the time to put their guess on the little slip of paper. Congratulations!
CHARACTER:  Beth read clues about a character for us to guess, but unfortunately, I did not take very good notes! I can't remember who it was that she discussed, so my bad. Sorry Beth! 
MYSTERY:  The mystery was entitled "Here, There and Everywhere", and was one of the more difficult mysteries that we have tried to solve.  The member asking the most questions was Pat Martin, who eventually guessed the correct solution from the clues presented. Congratulations to all who was able to come up with the correct solution, and especially Pat, who deserves credit for solving this mystery.
STORY:  The story this month was "The Beryl Coronet", and Pat Martin led the discussion.  He brought up many interesting points about this story, which in turn caused much discussion. Most people felt that this was not one of ACD's better stories... perhaps he was just trying to make a deadline and publishing commitment... who knows!

The next meeting will take place on Tuesday, December 11th, and be held at Beach PC, 5905 Carolina Beach Road, Unit 7. The starting time is 7pm, and the meetings usually last until 8:30pm. All are welcome to attend, but, it would be a nice gesture to let Tom know in advance if you plan to come.  The quote for the December meeting is as follows:

Barry has agreed to bring a character description, so that we may attempt to guess the identity and the story.  Tom has agreed to bring show and tell, and the story to be discussed is entitled "The Empty House", and will be presented by Linda. Below is the mystery to solve:

​Meeting number 18 was conducted on Tuesday, October 23, 2018, and began at 7pm as usual. Attending was Henry, Ben, Beth, Bill, Barb, Rick, Barry, Michelle, Pat, and myself (Tom).

The quote was taken directly from the story entitled "The Dancing Men", and was guessed correctly by 7 of our members (Beth, Bill, Rick, Barb, Barry, Michelle, and Pat. Credit must also go to Ben Steelman, who also picked the correct story for this quote, and showed great enthusiasm as he loudly announced the name! Following the quote, Tom read two character descriptions, and even told the club the names of the characters... but he did ask members to guess the name of the story. Unfortunately, no one could recall that the two characters in question came from "Case of Identity".  

The mystery this month was entitled House Trap, and was quite a puzzler! Turned out that Beth was on the right track by guessing that Harold in the story was the Bank Robber. Pat and Michelle were able to add that the reason the police were present was that it was a setup to catch Harold in the act of trying to collect missing money that actually did not exist! 

Instead of a story this month, club member Ben Steelman and gave a fascinating presentation on Basil Rathbone. Everyone enjoyed learning about Rathbone's life, and that he was not only the most popular Sherlock Holmes in history, but also very popular in Hollywood because of the great parties he gave! Thank you Ben, for a great presentation!

Before we concluded the October meeting, we decided the next meeting would be on November 13th (only about 3 weeks away).  The story to discuss will be "The Beryl Coronet", and will be presented by Pat. The quote to be identified is shown below:

The mystery to solve at the November meeting is shown below. If you can't get it, don't blame me... you said you wanted one that was considered "Difficult"!