A Study in Scarlet Published by Digireads.com by Arthur Conan Doyle
Series: Sherlock Holmes #1
on November 1887
Genres: Classics, Crime, Detective, European Literature, British Literature, Mystery, Thriller, Historical
Pages: 123
Source: Borrowed, Library
Format: Paperback
Find the Author: Goodreads
Reading Challenges: The Classics Club
Find the Book: Amazon | Goodreads
ISBN: 1420925539
Rating:
The first of the Sherlock Holmes stories, this was also the first of Conan Doyle's books to be published. In this fascinating and exciting tale, the two towering creations of detective fiction--Holmes, the master of the science of detection, and Watson, his faithful companion--make their
auspicious debut. The two detectives are immediately in fine form as Holmes plucks the solution to the mystery from the heart of Victorian London.
Welcome to Captivating Classics–The Classics Club Edition!
Not long ago, I signed up for The Classics Club Challenge. Where I would commit to reading fifty classics within five years. You check out the post, here, to see what I committed to reading.
I’ve been wanting to read the Sherlock Holmes series for so long, now. Only because I have friends who’ve read it and loved it.
This is one of those that I went into kind of blindly. I knew Sherlock was a detective, of sorts–I just didn’t really know anything else about these books.
From the beginning, the story is told from Watson’s perspective–with only a slight deviation part way through. And Watson is seemingly impressed with Sherlock’s incredible powers of deduction. Sherlock can look at a man and, just by appearance alone, can deduce what the man does for a living and many other little tidbits.
Sherlock uses these deductive powers to help the police solve crimes. Funnily enough, the police seem to be bumbling idiots and really do need the help!
This isn’t the kind of whodunnit that is easily solvable–which I appreciate. It wasn’t until near the end that we get some of the information that is pertinent to solving the why of the crime.
It all ties together nicely and leaves room for more stories. I will be reading the rest of this series, gladly!
About Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born the third of ten siblings on 22 May 1859 in Edinburgh, Scotland. His father, Charles Altamont Doyle, a talented illustrator, was born in England of Irish descent, and his mother, born Mary Foley, was Irish. They were married in 1855.
Although he is now referred to as "Conan Doyle", the origin of this compound surname (if that is how he meant it to be understood) is uncertain. His baptism record in the registry of St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh gives 'Arthur Ignatius Conan' as his Christian name, and simply 'Doyle' as his surname. It also names Michael Conan as his godfather.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- The Classics Club
