As a long-time fan of Sherlock Holmes, I was chagrined to realize that I had never read the novel (really a novella) that Arthur Conan Doyle used to introduce him to the world, A Study in Scarlet.
As part of my mystery reading goal, I decided to remedy that oversight.
It was fascinating to see how Holmes and Watson met, The story itself was interesting - though the whole Mormon section could have been drastically shortened. I think Doyle had a decent short story like many of the later Holmes stories, but was at that point in his career trying to write novels, so he added all those extra chapters.
Still, this story set many of the basic facts - including that famous monograph on cigar ashes. It helps to explain Watson's background, and how his quest for a place to stay got him sharing rooms with Holmes.
Glad I read it.
I also haven't read the second novel - The Sign of Four - which came out before the short story collections that established Holmes's fame. I'll have to read that at some point. I've already read and enjoyed the third novel The Hound of the Baskervilles, but I haven't read the fourth novel, The Valley of Fear. So add that one to my list of books to read.
Pax et bonum
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