As fast-paced, tightly-woven Sherlock Holmes mystery as you will find, Terror by Night tells of a famous jewel being transported from London to Edinburgh with the watchful eye of Sherlock Holmes and befuddled, faithful Watson in tow. Along for the ride are Inspector Lestrade, arch-criminal Colonel Sebastion Moran, a cast of eccentric, Victorian-type characters including a wonderful professor of mathematics(not Moriarity), and a train that gives off the right mood for murder and intrigue. I really liked this addition to the series of Holmes' films. It is not the finest of the lot, but it ranks right up there in terms of what it delivers. Good, solid direction from Holmes veteran Roy William Neill, quality, reliable acting from leads Rathbone and Bruce, exceptional character acting from Alan Mowbry and company, and a zippy pace connected to a script that is able to develop the plot and suspense despite the length of the film being just under an hour. All aboard! You won't regret taking this ride if you like good, old-fashioned suspense.

Terror by Night is directed by Roy William Neill and written by Frank Gruber. It's based on characters created by Arthur Conan Doyle, loosely using ideas from the stories The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax, The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle, The Adventure of the Empty House and the Sign of Four. It stars Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Alan Mowbray, Dennis Hoey, Renee Godfrey and Vivian Vedder. Music is by Hans Salter and cinematography by Maury Gertsman.

Plot finds Sherlock Holmes (Rathbone) hired to protect Lady Margaret Carstairs (Mary Forbes) and her precious diamond, the Star of Rhodesia. Who along with her son Roland (Geoffrey Steele), is aboard the express train from London to Edinburgh. It seems that the presence of the diamond on board this train is known by many characters, both good and bad. Holmes and his trusty companion Dr. Watson (Bruce), will need to keep their wits about them.

The thirteenth and penultimate film in the Rathbone/Bruce Sherlock Holmes series, Terror by night is a considerable improvement on the one before it, Pursuit to Algiers. Like that film, this one is also set mostly on a passenger vehicle, but where the boat premise wasn't utilised for great drama and mystery previously, here on board a speeding train it is. Clocking in at under an hour in running time, film does have the feel of a TV episode, but the characters are interesting and the twists and turns in the plot are most welcome. Picture also sees more of Lestrade; true enough he's more inept than ever, as is Watson, but they keep the comedy on the high heat till the story veers into mystery solving time. Here there's also enjoyment to be had in trying to guess who the villain is; OK, so you don't have to be Einstein to figure it out, but the mystery unfolds with some wily Holmes trickery and some Dr. Watson gusto. 7/10

"Find the murderer and you'll find the diamond" is uttered by Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) more than once in the early going, however the diamond is in Holmes' possession the entire time. That would be the Star of Rhodesia, a 422 carat diamond, whose ownership over the years has resulted in unfortunate circumstances. The current owner, Margaret Carstairs, has hired Holmes and his bumbling companion Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) to protect the bauble on a train ride from London to Edinburgh. Carstairs' son Roland is the first murder victim, and the hunt for the killer and the diamond is on.

Director Roy Neill uses some deft sleight of hand by introducing a suspicious elderly couple uttering self incriminating remarks and nervous about the presence of a Scotland Yard detective on the train. When their crime is revealed as a stolen teapot from a London hotel, it momentarily breaks the tension, but why one asks would Inspector Lestrade (Dennis Hoey) find the need to perform an official follow up.

Come to think of it, everyone on board the train acts rather suspiciously, but then again, that's the point. With a limited cast confined to a handful of compartments on board, Holmes needs to act rather quickly before the train reaches its destination and discharges its passengers.

The brains behind the jewel heist is known to the viewer before Holmes breaks the case. Shades of Moriarty, it's a former ally of the nefarious villain, a self styled math wizard, which coincidentally is the profession of another passenger. It seems to me though that Major Duncan-Bleek, alias Colonel Sebastian Moran (Alan Mowbray) was established in the film as a long time friend of Dr. Watson. How would he not have been recognized by members of the law enforcement community, including Holmes himself? Therein might be cause enough for a re-viewing.

That aspect aside, the film was intriguing enough to keep this viewer entertained. I have often found the dialog in Sherlock Holmes films to be hard to follow due to a tinny sound quality, though this one fared well enough. The coffin ruse was an effective device as well, keeping one guessing until Holmes pieces it all together. Cleverly done and well recommended.