There’s no shortage of possible suspects, Hergé having spent a fortune at the red herring shop. It enrages him, but to the publicity hungry Castafiore all press is good press, despite her pretended abhorrence for some magazines.Īs tensions rise at Marlinspike, small valuable items go missing, culminating in an emerald given to Castafiore by the Maharajah of Gopal.

Thereafter unfortunate incident is layered atop unfortunate incident, not the least of which is a newspaper story announcing La Castafiore’s engagement to Captain Haddock. Castafiore and her entourage duly arrive, and much is made of the jewels accompanying her. Unable to bear the thought of her piercing soprano echoing around the building he immediately plans to absent himself, but in his haste forgets the broken step and the resulting accident ensures his confinement at home. Haddock is sent into panic by the telegram announcing the imminent arrival of opera diva Bianca Castafiore, here progressing from cameo to her only starring role in Tintin. This, and recurring elements with consequences such as the broken step on the staircase, deliver an impression of a structure along the lines of the classic Georgian farce, rather than the expected exotic adventurous travelogue. There’s the broadest cast of familiar faces, but they all descend on Marlinspike, Captain Haddock’s well-appointed country estate, where the entire narrative occurs.

The Castafiore Emerald is Hergé’s masterpiece, which is remarkable as it completely upends the foundations of Tintin’s success.

The Castafiore Emerald by Hergé