Review: A Study in Scarlet

KEYWORDS: Sherlock Holmes

In the TV series Case Closed, “Conan” became Jimmy Kudo’s alias because he was inspired by Arthur Conan Doyle’s renowned detective series Sherlock Holmes. As a fan of the series (I only watched the first 100 out of 1000 episodes…ok whatever) and a passionate reader of many contemporary detective novels. I thought it was about time to check out the most classic, paramount series in the detective realm – the Sherlock Holmes series by Arthur Conan Doyle. The full Sherlock Holmes series is composed of 4 main novels and a bundle of short stories. 

A Study in Scarlet is the first of the 4 main novels. In short, the story circles around 2 murders that happen in London, and (not unexpectedly) Detective Holmes takes the burden of solving the case. 

From the way the story was plotted, I feel like A Study in Scarlet appears to be slightly inferior compared to the other books I’ve read. I was expecting a little bit more plot twist. However, I do find the themes explored in the novel to be more significant and meaningful.

A Study in Scarlet teaches readers the importance of careful observations. The whole train of thoughts and fascinating deductions performed by Holmes are actually done through his attentive inspection of the murder scene, his later actions only further confirm his inferences based off of his observations. It teaches readers how every detail matters, every detail tells a story. 

Another theme I found interesting in A Study in Scarlet was how the idea of injustice was threaded throughout the novel. It wasn’t even the injustice faced by the criminal or the victim here (obviously in every murder case some are dealing with fairness), but the injustice faced by Sherlock Holmes. Throughout the story, Holmes guides his fellow police partners to solve the case (Which isn’t too successful even after leaving numerous hints, Holmes still goes out to arrest the murderer himself), however, those officers despise and exclude him only because Holmes is a private detective. They are also generally reluctant to give Holmes any credit in front of the public because they feel like the rise of Holmes' reputation will stigmatize theirs. But ironically, every time they find themselves stagnant on the case, they still come to Holmes seeking help. The story does not portray these police officers as completely glamorous representatives of integrity, instead, it suggests that officers are also humans, and they can also have their own hypocritical thoughts.

In all, if you are a person interested in delving into some classic detective novels, A Study in Scarlet would be an excellent starting point for you. Also, although it was published in the 19th century, it is a much lighter read than the Scarlet Letter :D

Note: The method the murderer takes was also one of the most simple, and craziest ways I’ve ever seen…the murderer brings 2 identical pills to the victim, one normal one with an alkaloid (a poison), and has Providence choose their fate…I was like WHOAAAAAA what if you died…

Thank you for reading :D

Ruijing