The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place

I wonder if Jude Law ever thought back in 1991 when he played Joe Barnes in The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place that he would ever appear in another Sherlock Holmes work.

Here in San Diego, PBS broadcasts reruns of the Sherlock Holmes television series “The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes” starring Jeremy Brett. Last week they aired The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place which originally aired on March 7, 1991. This story is the last of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and is one of 12 stories in the cycle collected as The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes.

The story takes advantage of Watson’s love of gambling on horses to introduce the story’s characters. Holmes is approached by John Mason, a horse trainer who is worried about his employer’s recent strange behavior. His employer, Sir Robert Norberton, is under a lot of pressure to say the least. His estate, Shoscombe Hall, has come under the control of his sister’s brother-in-law, his creditors are going to ruin him if his prize horse, Shoscombe Prince, doesn’t win the Derby and his sister, Lady Beatrice, who kept him together body and soul with her own funds, has seemingly vanished following an argument with her brother, and Sir Robert has actually given away her favorite spaniel.

It is apparent to Holmes and Watson that Holmes and Watson that Sir Robert is hiding something. But leave it to this dynamic duo to figure out what is going on and to uncover the role that Joe Barnes/Jude Law plays in this mystery.