Reviews with content warning for Murder - A Study in Scarlet

Very interesting read. Loved the last chapter particularly where Holmes explains his thought processes to Watson — proving how well thought-out the entire book was.

The second part of this book dragged and is the reason why I considered putting the pace as “medium” — the first half moves incredibly quickly, aided by the fact that this is a short novel anyway. The second part gives the criminal’s backstory but for me it went on too long.

I read this after finishing the BBC adaptation. It was interesting to find the links between the source material and the adaptation, as well as being able to visualise how they televised a mystery solved solely through someone’s in depth thought processes.

I’ve been wanting to read the Sherlock Holmes books for a while and watching the series spurred me on. I’m glad I started this and look forward to reading on.

Content Warnings

georgiaabigail's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

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.

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meagangrace's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

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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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anniebob's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

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eva_vva's review

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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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