A Study in Scarlet - Sherlock Holmes #1 by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 4 stars

[Yvonne]

The first in Sherlock Holmes series, published in 1887, this novel introduces the characters of Holmes & Watson. This was the reason I picked it up, just to read the original introduction of these famous characters. It is, of course, a mystery/detective story, and shows us the roots of Holmes' scientific and analytic approach to solving a crime. I was not expecting the change of story in part 2, which provided the back story to the crime's motive. But I enjoyed both 'stories', which moved quickly and grippingly through to the conclusion. It is easy to see how he would have become such a popular protagonist.