A Study in Scarlet & the Sign of the Four

I have read this book numerous times over the years and even though I obviously know the outcome, it never fails to entertain me. This book is a great place to start the Sherlock Holmes trek in part because it is the first chapter in the Sherlock Holmes saga (he is introduced and moves in with Doctor Watson fresh back from the Afghan War); it also gives a foundation of the science of deduction (which probably was novel in Victorian England) and provides a compelling story that is suspenseful and told with prose as only an educated 19th Century English writer can deliver. Conan Doyle really keeps the pages turning! (Hey, I thought this was supposed to happen only in modern thrillers!)This work will whet your appetite to delve further into all the Sherlock Holmes stories!

It is 1878 and Doctor John Watson, his health damaged by his experiences with the British Army in Afghanistan during the Second Anglo-Afghan War, is looking for lodgings in the great city of London. It seems fortuitous, when a mutual friend introduces him to another who needs someone to share costs on a suite on Baker Street, but this other man is quite an eccentric. Sherlock Holmes has bent his life and education towards turning himself into the premier detective.Watson can hardly credit Holmes's claims of what a first-class detective can do. But, when a note arrives from a Scotland Yard detective, inviting Holmes to consult on a particularly mysterious murder, Watson soon finds himself carried along by Holmes, watching his new friend's powers unravel a seemingly inscrutable knot. The game is afoot, and Holmes needs to solve a murder, and bring a murderer to justice.This fascinating book was first published in 1887, and was the very first Sherlock Holmes story. In it we get to see the first meeting of Holmes and Watson, and hear Holmes explain his methods in detail. If you are a fan of murder mysteries, then this is definitely a book that you should not miss.The center part of this story revolves around the actions of the Mormon Church in Salt Lake City, Utah. Author Arthur Conan Doyle had a tendency to "wing" the details of his story, and his treatment of the Mormons shows a certain carelessness in how he presented them. Therefore, if you are a Mormon, you will most likely find this book offensive.But, that said, this is a wonderfully entertaining story that is sure to please most every mystery fan. And, if you are a fan of Sherlock Holmes, then you must read this book! It's great.

How can this story, the first full-length Holmes story by Sir Doyle, be given anything short of a maximum rating? It's a true classic, and a must-read for anyone who is interested in Holmes or, for that matter, the general subject of criminal investigation. The description of Holmes and his methods is not to be missed.A Study in Scarlet is historic on many fronts. First, it contains an interesting British perspective on some American history. Second, it describes London of the last century from the perspective of an author who was there. And third, it is history itself, a landmark work in detective fiction, and in the application of scientific method to forensics.But on top of all this, how can one resist the chance to read a work which goes to four levels of quotation? Watson quoting Gregson quoting Charpentier quoting Drebber, direct throughout, is alone worth the price of admission.

This is where it all began, the very first Sherlock Holmes story. If you want to read all 60 Holmes adventures in chronological order (as you should) then by all means make this the first Holmes book that you ever read. They are all literary masterpieces, and this was the first one! Out of the 4 Holmes novels, I would rank this third, behind the Valley of Fear and the Hound of the Baskervilles. I will spare you the plot details, you can do that elsewhere. Just get and read this book and it will start you on a fascinating and extremely entertaining journey through Conan Doyle's world of Sherlock Holmes, one of the most widely recognized, and best, figures in all of literature.

Dr. John Watson, invalided out of the army because of wounds sustained in Afghanistan, is looking for a roommate. He finds one in the person of Sherlock Holmes, a rather odd individual who displays astounding depth of knowledge in some areas and abysmal ignorance in others. Despite (or perhaps because of) his uneven education, Holmes displays acute powers of observation and deduction. Watson also finds Holmes to be a talented boxer, fencer, and violinist who conducts noxious chemistry experiments and entertains strange guests. Watson is mystified, but being too polite to ask blunt questions, he unsuccessfully tries to deduce what the devil his new friend is up to.All becomes clear when Watson is called on to assist Holmes as he solves a murder mystery which completely baffles Scotland Yard. The story moves quickly to the inevitable capture of the "bad guy," and then through a lengthy flashback sequence we discover the "bad guy's" motive. Next we return to the "present," where the story draws to its satisfying conclusion.Thus begins a crimefighting partnership that Conan Doyle took through four novels and fifty six short stories. And long after Conan Doyle put down his pen forever, the parternship continues to thrive in countless theatrical performances, radio plays, movies, and literary pastiches.