A Study in Scarlet - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

I have read a bunch of Sherlock Holmes stories, and have unfailingly enjoyed them. But that was a long, long time ago.

And then I saw Sherlock Holmes the movie, and enjoyed it for what it was. RDJ probably doesn’t look very Sherlock Holmes going by the description in the books. But he acts the part perfectly. Jude Law, as Watson, is a lot more dynamic and involved in the movie than Watson is in any of the stories. But the visual rendition of one of my favourite fictional characters made me want to read whatever Sherlock Holmes stories I had not read. So when I set my eyes on a two-stories book, featuring A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of Four, I picked it up without hesitation.

A Study in Scarlet

A Study in Scarlet, as it turned out is a sort of a Sherlock Holmes, The Origins. It is after all, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s first book. And the genesis of Sherlock Holmes is as interesting as he himself, which is explained in the lovely introduction by David Stuart Davies (an established Sherlock Holmes fan and researcher).

In ‘A Study in Scarlet’ J.Watson is introduced to Sherlock Holmes in their mutual quest for a room-mate and an apartment to live in. And thus they discover the legendary 221B, Barker Street. Watson, after a long drawn confusion about the ends to which Holmes did his esoteric chemical experiments, discovers that Holmes is a private detective, and that too, the best there ever was.

The first case that Watson finds himself involved in is the mysterious death of a Drebber in an empty house. And the rival policemen, Lestrade and Gregson, invite Holmes for his opinion. And Holmes, having gone around the place tips the Yard with the probable appearance of the murderer. And thereafter, in three days, no more, hands over the murderer to the Police in handcuffs.

Then, there is a back story given to explain the lead up to the killings (yes, plural) that Sherlock Holmes solves. Perhaps the narrative style is more conventional for this section in itself. But given the context of the book, I did like the way that the author breaks away from Watson’s perspective and takes the role of the narrator himself. The alternative was to have the murderer explain the background story. But that robs the writer of the freedom in explaining the context as well as he’d like to. So while you do miss Sherlock Holmes and Watson in this middle section, it serves a purpose. And plus it is not some 200 page story with a known ending that you have to read. It is fairly short and crisp narrative and keeps you engaged. Eventually, Sherlock Holmes comes back and ties up the loose ends, explaining his deduction methods to an impressed, and inspired, Watson.

On to The Sign of Four…

The Sign of Four

The Sign of Four, in its essence, is not very different from A Study in Scarlet. It has a lot of similar elements: long history behind the present mystery, revenge as core motive to the crime, a victim stalked patiently for a long time and an elaborate back story. What is different about The Sign of Four is, unlike most detective fiction, the story doesn’t start with a stray dead body.

It starts with Miss Mary Morstan, approaching Holmes to assist her while meeting strangers who claim to offer knowledge of her missing father. There are several perplexing facts around the disappearance of her father, amongst them being that Miss Morstan was being delivered a single expensive pearl every year. The meeting, that Holmes and Watson go to, along with Miss Morstan, has been requested by the son of Major Sholto, who was a friend of the lady’s father. Then as the story progresses, the other son of Major Sholto is discovered dead in his house. Oh there had to be a dead body somewhere! And as usual, despite Holmes giving helpful clues to the police, they arrest the wrong people, and it is up to Holmes to nab the criminal and serve justice.

The story has plenty of unusual elements that keep adding to the mystery and really makes you wonder about how is it all going to be tied up. But the author does a great job at that. And it’s another Sherlock Holmes hit for you!