A Study In Scarlet

Written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and essentially the first Sherlock Holmes adventure, A Study In Scarlet is where it all begins. A gripping read that instantly thrills because it features characters that we are all familiar with in some way or form, it’s a classic. 

Wounded and discharged from Afghanistan, Doctor Watson arrives in London seeking room and board. When a friend informs him that an acquaintance of his is looking for a roommate, Watson eagerly asks for an interview and thus he is introduced to Mr. Sherlock Holmes; an amateur detective with keen powers of deduction. When a body is found in a deserted house, Scotland Yard immediately is at Baker Street for Holmes’ help and Watson soon finds himself swept up in a mystery of murder and revenge. 

What’s great about the Sherlock Holmes stories is that they are so easy to read and get enthralled in. A Study In Scarlet is no exception. Whilst the novel isn’t written entirely from the recorded notes of Watson (as The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and The Hound of the Baskervilles is), therefore there’s a little bit of a rift when it goes from first person to third person registers, this book is nonetheless just as intriguing as any other of Holmes’ and Watson’s adventures. Long bouts of expository dialogue and monologues dominate the fun unravelling of the mystery and there is great imagery where it really counts and has the most effect: ‘on his rigid face there stood an expression of horror, and, as it seemed to me, of hatred such as I have never seen upon human features’. 

Essentially two narratives, shifting from the recorded accounts by Watson, back in time to the story of John Ferrier and his adopted daughter, and then back again to the records of Watson, the novel does suddenly jump through time which is a bit unsettling and disruptive of the narrative flow. However, that’s the only real issue that I had with it. The story, or stories rather, are both gripping tales and Conan’s simple yet effective method of writing just works so well in placing us within the world of the characters, seeing what they’re seeing, and vexed by what vexes them (all except, of course, Sherlock because nothing ever vexes that dude). 

Filled with action, violence, murder, drama, romance, and revenge, A Study In Scarlet is an easy and gripping read: once you’ve started, it’s really easy to just power through. The true fun comes, as ever, in trying to come to the conclusions under your own steam and before Holmes can explain everything in a huge monologue and take away the mystery. It’s a nice book to pass the time with.