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A Double Barrelled Detective Story
Mark Twain is at his irreverent best with this hilarious parody of the 19th-century mystery - two seemingly unrelated narratives are spliced together, the author interjects himself as a character, and Twain even provides literary criticism of himself midway in the text. A Double-Barreled Detective Story is a delightful spoof of the mystery genre, then in its infancy, introducing the reader to Sherlock Holmes as he has never been seen before or since. Far from his usual elegant London haunts, the great detective is caught up in a melodramatic murder mystery of love, betrayal, and vengeance in a rough California mining town - and dealing with characters named Ferguson, Wells-Fargo, Ham Sandwich, and Fetlock Jones.
196 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1902
172 people are currently reading
696 people want to read
About the author
Mark Twain
8,887 books18.7k followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Faulkner calling him "the father of American literature." His novels include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), with the latter often called the "Great American Novel." Twain also wrote A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889) and Pudd'nhead Wilson (1894), and co-wrote The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today (1873) with Charles Dudley Warner.
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Faulkner calling him "the father of American literature." His novels include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), with the latter often called the "Great American Novel." Twain also wrote A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889) and Pudd'nhead Wilson (1894), and co-wrote The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today (1873) with Charles Dudley Warner.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews
July 18, 2021
Sadly, I understand why the ratings are low on this one. The beginning starts out interesting, but quickly deteriorates into a bit of a hot mess. It feels jumbled and confusing.
September 1, 2023
- If you used to read the stories of Charlek Holmes and have been shocked by his ability to link events, find hidden evidence and the development of mental implications... You have to read this story to see what Mark Twain did!!!!
- A mixture of irony and suspense in a manner that only Twain can do it.
- A mixture of irony and suspense in a manner that only Twain can do it.
October 23, 2017
It's incredible the perverse kind of delight we experience in seeing our heroes outsmarted. Even when it's Sherlock Homes.
The story wasn't great, but it surely was new. And whatever he writes, Twain is always so adorable, it's not really possible to resist him.
The story wasn't great, but it surely was new. And whatever he writes, Twain is always so adorable, it's not really possible to resist him.
December 12, 2022
This story is more Mark Twain than Sherlock Holmes, but it is a humorous footnote in Holmes inspired parodies. It is on the order of A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur’s Court, in that it deflates British heroes before America’s Everyman. The Great English detective doesn’t even appear in the story until late in its second half. When he does appear, he serves as a devise, first to seem outlandishly out of place in an American mining camp with men bearing monikers like Ham Sandwich and Wells Fargo, and secondly, to prove the bonifieds of a young American investigator who shows up the great detective by solving the case that utterly fooled Holmes.
This isn’t one of Twain’s better stories. The first half strikes a serious tone that doesn’t mesh well with the tongue in cheek humor of the second half. It rambles, and doesn’t always seem to remember just what story it is telling. But any fans of both Twain and Sherlock should check it out for the curiosity that it is.
This isn’t one of Twain’s better stories. The first half strikes a serious tone that doesn’t mesh well with the tongue in cheek humor of the second half. It rambles, and doesn’t always seem to remember just what story it is telling. But any fans of both Twain and Sherlock should check it out for the curiosity that it is.
April 22, 2021
Mark Twain have with this written a spoof of the detective genre and added in a well beloved character, Sherlock Holmes. Sadly I didn't enjoy it. The humour wasn't for me and I didn't enjoy the story but I'll still read more my Mark Twain but maybe stay away from his parodys if he have written more.
October 15, 2009
As someone that has read all of the Sherlock Holmes canon, I was doubtful that I would like a parody in which Holmes is described in the following manner: "Anybody that knows him the way I do knows he can't detect a crime except where he plans it all out beforehand and arranges the clues and hires some fellow to commit it according to instructions." But I freely admit, despite my love of the fictional detective, this subversion was equally enjoyable.
February 6, 2017
I did not enjoyed reading this book at all. I felt the story was poorly written. The humor I was hoping for in this satirical take on detective stories was nowhere to be found. There were a scene or two which made me laugh but the rest was all confusing and felt incredibly lame, even for a story that is trying to poke fun at the world renowned detective from Baker Street.
February 22, 2020
This novella from Mark Twain is a beautifully written story, written in the same inimitable style that has made Twain so famous. Whilst not as in depth or engrossing as a Tom Sawyer, this book is a cleverly written and thoroughly enjoyable read. Twain’s dry wit is the main star or the tale, with most of the humour being derived from poking fun at and observing of the characters manifold sins and errors.
From pride and prejudice (those famous bedfellows), to revenge, cowardice and last but certainly not least, good old fashioned murder. We get to witness the full collection of the moral maladies here in this tale, and get a good laugh at most of them. As he does so well, Mark Twain pokes fun at most of these, and always manages to portray the perpetrators of these sins as fools, either immediately or in the long run. Perhaps the most famous target of this satire is none other than Sherlock Holmes. In truth the length of his appearance in this story, much like his intellect and detective prowess, is greatly exaggerated. However whilst he’s with us Twain clearly has fun parodying him for the readers benefit.
Whilst not his magnum opus, A Double Barrelled Detective Story is nevertheless an undeniably entertaining read, and well worth the time of any true Twain fan.
3.5*
From pride and prejudice (those famous bedfellows), to revenge, cowardice and last but certainly not least, good old fashioned murder. We get to witness the full collection of the moral maladies here in this tale, and get a good laugh at most of them. As he does so well, Mark Twain pokes fun at most of these, and always manages to portray the perpetrators of these sins as fools, either immediately or in the long run. Perhaps the most famous target of this satire is none other than Sherlock Holmes. In truth the length of his appearance in this story, much like his intellect and detective prowess, is greatly exaggerated. However whilst he’s with us Twain clearly has fun parodying him for the readers benefit.
Whilst not his magnum opus, A Double Barrelled Detective Story is nevertheless an undeniably entertaining read, and well worth the time of any true Twain fan.
3.5*
May 30, 2012
Rather confusing story, a little hard to follow at times. As to the plot, dark and not well put together (if I can say that of Mark Twain). His representation of Sherlock Holmes was disgrace to his name. Holmes would never have acted in the way he did -stuttering and unsure of himself "He opened his mouth to speak; the words did not come freely. "This--er--this is insanity--this--"", going completely off course in his guess of the villain, and quite frankly, I thought that any moment the author would declare him as a fraud and someone posing as Holmes. On the whole I didn't care for the book, though there were parts that intrigued me like Archie Stillman's capability of catching a scent. Somewhat believable.
January 21, 2016
Sherlock ayrıntısı çok iyiydi. Mark abi, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle'u "verarschen" yapmış yahu, iyiydi. Bu kelimeyle ifade edebildim ancak kafamdaki düşünceleri. Bkz. Herhangi Almanca- Türkçe Sözlük .
June 15, 2019
Twain mocks not only detective stories but also our much vaunted human reason.
December 24, 2015
Uno de los pastiches sherlockianos más conocidos es el escrito por Mark Twain, ‘A Double-Barrelled Detective Story’ (1902). Sin embargo, es uno de los que menos gustan a los aficionados holmesianos, ya que el relato largo o novela corta de Twain es una sátira mordaz de y contra el Gran Detective. Aunque también puede ser visto como un homenaje a Arthur Conan Doyle, como bien nos relata el también escritor y mitógrafo creativo Alberto López Aroca en su estupenda introducción. Y es que ‘Sherlock Holmes en Hope Canyon: una historia detectivesca con doble sentido’, como se ha dado en llamar a esta nueva edición del clásico de Twain, tiene muchas similitudes con la novela de Conan Doyle ‘Un estudio en escarlata’ (1887).
La historia se divide en dos partes, en la primera de las cuáles se trata el drama vivido por una joven al casarse con un hombre que la trata cruelmente. Cuando la joven tiene un hijo, urde una venganza a través de este. En la segunda parte se trata el misterio policíaco propiamente dicho y se da la entrada al personaje de Holmes.
Mención aparte para la magnífica edición de la obra, que nos llega de la mano de Alberto López Aroca, autor de la introducción, las notas y la traducción, que viene también con ilustraciones de la época. La edición se ha realizado mediante el método de suscripción, tal como publicaba sus obras Mark Twain desde 1884.
En resumen, una buena historia, que se lee con gusto.
La historia se divide en dos partes, en la primera de las cuáles se trata el drama vivido por una joven al casarse con un hombre que la trata cruelmente. Cuando la joven tiene un hijo, urde una venganza a través de este. En la segunda parte se trata el misterio policíaco propiamente dicho y se da la entrada al personaje de Holmes.
Mención aparte para la magnífica edición de la obra, que nos llega de la mano de Alberto López Aroca, autor de la introducción, las notas y la traducción, que viene también con ilustraciones de la época. La edición se ha realizado mediante el método de suscripción, tal como publicaba sus obras Mark Twain desde 1884.
En resumen, una buena historia, que se lee con gusto.
October 30, 2013
There have been countless Sherlock Holmes parodies, but Mark Twain was perhaps the first. That is, if you can call A DOUBLE BARRELLED DETECTIVE STORY a parody. Personally, I'm not so sure. Holmes appears only briefly in this novella, to bungle the murder investigation and accuse the wrong man of the crime. It's well-known that Twain disdained Doyle's SHERLOCK HOLMES stories, and this novella was apparently Twain's attempt to flip the Great Detective the bird. Regardless, it's still lame.
January 7, 2015
Mark Twain doing a Sherlock Holmes story. Not his best work, but respectable. This Holmes is not exactly Doyle's Holmes.
Worth a look as it's in the public domain.
Worth a look as it's in the public domain.
March 26, 2017
can't say one of the best strokes from Mr. Twain, nor from Sherlock as well.
The complimentary one's too much predictable as hell.
The complimentary one's too much predictable as hell.
April 19, 2018
এইটা কি ছিল ? এটা আসলেই মার্ক টোয়েনের লেখা তো? গল্পটায় এত ফাঁক ফোকর, এত সংক্ষেপে লেখা যে মনে হচ্ছিলো সারমর্ম পড়ছি। লেখকই এভাবে লিখেছেন না অনুবাদক কাটছাট করেছেন বুঝতে পারছি না। :/
November 12, 2020
The number of directions this goes is truly bonkers, and I kind of respect it for that.
October 4, 2023
This novella is Mark Twain's satirical jab at the whole Sherlock Holmes concept. In particular, it pokes fun at a detective who eschews everything supernatural in favor of cold rationality, but who produces results so impossible that they are themselves supernatural.
The story has two temporally disjointed parts that almost seem like independent stories until the very end when all is tied up. (Holmes only appears in the second part.) This works nicely for parody of Holmesian detective fiction as it's an approach that was used by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle on occasion -- e.g. in A Study in Scarlet. The first part tells the tale of a woman who is treated foully by Jacob Fuller, the husband she eloped with but who harbored resentment towards her father, a man Fuller believed felt wasn't good enough for his daughter. The woman makes her son, named Archy Stillman, promise that he will track down Fuller and make the man's life a living hell.
The second part revolves around a murder that seems to be independent of the case described above, the killing of a man named Flint Buckner. Here Sherlock Holmes, who happens to be in town visiting his nephew - Fetlock Jones, "solves" the case only to be shown to be entirely and humiliatingly wrong by Archy Stillman using only a superior sense of smell and basic observation of the facts (with no elaborated inductions.)
While I never had anything against the Sherlock Holmes stories -- in fact, I enjoyed them all -- I did find Twain's satire amusing and compelling as a story. [And it's true that Arthur Conan Doyle did regularly strain credulity -- that's what made Holmes an intriguing character.]
Well worth reading.
The story has two temporally disjointed parts that almost seem like independent stories until the very end when all is tied up. (Holmes only appears in the second part.) This works nicely for parody of Holmesian detective fiction as it's an approach that was used by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle on occasion -- e.g. in A Study in Scarlet. The first part tells the tale of a woman who is treated foully by Jacob Fuller, the husband she eloped with but who harbored resentment towards her father, a man Fuller believed felt wasn't good enough for his daughter. The woman makes her son, named Archy Stillman, promise that he will track down Fuller and make the man's life a living hell.
The second part revolves around a murder that seems to be independent of the case described above, the killing of a man named Flint Buckner. Here Sherlock Holmes, who happens to be in town visiting his nephew - Fetlock Jones, "solves" the case only to be shown to be entirely and humiliatingly wrong by Archy Stillman using only a superior sense of smell and basic observation of the facts (with no elaborated inductions.)
While I never had anything against the Sherlock Holmes stories -- in fact, I enjoyed them all -- I did find Twain's satire amusing and compelling as a story. [And it's true that Arthur Conan Doyle did regularly strain credulity -- that's what made Holmes an intriguing character.]
Well worth reading.
February 27, 2018
I loathed the jumping frog and couldn't relate to Tom Sawyer in high school, but 30 years ago after a week spent in bed with the flu and Mark Twain's Complete Short Stories, I was totally won over and ready to read anything he'd ever written.
Of all of the stories, I remembered this one the most, and it didn't disappoint the second time around. A glorious send-up of Sherlock Holmes in a mining camp, and other delights. This audio version was narrated by Thomas Becker, whose performance made the story come alive, though giving John Wayne's voice to the sheriff was perhaps a little over the top...except it fit the words so perfectly.
Of all of the stories, I remembered this one the most, and it didn't disappoint the second time around. A glorious send-up of Sherlock Holmes in a mining camp, and other delights. This audio version was narrated by Thomas Becker, whose performance made the story come alive, though giving John Wayne's voice to the sheriff was perhaps a little over the top...except it fit the words so perfectly.
July 20, 2021
Read this as prompt from the 2021 pre-read for reverse RAT. Would never have looked for it otherwise and that's a shame. what a fantastic short story! I mean I'm not the biggest Mark Twain fan but I gotta give credit where its due and this is an ambitious undertaking. Sherlock Holmes in Old West America; he prolly wouldnt have made it a year in the prairies without meeting a tragic end. This is no less true a century later or a century later still. Why is the lynch mob mentality still so prevalent today? Its always been a sign of cowardice and weakness; yet a fiercely upheld American tradition. (I'm looking at you Jan. 6th)
November 6, 2019
The first part and the climax of this novel were quite interesting. Rest of it was passable.
Its the story of a human bloodhound, Sherlock Holmes, and an unfortunate man. The premise is really interesting but tbh, not everyone can write Sherlock with the required finesse, and that was the case with Mark Twain's writing.
@audible narrator could also be at a fault though, since his narration wasn't that impressive.
Do read though. You wont be disappointed, well mostly.
Its the story of a human bloodhound, Sherlock Holmes, and an unfortunate man. The premise is really interesting but tbh, not everyone can write Sherlock with the required finesse, and that was the case with Mark Twain's writing.
@audible narrator could also be at a fault though, since his narration wasn't that impressive.
Do read though. You wont be disappointed, well mostly.
January 3, 2019
Quite enjoyed reading this funny side of Mark Twain depicting one of my all-time favorite literary characters - Sherlock Holmes.
The story wasn't surprising or mysterious in the way detective stories are supposed to be but that wasn't really the point of it. I can say that it was funny and comical, seeing Sherlock Holmes in this perspective.
The story wasn't surprising or mysterious in the way detective stories are supposed to be but that wasn't really the point of it. I can say that it was funny and comical, seeing Sherlock Holmes in this perspective.
April 11, 2025
Entertaining mystery listening 😊😏
This kindle ebook novella was free from Amazon
It is a murder mystery with a Sherlock Holmes showing up in the mystery. Or was it Sherlock Holmes?
I picked this because of the author. I would recommend it to readers looking for a quick read in a mystery novels 😉🤔 2025 🎉🌃
This kindle ebook novella was free from Amazon
It is a murder mystery with a Sherlock Holmes showing up in the mystery. Or was it Sherlock Holmes?
I picked this because of the author. I would recommend it to readers looking for a quick read in a mystery novels 😉🤔 2025 🎉🌃
October 19, 2021
when Sherlock Holmes randomly appeared i was very confused.
and what even was that plot
and what even was that plot
November 24, 2024
This little novella is quite entertaining, peculiar and yet typical of Samuel Clemens. Great for an evenings relaxation.
May 10, 2020
Best detective story I've read in a long while. I got lost a couple times what with the main characters using multiple aliases to hide from each other. And it was nice to see Mr. Twain poke a little fun at Sherlock Holmes and his stuffy British investigat'n.
September 1, 2020
Don’t know what exactly I just read.
Or if it could truly be called a Sherlock Holmes story.
It’s some weird western mining detective story to be sure,
But I enjoyed it.
Or if it could truly be called a Sherlock Holmes story.
It’s some weird western mining detective story to be sure,
But I enjoyed it.
April 30, 2020
2.5 stars rounded up to three.
I read this while at work. (Much of my summer is spent scanning documents, and sometimes the scanner will run for two or three minutes leaving me with nothing to do but stand around with my thumb up my ass... should I choose to put it there, that is, which I don't... OK, this is making no sense. Point is that I sometimes have up to two or three minutes of downtime between periods of productivity, and I read books or stories I find on www.gutenberg.org to pass the otherwise torpid time. Staring attentively at words on the computer screen is less likely to earn a scowl from a superior than... well, just about anything else, such as sleeping at the desk or staring absently off into space while drooling. If I'm lucky enough for my files to be riddled with staples, then I can spend time pulling those out while the scanner is running, but such is not always in my cards. Some of the files are too clean, and all I need to do is put them in the scanner and wait).
Let me repeat that I read this while at work, so I was unable to give it my undivided attention reading two or three paragraphs at a time over the course of a couple of days. I try to pick stories that don't require a lot of thought when doing that, and this was one of them. As short as this is, I should've been able to read it in under and hour even as slow as I read.
If I didn't know this was Mark Twain before going into it, I never would've guessed it, for it isn't written in his accustomed style, not that I'm an authority on what his style is. It just didn't feel very Twainesque. Perhaps I spend too much time reading his quotes, and not his stories; that may be a factor here. Though, I did see a few instances of his wit shining through.
This story is light and fun, and should be treated as such for it's completely ridiculous in some places (the main character who is the real detective of the story has the sense of smell of a bloodhound and uses that to solve crimes). However, it's tastefully done, at least by today's standards, and isn't as outrageous as Christopher Moore's stuff which I can't get into because it's too far out there for my own personal tastes.
Something I liked about the tale was the theme of revenge. I like that theme, mostly because it almost always causes as much trouble for the one seeking the revenge as it does for the one on whom it's sought; it tends to keep a story interesting. Such is the case in both of the revenge plots in this tale. And always remember that revenge is a dish best served cold. It's a Klingon proverb. Most people think it's from Shakespeare, and they'd be right too. Shakespeare was a Klingon, so everyone can be happy and let go of that debate.
If you're looking for something light to read, this will fit that bill, but it's certainly not Twain's best work, short or otherwise.
I read this while at work. (Much of my summer is spent scanning documents, and sometimes the scanner will run for two or three minutes leaving me with nothing to do but stand around with my thumb up my ass... should I choose to put it there, that is, which I don't... OK, this is making no sense. Point is that I sometimes have up to two or three minutes of downtime between periods of productivity, and I read books or stories I find on www.gutenberg.org to pass the otherwise torpid time. Staring attentively at words on the computer screen is less likely to earn a scowl from a superior than... well, just about anything else, such as sleeping at the desk or staring absently off into space while drooling. If I'm lucky enough for my files to be riddled with staples, then I can spend time pulling those out while the scanner is running, but such is not always in my cards. Some of the files are too clean, and all I need to do is put them in the scanner and wait).
Let me repeat that I read this while at work, so I was unable to give it my undivided attention reading two or three paragraphs at a time over the course of a couple of days. I try to pick stories that don't require a lot of thought when doing that, and this was one of them. As short as this is, I should've been able to read it in under and hour even as slow as I read.
If I didn't know this was Mark Twain before going into it, I never would've guessed it, for it isn't written in his accustomed style, not that I'm an authority on what his style is. It just didn't feel very Twainesque. Perhaps I spend too much time reading his quotes, and not his stories; that may be a factor here. Though, I did see a few instances of his wit shining through.
This story is light and fun, and should be treated as such for it's completely ridiculous in some places (the main character who is the real detective of the story has the sense of smell of a bloodhound and uses that to solve crimes). However, it's tastefully done, at least by today's standards, and isn't as outrageous as Christopher Moore's stuff which I can't get into because it's too far out there for my own personal tastes.
Something I liked about the tale was the theme of revenge. I like that theme, mostly because it almost always causes as much trouble for the one seeking the revenge as it does for the one on whom it's sought; it tends to keep a story interesting. Such is the case in both of the revenge plots in this tale. And always remember that revenge is a dish best served cold. It's a Klingon proverb. Most people think it's from Shakespeare, and they'd be right too. Shakespeare was a Klingon, so everyone can be happy and let go of that debate.
If you're looking for something light to read, this will fit that bill, but it's certainly not Twain's best work, short or otherwise.
September 25, 2024
It was a surprise story from Mark Twain - I did knew about it before.
The story is a bit confusing at times.
But, at least, the conclusion was clever and unexpected; by me, anyway.
The story is a bit confusing at times.
But, at least, the conclusion was clever and unexpected; by me, anyway.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews