In the Beginning …

Study in Scarlet
Arthur Conan Doyle
Penguin Books

Many moons ago (that is, the summer following my graduation from university,) I decided that I would spend my non-working time reading for pleasure. I’ll never forget that first book – Maugham’s Of Human Bondage – and how it felt to luxuriate over the words. That summer I also read Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles (not to be confused with Tess of the D’Ubervilles – it was a busy summer, what I can say?) It was my first Sherlock Holmes mystery and I recall thinking that the writing was interesting enough to read more. For whatever reason, I never did. Until now.

A Study in Scarlet is actually the first Holmes novel and as such, introduces us to the backgrounds of the quirky detective and his trusty companion. What was most surprising was the structure of the novel. Holmes actually answers the question “whodunit?” halfway through the text. The rest of the novel tells the back story of Holmes’ suspect. And what a story it is! Mormons, wagon trains, murders, international travel – heck, there was even a mention of St. Petersburg! The perfect holiday read, A Study in Scarlet gets four watching the detectives out of five.