The Spirit versus the Word of the Law: The Consequences of Sherlock Holmes's Criminal Characteristics

To even consider Sherlock Holmes, the most magnificent criminal investigator and analytical thinker ever written about, a mastermind criminal may be proclaimed preposterous blasphemy by many. Upon further investigation, however, one finds that Holmes possesses many characteristics that would make him the ideal criminal. For example, Holmes has the intellectual ability and savvy to pull off an elaborate crime with enough misdirection and confusion to not only avoid his own arrest but also produce more …

…ile the police protect the word of the law, Holmes protects the spirit of the law. Works Cited Hodgson, John A., ed. Sherlock Holmes: The Major Stories with Contemporary Critical Essays. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1994. Doyle, Arthur Conan. "A Scandal in Bohemia." Hodgson 32-52. ---. "The Blue Carbuncle." Hodgson 133-151. ---. "Charles Augustus Milverton." Hodgson 272-286. ---. "The Man with the Twisted Lip." Hodgson 112-132. Knight, Stephen. "The Case of the Great Detective." Hodgson 368-380.