This is the first of the Holmes novels, and it introduces us to Holmes, Watson, and several recurring characters.

The novel opens with John Watson's back story, and how he comes to share rooms with Sherlock Holmes.

Holmes is called to a murder scene, and Watson gets to see first hand what Holmes does as a consulting detective.

Dr Watson follows Holmes all over London in the ensuing couple of days and is quickly impressed with Holmes methodology.

As the novel progresses, one clue leads to the next, and the race is on to see who will solve the murder first: Sherlock Holmes or the police detectives.

The clever way how Conan Doyle tells this story, and indeed all of the Holmes stories, from the POV of Dr John Watson. This allows the reader to know only what Watson knows and so means that readers can play detective.

The novel came under criticism for its portrayal of Mormonism, and it is widely accepted that the novel is wildly inaccurate in how it deals with Mormons. The inaccuracies largely stem from Conan Doyle's poor choice of source material.

This major flaw means that the second half of the novel really does have to be approached with caution. It also ruins what is otherwise a great story.

Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle, KStJ, DL (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer best known for his detective fiction featuring the character Sherlock Holmes. Originally a physician, in 1887 he published A Study in Scarlet, the first of four novels about Holmes and Dr. Watson. In addition, Doyle wrote over fifty short stories featuring the famous detective. The Sherlock Holmes stories are generally considered milestones in the field of crime fiction.

Doyle was a prolific writer; his non-Sherlockian works include fantasy and science fiction stories about Professor Challenger and humorous stories about the Napoleonic soldier Brigadier Gerard, as well as plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction and historical novels. One of Doyle's early short stories, "J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement", helped to popularise the mystery of the Mary Celeste.

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Created Jan 28, 2018 at 6:51pm • Submit your own review...