Title: A Study in Scarlet
Author: Arthur Conan Doyle
Series: Sherlock Holmes, #1
Genre: Classic Murder Mystery
Age-Range: 14+ (young adult/adult)
Era: Victorian
Setting: London, England and Utah, America
Source: mother owns a copy
Rating: 5/5 stars
Content: 2/5. Some violence and a murder, obviously. It’s not too graphic, though there are mentions of a blood smear on a wall, etc.
A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle
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.
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This was a simply fantastic book! I’ve never read another one like it, and I mean it this time. It’s so clever and thrilling. I’ve never had a book get me quite so riled up as this one did.
Every character is pretty well-developed – the writing is great – the plot was fast-paced and exciting. I couldn’t take my eyes of it, and I think I finished it in just a day or two, which is miraculous, considering the tiny print of the book (although it’s a pretty short story, I must admit).
I did find the sudden move to Utah a little disturbing … but, well, murder mysteries are disturbing stories! Why not have my reading experience jiggled a bit while reading one? 😛
Overall, this was a fantastic novel – and a classic at that – who I’d recommend to any lover of thrilling mysteries, common sense, deduction, etc. etc. 😉
~Kellyn Roth
