A Study in Scarlet

A Study in Scarlet was the first Sherlock Holmes novel that I ever remember reading. It certainly wasn't my first experience with Holmes- that might have been an episode of Wishbone featuring the Hounds of Baskervilles- but at any rate, it was my first literary foray into that universe. I've mentioned before that I've always loved mysteries, and when I saw the first Sherlock Holmes novel, I was determined to read the original stories. I put a somewhat comprehensive book on my wishlist on Paperback Swap, and waited with glee for the book to arrive.

Unfortunately, by the time it actually did arrive, I had lost steam for the topic, and the book was pushed to the back of my to-read shelf. Nevertheless, last summer, I packed away the rather large book to take with me while basically isolated in my apartment during summer classes. My thought process was that it was large, and therefor should occupy quite a bit of my time. I managed to breeze through the first story in the book- this one- during nightly bubble baths. After that, I was sucked into the world of Doctor Who and spent essentially all of my free time watching that instead.

Flash forward six months later, and I kept hearing about the BBC program Sherlock. I was immediately drawn into the world of Holmes again. Unfortunately, I didn't have my anthology with me, so I resigned myself to waiting until Spring Break to start reading.

Yesterday, Monkey kicked me off my own computer, and out of my own bedroom so he could finish homework. After exhausting all of the TV possibilities, I finally stole his iPad and downloaded this book for free. It was every bit as gripping as the first time I read it. The ending was a complete surprise for me, which was both a good and a bad thing. Good, as it wasn't predictable or stupid, but bad in the fact that it came extremely out of the left field, and when the explanatory narrative started, I wondered if there was some sort of error in the book- I had assumed it was an entirely different story. Nevertheless, I really loved the introduction to Holmes' character. I love the bits and hints of his vices that are only suggested in this book, and I can't wait to continue on Holmes and Watson's exploits.

(4/5 stars)