A review by wextra
A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

The first real detective novel and a fantastic start to the career of Doyle's beloved Sherlock Holmes, A Study In Scarlet does an extremely good job of investing the reader in Holmes and Watson and their intimate friendship. Essentially split into two parts, the section that details the motive of Holmes' suspect is less well-loved but underrated in my opinion, clashing somewhat with the Victorian English setting of Holmes' investigation (which was contemporary at the time of release) by taking place in a rather gritty Wild West. Fans of Westerns, however, will find a lot to love here and the clash is actually very entertaining if you're the audience for it. All and all a great start to the classic series of novels.
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