Short Review: A Study in Scarlet

A Study in Scarlet

by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Book 1 of Sherlock Holmes
*Audio Part from The Complete Sherlock Holmes | Narrated by Simon Vance

~ Goodreads ~

Rating:  3.5 Stars

In the debut of literature's most famous sleuth, a dead man is discovered in a bloodstained room in Brixton.  The only clues are a wedding ring, a gold watch, a pocket edition of Boccaccio's Decameron, and a word scrawled in blood on the wall.  With this investigation begins the partnership of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.  Their search for the murderer uncovers a story of love and revenge--and heralds a franchise of detective mysteries starring the formidable Holmes.

I have to be honest.  I'm a fan of Simon Vance's narrations and so there's a big possibility that a lot of my enjoyment of this first Sherlock Holmes might have been thanks to his fabulous performance.

I understand that Sherlock Holmes is a celebrated fictional figure in literature.  But to be totally honest, while the book was easy to follow with some very clever quips and ideas, it didn't escape my notice that the progression of A Study in Scarlet was a little confusing and messy.  The mystery was standard, as far as murder mysteries go, so I had little complaint about it.  I never realized, having never read any Sherlock Holmes in the past--that most of the books were told in Dr. Watson's point of view.  I think that's a nice touch, because Sherlock himself comes off as a bit of an arrogant prat.  And grumpy.

But the introduction of these two characters was actually pretty fast-paced and interesting.  The entire story was progressing amiably... then all of a sudden we're in Utah with Mormons and a lot of creepy things are happening... and I kind of got lost.  I eventually understood the point of the Utah-Mormon setting, but it felt very abrupt and broken.

The idea wasn't unique or strange, though.  And it came around to tie everything together.

But really?  I think Sherlock would be every modern detective and crime scene investigator's worst nightmare really.  And profilers all around, BEWARE.

Nonetheless...  I'm still ready for my next Sherlock adventure.  =D


***

2016 Reading Challenges:
• Goodreads Reading Challenge
• BookLikes Reading Challenge
• Bookish Resolutions Challenge
• Mount TBR Challenge