i have this problem and im 100% sure its a bug.

Almost at the beginning, after the bar at the harbour i get to warehouse 12 with a green entrance door, that is locked.
i got the rope and hook and combine them.
but i am not able to use the combined rope+hook on hole above the green entrance door.
the mouse icon will just not turn into a hand and then let me click to use rope+hook on the hole as i am supposed to.

i already tried loading an old save game and played until this point again .. same bug, i cannot click at that hole where im supposed to.


update: i found this website: sherlock holmes - the awakened remastered save games which let me download the requested save game, so my prob/the bug is solved :D

From what I have seen in the sequel, Nemesis (aka Sherlock Holmes VS Arsene Lupin) you often need to find a trigger before you can pick up inventory items. If the game design is similar in The Awakened you might need to examine the item or perform some other action before the game would allow you to perform the action with the rope and hook. I have just bought this game and would take a closer look at your problem when I get to the part in the game.

Edit: I have completed the game. I did not encounter any problem with the rope and hook. You might want to follow a walkthough, as what I have done, to avoid missing any possible triggers. I think you would need to have first encountered the drunken person at the crates, and spoken to the Pub bartender, and resolved the problem of the wooden hand before you could use the grapple to enter the warehouse. You also need to move Watson to the side window, use the mouse to swipe the window before Holmes could unlock the entrance.