A Study in Scarlet (#1)

By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Sherlock Holmes teams up with Dr. Watson in their first ever mystery to solve the death of a man, and the curious word written in blood, 'RACHE'.

The first part describes Watson retiring from the army and meeting his old friend, Stamford. Knowing that Watson is tight on money, Stamford introduces him to a potential flatmate, Sherlock Holmes. After a surprising deduction on Holmes's part and viewing the rooms, Watson moves in. Curious about Holmes, Watson tries to discover what his work is. After yet another deduction done by Holmes, Watson is thoroughly impressed. Holmes receives a message from DI Gregson, asking him to come and help in solving a murder. 

The man killed is Enoch J. Drebber, but while there is no wound on his body, there is blood all over his body. DI Lestrade finds a ring, and also the word 'RACHE' scrawled in blood on a wall. Using a facsimile ring as bait, Holmes unfortunately loses it to 'an old woman', who must have been a young man in disguise. 

Gregson then reports to Holmes, saying that he has found the murderer, Mr. Arthur Charpentier, who wanted to kill Drebber because he had made advances on Arthur's sister. Gregson suggests that Charpentier had brought Drebber to the empty house where he killed him. Then Lestrade comes in and announces that Drebber's secretary, Stangerson, whom Lestrade had been trying to trace, has been murdered.

Finding a curious bottle of pills in Stangerson's hotel room, Lestrade brings it to Holmes, who then tests it on Watson's dying dog. The first one doesn't work, but the other one is deadly poison. Holmes smiles when his Baker Street Irregulars report that they 'have found the cab'. He then asks the cabman to come up to help. Suddenly Holmes snaps a pair of handcuffs on the man and arrests him. He then presents Mr. Jefferson Hope, murderer of Drebber and Stangerson.

The second part starts with Mr. John Ferrier and his adopted daugter, Lucy, sole survivors of twenty-one people. Then they are saved by a traveling group of Mormons, who ask them to convert. They join the Mormons, and then they find Utah before them. After many years, John becomes a rich man and Lucy a beautiful girl. Then she falls in love with Jefferson Hope, a Gentile. They plan to get married, but the leader of the Mormons, Brigham Young, warns John that in the Mormons, a girl of Mormon faith can only marry a Mormon man. Seeing that John stands fast, he gives John a month to choose between Brother Drebber and Brother Stangerson for Lucy to marry.

Then, on the last day, Hope finally arrives and whisks both John and Lucy out of Utah. After travelling a great deal, Hope goes to find food. When he returns, however, John has been killed by Stangerson and Lucy has been captured to be Drebber's wife. Soon afterwards, Lucy dies. Hope swears revenge and chases Drebber and Stangerson, finally catching up with them in London. Offering Drebber first two pills, one harmless and one poison, Drebber takes the poisonous one and dies. When Hope offers the same choice to Stangerson, Stangerson instead attacks Hope and Hope kills Stangerson.

The day after his capture, Hope dies of an aortic aneurysm. Holmes then explains how he solved the mystery, and Watson is left convinced of Holmes's skill, and promises to publish the account of the murder.

A fitting mystery for Watson and Holmes to solve, this book will delight Holmes fans and is a great introduction to the Sherlock Holmes series. There is not a dull bit of action in this fast-paced novel, that, even though it may take some time to get going in the beginning, and the Mormon flashback may put off some readers, the brilliance of Conan Doyle's writing is brilliantly dazzling.

The meeting of Holmes and Watson is truly fascinating, considering what a dynamic duo they grew up to be. The chemistry between them is immediately forged and they move in together. Watson's attempts to 'decipher' Holmes are laughable and provide humor to balance out this book of murder.

Holmes may seem an unlikable character, but the mystery around him (ironically enough, he SOLVES mysteries himself) makes him an enigmatic character that you just want to know more about.

Watson, on the other hand, is the typical Londoner. Not dumb, but then again, not smart either. He is useful to insert first-hand accounts, and is brilliantly used by Conan Doyle to 'dumb it down' so that others can understand Holmes.

The murder itself is a grotesque affair, made even more fascinating by the word, 'RACHE'. The reader is drawn into this mystery, Conan Doyle's web of intrigue spinning about you as you read on, and the very atmosphere of 'what's Holmes going to do next? I can't see a thing around this!' is thoroughly engaging and you will find yourself unable to leave it, the mystery hanging onto your every thought.

The Mormon flashback, although unnecessary, provides much needed background on Jefferson Hope and how he came to want revenge against Drebber and Stangerson. The Mormon flashback is also excellent reading, although it is not as intriguing as the mystery itself. The descriptions are a bit draggy, but as a whole the flashback is a great addition to the story.

All in all, 'A Study in Scarlet' is a classic of detective fiction. Excellent plots and great writing abound in this book, and you will not be let down.

Rating: 9.6/10

Advice: Highly recommended, for everyone.

The Reviewer thanks you for your dedication and hopes that you will bear with him.

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