A Study In Scarlet Review | Is It a Fair-Play Mystery?

Sherlock Holmes—a man too proud of his own intellect and his precise methods of deduction—frequently complains that there are no longer any crimes or criminals to match his brilliance. That is, until he receives a call for help from Inspectors Gregson and Lestrade, the brightest minds of Scotland Yard, who find themselves utterly out of their wits. A dead body has been discovered at 3 Lauriston Gardens, off the Brixton Road. Accompanying Holmes to the scene is his new flatmate, Dr. John Watson, who eagerly studies Holmes's peculiar methods to see if they will actually hold up against this far from commonplace crime.

My Copy

CASE FILE: A Study In Scarlet

• Author & Year: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1887)
• The Detective: Sherlock Holmes
• Sub-Genre: Victorian Detective Fiction / Mystery
• Fair-Play Rating: Not Applicable (Pre-Golden Age Rules)
• My Verdict: 4.5/5

The Plot

Dr. Watson, having been wounded in the Second Anglo-Afghan War while serving as an army doctor, is essentially retired. Sent back to London on a humble pension that barely covers the cost of single lodgings, he is introduced to Sherlock Holmes by a mutual friend looking for a co-lodger. They agree to settle into 221B Baker Street. Having nothing much to do, Watson begins studying his eccentric new companion, realizing Holmes is no ordinary man.

Who is Sherlock Holmes?

Sherlock goes to bed at ten, wakes up at five, and spends most of his time in chemical laboratories. Yet, on other days, he will sit motionless in his armchair for hours on end, staring into space as if under the influence of drugs. Furthermore, Holmes has no formal conventional education, but his knowledge is second to none in his specific fields of interest. In other areas—like astronomy, politics, and literature—he is ignorant to an unbelievable extent. He doesn't even know that the Earth circles the Sun! Watson remains unaware of Holmes's profession until he finally learns that his roommate is the world's first "Consulting Detective"—meaning that when official detectives are stuck, they come to him for counsel. This, Holmes explains, is how he earns his bread and cheese.

Holmes has developed a system of observation which Watson believes is the closest thing to an exact "Science of Deduction" ever introduced to the world. While this fascinating science deserves its own dedicated deep-dive articles—which I will absolutely bring to the blog soon—in short, it relies on hyper-focused observation, followed by analytically reasoning backward from the clues

Ready for a challenge, Holmes heads to the crime scene at Lauriston Gardens alongside Watson, though he remains a little apprehensive that he will solve the mystery only for Gregson and Lestrade to walk away with all the credit.

The Crime Scene

Upon reaching the scene, they find the dead body of a Mr. Enoch Drebber on the floor. His face is twisted into a horrific grimace, as if he died haunted by something terrifying—a sight that sends chills down the spine of even Watson, who is well-accustomed to the deaths of his comrades in battle. Watson notes that Holmes's demeanor instantly shifts to that of a purebred hound on the scent. Armed with his magnifying glass and tape measure, Holmes lays flat on the ground, mutters to himself, and paces the room round and round.

Through this erratic behavior, Holmes deduces incredible details: the murderer was over six feet tall, wore square-toed boots, arrived in a cab pulled by a horse with one brand-new horseshoe, and poisoned the victim. He even notes that the two men walked into the house hand-in-hand. Holmes leaves the inspectors completely puzzled, missing no opportunity to taunt them for their ignorance by deploying Ecclesiastes:

"There is nothing new under the sun. It has all been done before."

The novel features several of Holmes's most legendary, definitive maxims, including: "To a great mind, nothing is little," and "Where there is no imagination, there is no horror." Ultimately, Holmes solves the entire case in his mind right there at the scene, leaving only a few minor details to confirm later. 

The First Novel On Sherlock Holmes

As the very first novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, this book beautifully introduces the world to the most loved detective of all time. However, modern readers should note that this novel is not a "fair-play" mystery. Because it was written well before the Golden Age of detective fiction, the genre's rules were still being formulated. You cannot truly solve the mystery alongside Sherlock; you can only stand back and admire his beautiful mind. Thankfully, because Holmes explains his entire process to Watson, readers are never left feeling unsatisfied.

The Writing Style

The novel is uniquely divided into two distinct parts. In the first part, we are introduced to Holmes as he cracks the case, though the deeper "why" is left a mystery. In the second part, Doyle explores his more literary side, stepping away from the foggy streets of Victorian London and drops us into the vividly described vast barren desert landscapes of Utah. It is here that we finally uncover the tragic backstory that set our antagonist on a multi-continental journey of vengeance from the United States to Europe.

Through this flashback, Doyle introduces us to the Mormons, followers of a nineteenth-century restorationist Christian movement who traveled as nomads before finally settling in Utah. They are depicted as an extremely disciplined, deeply patriarchal society where the church Elders hold absolute and ultimate authority. Anyone who fails to follow their strict religious codes is ruthlessly punished by terrifying secret societies, like the "Avenging Angels."

Crucially, the community practices polygamy—and this controversial practice becomes the central catalyst for the entire murder plot. Doyle handles this backstory so masterfully that by the time you finish this section, you can't help but feel a deep, unexpected sense of sympathy for the antagonist.

In the final two chapters, the narrative happily returns to Watson’s perspective. The captured murderer explains exactly how he achieved his long-awaited vengeance, unable to resist praising the sheer dexterity of the detective who caught him. In the conclusion, Holmes’s initial apprehensions come true: the newspapers award all the credit to Inspectors Gregson and Lestrade. Incensed by this injustice, Watson decides that if the papers won't give Holmes his due, he will chronicle these adventures himself so the public knows exactly who the real hero is. He also tries to console his friend by quoting a famous Latin line from the poet Horace that translates to:

"The public hisses at me, but I applaud myself in my own house, and simultaneously contemplate the money in my chest."

Verdict

I may be a little biased, but for me, this is a wonderful piece of writing. Aside from it not being a traditional fair-play puzzle, it ticks every single box of perfect detective fiction. The prose flows beautifully, though modern readers should prepare for Doyle's heavy Victorian phrasing. Characters don't just talk; they hold long, formal disquisitions using words like malevolence, temperance, and convalescent. If you can find the rhythm of the language, the journey is amazing.

• Plot Structure: 4/5 (The sudden shift to Utah can be jarring, but the payoff is worth it) 
• The Detective: 5/5 (The perfect introduction to a legend) 
• Overall Rating: 4.5 / 5 Magnifying Glasses 🔍

 I look forward to bringing you much more Sherlock Holmes literature in the future!