Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - A Study in Scarlet

A book club pick, didn’t know if I would massively enjoy it. I was pleasantly surprised, it picked up in part 2 and I enjoyed trying to piece the puzzle together.

Content Warnings

discodetective's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

Hoping Doyle wrote the rest of the series much better than this.
The mysterious events themselves were so fun! It was feasible and enjoyable to follow Sherlock's logic in where/how he searched locations and why he suspected some people before he revealed his own deductions. I felt like I was also a detective! I'm not exactly sure why he's so condescending, but I found it incredibly grating.
I feel the last section is a slog. We have the perp, so why are we on the other side of the planet, with

the Mormons

no less? Victor Hugo never made me sit through such a detour! 🥺😭💔 Maybe if it were placed just a chapter later or earlier where we didn't have any idea of the people involved or even if it was massively truncated, it wouldn't been so jarring.
Can't forget the racism, of course! It's expected of many things of this time, but I doesn't stop my eyes from rolling right out of my head!
Reading this alongside Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre has me noticing some things despite their vastly differing genres... 👁️👁️📝

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eva_vva's review against another edition

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adventurous informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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waytoomanybooks's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Though the novel was a bit slow at the start, it certainly picked up after page 45! I’m not a regular mystery reader, but I enjoyed this classic as it is both approachable and short. Part two was a wild ride. I know mysteries are supposed to keep you guessing, but I was expecting neither

murderous Mormons

nor

a cross-continental revenge plot

. It’s quite a convoluted tale, but I enjoyed it anyway.

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pey333's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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bear_ridge_tarot's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is the first book was the world is introduced to the infamous Sherlock Holmes. In his first full adventure, Sherlock makes a grand entrance into the world of crime-solving, along with the help of the good Doctor Watson. He makes his way through the plot with confidence and intellect that baffles the best and brightest of Scotland Yard.

I enjoyed the lengthy explanation of how Holmes figures out the riddle that is the murder. It was so interesting to watch the growth of friendship between him and Watson, and the amount of frustration that he causes to Scotland yard. It's wonderful when an author can create an intelligent character and not have to say 'look he's smart' but can just show the reader through the story.

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tiiiger35's review against another edition

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adventurous dark informative mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was the very first Sherlock Holmes book written, and what a debut to have!! I really enjoyed finding out how these 2 totally different characters came together to form one of the best fictional detective pairs.
The story itself was quite dark, especially the 2nd half…and in the end I felt the man who was labelled as a criminal & murderer was rightly so getting the justice deserved, that the authorities wouldn’t provide.

I made my way through this book very quickly. Arthur Conan Doyle has such a wonderful style of storytelling & I find his writing style flows very easily.

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filipacmiranda's review against another edition

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2.5

A primeira parte da história é interessante. Introduz-nos Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson e o mistério que têm em mãos. A forma como o enredo se desenrola, embora algo rápida, manteve o meu interesse e foi fácil de acompanhar. Por outro lado, iniciar a segunda parte foi como começar a ler um livro novo. Apesar de compreender o intuito do autor – explicar as motivações do assassino –, senti que a forma como este objetivo foi comprido não foi a melhor.

Gostei do primeiro livro da série, particularmente, no que diz respeito a conhecer as personagens principais e a forma como os seus caminhos se cruzam. Espero que, nos próximos volumes, os enredos sejam mais consistentes e que os casos apresentados se revelem mais complexos e desafiantes.

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