Using the length of a novel rather than just a short story, and without the need for much expository ramp-up, Conan Doyle is able to fully explore the depths of the most head-scratching case in the series. While A Study in Scarlet serves as a great introduction to Holmes and Watson, no story itself is as well done as The Hound of Baskervilles. Across the entire canon, it’s not that the criminals are dumb it’s that Holmes is smarter.įrom the numerous twists and turns, to a fun trip to America’s Western frontier, to the delightful construction of the characters’ charms and personalities, and finally to the unforgettable conclusion, I can’t think of a better introduction to a detective series than A Study in Scarlet. Scotland Yard investigator Lestrade (we never learn his first name) invites Holmes to consult on the case though the budding detective initially feigns reluctance, his intellect won’t let him turn down the chance to solve a mystery.Ĭontained within the tale are numerous examples of Holmes’ classic methodology, which relies less on the mistakes of the criminals - as had largely been the case in earlier detective fiction - than on the investigator’s supreme wits and inductive reasoning skills. The first case that Watson records involves a murder in an abandoned house with “RACHE” written on the wall. Watson, perhaps surprisingly to the new Sherlockian, is pretty quickly revealed as the more likable fellow. He can be cold, aloof, and spectacularly arrogant, though very rarely in a vindictive way. (Though he provides Holmes his much-needed flattery.) Sherlock is utterly brilliant when it comes to detective work, but ignorant of most other subjects. They quickly learn about each other: Watson is neat, curious, good at his work, but generally unremarkable. Holmes, amateur sleuth, and his new roommate, Dr. There could be no better introduction than the blind meeting of Mr. Most every story (outside of those in The Case Book ) is in the public domain click the title of each to read them for free online! A Study in Scarletįor any new reader of Sherlock, A Study in Scarlet is undoubtedly the place to start. So while it’s certainly not a waste of time to read the entire canon - you may get so attached to the characters that you can’t help but do otherwise! - if you’d like to jump into a more curated set of suggestions, below you’ll find my favorite 10 tales: two novels and eight stories pulled from the first three short story collections. Some of the entries in the series are definitely better than others for one thing, the final two published collections, His Last Bow and The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes, are universally regarded as lesser material. Though Doyle peppers in just a couple new personal details with each tale, over the course of the stories the personalities of these protagonists are rounded out more than you’d perhaps expect. Watson’s devotion to and trust in Sherlock is admirable Sherlock’s reluctant reliance on Watson’s companionship is heart-warming. I was immediately entranced by not only the mysteries, but also the characters. I started with the first published novel, A Study in Scarlet, and quickly enough got through the other 59 stories too. I’d long been intrigued by the idea of Sherlock, but wasn’t really spurred into reading the stories until we had Michael Sims on the podcast to talk about Arthur Conan Doyle and the creation of his archetypal sleuth. The adventures of Doyle’s iconic detective proved a craze from the start, and since then, no character has been as reproduced and adapted in film, television, stage, and the printed word. Over the course of 40 years during the late 19th and early 20th century, Arthur Conan Doyle published 60 Sherlock Holmes tales in the form of four short novels and 56 short stories (which are generally published in five separate collections).
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