Short Story Collection Discussion Questions

Select a story to view the corresponding discussion questions.

A Foreign Office Romance

Death at the Excelsior

Her Letters

The Game Played in the Dark

The Hard‐Boiled Egg

The Moabite Cipher

The Monkey's Paw

The Mystery of the Felwyn Tunnel

The Tin Box

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A Foreign Office Romance

1. The British and the French are known for expanding their dominion over other countries in the past. How has Imperialism shaped the world positively and negatively?
2. How trustworthy do you think Alphonse Lacour is when telling his stories? Do you think he inflates his importance or exaggerates? Do you know storytellers that embellish?
3. Does it seem possible that world events of great magnitude hang on the balance of some small, careless action, or some minor diplomat, or accidental miscommunication?

Death at the Excelsior

1. When Oakes triumphantly returns to the detective agency and tells Mr. Snyder how he solved the murder of Gunner, he smokes a cigar and lets the ashes fall on the floor, rather than use an ashtray. Based on this detail, what kind of person do you think Oakes is? What other details from the story reinforce this opinion?
2. Oakes determines that since there were no motives for suicide or murder, there couldn't have been a suicide or a murder. Is this reasoning valid?
3. At the end of the story, we learn Mrs. Pickett that a cat with poison on its claw killed Gunner. How did Oakes' preconceived notions of Mrs. Pickett interfere in his ability to solve the case?

Her Letters

1. Do you think the woman in the stories was cruel to her husband by leaving him the packet of letters to destroy after her death? Was it selfish of her to make him destroy them, rather than do it herself?
2. If you were the husband, would you have read the letters?
3. Explain what caused the husband to end his life at the end of the story.

The Game Played in the Dark

1. People seem to always underestimate Carrados, the blind detective. How is that the case in this story?
2. Have you visited London or any of the other European countries that were mentioned in the story, like Stockholm, Copenhagen, or Vienna? Would you like to?
3. What small things does Carrados do make sure he survives his encounter with the criminals?

The Hard‐Boiled Egg

1. Compare the very different characters of Philo Gubb and Mr. Critz. How do these characters create humor in the story?
2. How does Mr. Critz get caught? How much did Philo Gubb have to do with it?
3. A con man who preys on people by playing a shell game seems quaint by today's standards. What kinds of more sophisticated scams are a problem for people now?

The Moabite Cipher

1. Do you enjoy solving puzzles, riddles, or codes?
2. Why did the professor become upset when Thorndyke explained how he solved the cipher?
3. What do we now know about the man who was killed by the horse in the beginning of the story?

The Monkey's Paw

1. If you were granted three wishes, what would you wish for?
2. How does the phrase, "Be careful what you wish for" apply to this story? Have you ever gotten something you wished for, only to realize it wasn't what you thought it would be?
3. What do you think the old man's third wish was?

The Mystery of the Felwyn Tunnel

1. This story seems to address the rift between science and superstition. What message does it communicate to the reader?
2. Would you be happy or miserable working a job like the one depicted in the story, working alone as a signalman? What kind of work makes you happy and fulfilled?
3. Why is Mr. Bell the perfect person to solve the mysterious deaths?

The Tin Box

1. Who was the grey‐bearded man in the story?
2. Discuss the ways Mrs. Williams manipulates Mr. Perkins in her quest to recover the tin box.
3. Mr. Booth says early in the story that he just didn't like the face of the widow and warns Perkins away from her. His early impression appears to be correct. Are you a good judge of people when you have little information about them?