4 h 54 minAudiobook9 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A body in an empty London house. A strange word on the wall. What does Sherlock Holmes see that others miss?
Dr. John Watson is wounded, out of the army and in need of cheap lodgings. His new flatmate, Sherlock Holmes, reasons from small facts to startling conclusions. In Arthur Conan Doyle’s A Study in Scarlet, their first case together begins when Scotland Yard detective Tobias Gregson asks Holmes to help with a strange death.
An American named Enoch J. Drebber lies dead in a house on Brixton Road. Gregson and his rival Lestrade follow their own methods, but Holmes looks beyond the obvious. Through Watson’s eyes, you follow a puzzle whose roots reach far beyond London, into love, loss and a long pursuit.
What you’ll discover
- The first Holmes case Meet the detective before his name is known, with Watson watching his method take shape.
- Small signs, startling conclusions Watch Holmes turn details others overlook into clues that change the direction of the case.
- Watson’s puzzled eye Enjoy a doctor’s curiosity and his funny attempt to catalogue his extraordinary flatmate’s knowledge.
- Rivals on the trail Follow Gregson and Lestrade as pride and distrust complicate their search for answers.
- Revenge beneath the puzzle Look beyond the strange death to questions of justice, loss and the desire for revenge.
Is it for you?
This is for anyone who likes a clever puzzle, a sharp detective and a short Victorian read, and for fans who want to see where Holmes began. If you want a fast, modern thriller, the slower second half may suit you less.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A wounded doctor needs a flatmate
- Holmes reads people like open books
- A body lies in an empty house
- Holmes outpaces the police at every step
- Justice, revenge and who gets the credit
- How Watson's voice and a red thread shape it
Who’s who
- Sherlock HolmesA consulting detective of Baker Street who reasons from small facts to firm conclusions, and who cares more for the problem than for the praise.
- Dr. John WatsonA doctor wounded in Afghanistan who needs cheap lodgings, finds a stranger flatmate and tells the story of the case.
- Inspector LestradeA Scotland Yard detective who wants to solve the case quickly and often takes the obvious road.
- Tobias GregsonAnother Scotland Yard detective, proud of his methods and a rival to Lestrade, who asks for Holmes's help.
- Enoch J. DrebberAn American from Cleveland, Ohio, found dead in an empty house in the Brixton Road, whose past is the heart of the puzzle.
- WigginsThe leader of the street boys whom Holmes uses as quick, unnoticed messengers and watchers around London.
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- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
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- Large print hardcover
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A Study in Scarlet
by Arthur Conan Doyle· 1887
A London murder leads Holmes toward a history of revenge.
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From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 6
A wounded doctor needs a flatmate
The story is told by Dr. John Watson. He has just been invalided out of the army after being wounded in Afghanistan, at the battle of Maiwand. He returns to London with poor health, little money and no family, and he drifts around the city living in a cheap hotel. His savings are shrinking, and he knows he must find a cheaper place to live.
One day, at the Criterion bar, he runs into an old acquaintance named Stamford, who once worked with him in a hospital. Watson mentions that he wants lodgings and a companion to share the cost. Stamford hesitates, then says he knows a man in a laboratory who is looking for exactly that. He warns Watson that the man is odd. He is a brilliant chemist, but he is cold, and he is capable of testing poisons on his friends just to see the result.
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The author
Arthur Conan Doyle
1859–1930 · British detective novelist
Arthur Conan Doyle was a British writer and physician born in Edinburgh in 1859. He practised medicine in England and wrote novels, short stories and histories. His Sherlock Holmes stories began with A Study in Scarlet in 1887. He also wrote The Lost World in 1912. He died in Crowborough, England, in 1930.
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What is A Study in Scarlet about?
It tells how Dr. Watson meets Sherlock Holmes and joins him in investigating the murder of an American found dead in an empty London house, with a strange German word written on the wall.
Why is it called A Study in Scarlet?
Holmes calls the case a study in scarlet and speaks of a scarlet thread of murder running through life. The colour links the blood, the writing on the wall and the passion behind the crime.
When was A Study in Scarlet written and published?
Arthur Conan Doyle wrote it in 1886, and it appeared in Beeton's Christmas Annual in 1887. It is a work of fiction, though Holmes was partly inspired by Doyle's teacher Joseph Bell.
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