Um Estudo em Vermelho

De Arthur Conan Doyle

"Um estudo em vermelho" propőe um enigma terrível e invencível para a polícia, que pede auxílio a Holmes: um homem é encontrado morto, sem ferimentos e cercado de manchas de sangue. Em seu rosto uma expressăo de pavor. Um caso para Sherlock Holmes e suas fascinantes deduçőes narrado por seu amigo Dr. Watson, interlocutor sempre atento e năo raro maravilhado com a inteligęncia e talento do detetive. Apesar de ser o livro de estreia de Conan Doyle, esta história nasceu clássica, com seu ritmo vertiginoso de suspense e mistério que consagraria seu protagonista Sherlock Holmes como o mais apaixonante e popular detetive da história da literatura.

• Idioma: Português
• Editora: L&PM Editores
• Data de lançamento: 1 de jan. de 1998
• ISBN: 9788525408860

Arthur Conan Doyle

Arthur Conan Doyle was a British writer and physician. He is the creator of the Sherlock Holmes character, writing his debut appearance in A Study in Scarlet. Doyle wrote notable books in the fantasy and science fiction genres, as well as plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction, and historical novels.

Pré-visualização do livro

Parte 1

Reedição das Reminiscências de

John H. Watson, MD, ex-membro do

Departamento Médico do Exército

Capítulo 1

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O sr. Sherlock Holmes

No ano de 1878, obtive o título de Doutor em Medicina na Universidade de Londres, e fui então a Netley a fim de fazer o curso prescrito para os cirurgiões do exército. Depois de completar meus estudos naquele hospital, fui devidamente incorporado ao Quinto Regimento dos Fuzileiros de Northumberland como Cirurgião Assistente. Na época, o regimento estava postado na Índia, mas antes que pudesse me juntar a ele, irrompeu a Segunda Guerra Afegã. Ao desembarcar em Bombaim, fiquei sabendo que minha unidade tinha avançado pelos desfiladeiros e já se encontrava bem dentro do território inimigo. Segui, porém, com muitos outros oficiais que estavam em situação igual à minha, e consegui chegar são e salvo a Candahar, onde encontrei meu regimento e logo passei a exercer minhas novas funções.

A campanha proporcionou honras e promoção a muitos, mas para mim não trouxe senão infelicidade e desgraça. Fui afastado da minha brigada e incorporado aos Berkshires, com quem lutei na batalha fatal de Maiwand. Ali fui atingido no ombro pela bala de um jezail,[1] que me esmigalhou o osso e roçou a artéria subclávia. Eu teria caído nas mãos dos ghazis[2] assassinos, se não fosse a dedicação e coragem demonstradas por Murray, meu ordenança, que me jogou sobre um cavalo de carga e conseguiu me levar a salvo até as linhas britânicas.

Alquebrado pela dor e enfraquecido pelos reveses prolongados que experimentara, fui removido, num grande trem de feridos, para o hospital base em Peshawur. Ali me reanimei, e já tinha melhorado a ponto de poder caminhar pela enfermaria do hospital, e até lagartear um pouco na varanda, quando contraí febre tifoide, essa praga das nossas colônias indianas. Durante meses estive desenganado, e, quando por fim recuperei a consciência e comecei a convalescer, estava tão fraco e emaciado que uma junta médica determinou que não se deveria esperar nem mais um dia para me mandar de volta à Inglaterra. Assim, fui despachado no navio-transporte de tropas Orontes, e desembarquei um mês mais tarde nos molhes de Portsmouth, com minha saúde irremediavelmente arruinada, mas com a permissão de um governo paternal para passar os próximos nove meses tentando melhorá-la.

Eu não tinha nem amigos, nem parentes na Inglaterra. Estava, portanto, livre como o ar – ou tão livre quanto me permitia uma renda de onze xelins e seis pence por dia. Fui naturalmente atraído para Londres, essa fossa para onde escoam irresistivelmente todos os desocupados e ociosos do Império. Ali fiquei por algum tempo num hotel particular no Strand, levando uma vida sem conforto e sem sentido, e gastando o dinheiro que tinha com muito mais liberalidade do que deveria. Tão alarmante se tornou o estado das minhas finanças que logo percebi que tinha de abandonar a metrópole e ir para algum lugar no campo, ou alterar completamente meu modo de vida. Escolhendo a última alternativa, comecei pela decisão de sair do hotel e me instalar num domicílio menos pretensioso e caro.

No mesmo dia em que cheguei a essa conclusão, estava de pé no Criterion Bar, quando alguém me bateu no ombro, e virando-me reconheci o jovem Stamford, que fora meu auxiliar de enfermagem em Barts. A visão de um rosto amigo no grande deserto de Londres é realmente algo agradável para um homem solitário. No passado, Stamford nunca fora um companheiro muito querido, mas agora o saudei com entusiasmo, e ele, por sua vez, parecia feliz em me ver. Na exuberância da minha alegria, convidei-o para almoçar comigo no Holborn, e partimos juntos num cabriolé.

– O que anda fazendo da sua vida, Watson? – me perguntou sem disfarçar o espanto, enquanto chocalhávamos pelas ruas apinhadas de Londres. – Você está magro como uma vara e moreno como uma castanha.

Eu lhe dei um breve relato das minhas aventuras, e mal o terminara, quando chegamos a nosso destino.

– Pobre diabo! – disse ele, demonstrando compaixão, depois de ouvir as minhas desgraças. – O que está fazendo agora?

– Procurando um lugar para morar – respondi. – Tentando resolver o problema de saber se é possível conseguir um lugar confortável a um preço razoável.

– Estranho – observou meu companheiro –, você é o segundo homem a me dizer a mesma coisa hoje.

– E quem foi o primeiro? – perguntei.

– Um sujeito que está trabalhando no laboratório químico lá no hospital. Ele estava se lamentando hoje de manhã, porque não achava ninguém para dividir com ele uns quartos agradáveis que tinha encontrado e que eram muito caros para o seu bolso.

– Por Deus! – gritei. – Se ele realmente quer alguém para dividir os quartos e as despesas, sou exatamente o homem que está procurando. Prefiro ter um companheiro a morar sozinho.

O jovem Stamford me olhou um tanto estranhamente por sobre seu copo de vinho.

– Você ainda não conhece Sherlock Holmes – disse –, talvez não queira tê-lo como companheiro constante.

– Por que, o que há contra ele?

– Oh, não disse que haja alguma coisa contra ele. Tem ideias um pouco excêntricas, é entusiasta de alguns ramos da ciência. Que eu saiba, é um sujeito bastante decente.

– Um estudante de medicina? – disse eu.

– Não... não tenho ideia do que ele pretende fazer. Acredito que seja muito versado em anatomia, e é um químico de primeira categoria. Mas, que eu saiba, nunca frequentou nenhum curso médico sistemático. Os seus estudos são muito irregulares e excêntricos, mas ele acumulou uma quantidade de conhecimentos incomuns que espantaria seus professores.

– Você nunca lhe perguntou o que pretendia fazer?

– Não, não é um homem de quem seja fácil tirar informações, embora seja bastante comunicativo quando lhe dá na telha.

– Gostaria de conhecê-lo – disse. – Se vou ter de dividir a residência com alguém, prefiro que seja com um homem estudioso e de hábitos quietos. Ainda não estou bastante forte para tolerar muito barulho ou agitação. Já tive uma boa dose de ambos no Afeganistão, suficiente para todo o resto da minha vida. Como é que eu poderia conhecer o seu amigo?

– Deve estar no laboratório – respondeu meu companheiro. – Ele não aparece no lugar durante semanas, ou então trabalha lá da manhã até a noite. Se quiser, vamos até lá juntos depois do almoço.

– Certamente – respondi, e a conversa seguiu por outros canais.

Enquanto nos dirigíamos ao hospital depois de sair do Holborn, Stamford me forneceu mais alguns detalhes particulares sobre o cavalheiro que eu me propunha a aceitar como companheiro de residência.

– Você não deve pôr a culpa em mim, se não se der bem com ele – disse. – Nada mais sei a seu respeito do que as informações que colhi ao conhecê-lo casualmente no laboratório. Foi você que propôs esse arranjo, por isso não me julgue responsável por isso.

– Se não nos dermos bem, será fácil nos separarmos – respondi. – Tenho a impressão, Stamford – acrescentei, olhando firme para meu companheiro –, que você tem alguma razão para lavar as mãos a esse respeito. O temperamento desse homem é assim tão formidável ou o quê? Não fale com tantos rodeios.

– Não é fácil exprimir o inexprimível – respondeu rindo. – Holmes é um pouco científico demais para o meu gosto, chega perto da insensibilidade. Posso imaginá-lo dando a um amigo uma pitada do último alcaloide vegetal, não por maldade, sabe, mas simplesmente pelo desejo de investigação, para ter uma ideia precisa dos efeitos. Para lhe fazer justiça, acho que ele próprio tomaria a pitada com a mesma presteza. Parece ter uma paixão pelo conhecimento definido e exato.

– Com toda a razão.

– Sim, mas pode ser excessiva. Quando implica bater com uma vara nos cadáveres da sala de dissecação, essa paixão está certamente tomando uma forma um tanto bizarra.

– Batendo nos cadáveres!

– Sim, para verificar até quando é possível fazer feridas depois da morte. Eu o vi com meus próprios olhos.

– Mas você diz que ele não é estudante de medicina?

– Não. Sei lá quais são os objetivos de seus estudos! Mas chegamos, e você deve formar a sua própria impressão do sujeito. – Enquanto falava, entramos num beco estreito e passamos por uma pequena porta lateral que dava para uma das alas do grande hospital. Era terreno familiar para mim, e não precisei de orientação, enquanto subíamos a sombria escada de pedra e percorríamos o longo corredor com sua galeria de paredes caiadas e portas pardas. Perto do fim, uma passagem baixa em arco se desviava do corredor e conduzia ao laboratório químico.

Esse era uma câmara espaçosa, forrada e juncada de inúmeras garrafas. Mesas largas e baixas estavam espalhadas ao redor, apinhadas de retortas, tubos de ensaio, e pequenas lâmpadas Bunsen com suas chamas azuis tremulando. Havia apenas um estudioso na sala, inclinado sobre uma mesa distante absorvido no seu trabalho. Ao ouvir nossos passos, ele olhou ao redor e levantou-se de um salto com um grito de prazer.

– Descobri! Descobri! – gritou para meu companheiro, vindo ao nosso encontro correndo com um tubo de ensaio na mão. – Descobri um reagente que é precipitado pela hemoglobina, e por nenhum outro elemento. – Se tivesse descoberto uma mina de ouro, o prazer não teria brilhado com mais força sobre as suas feições.

– Dr. Watson, sr. Sherlock Holmes – disse Stamford, apresentando-nos.

– Muito prazer – disse ele cordialmente, agarrando minha mão com uma força de que não o teria julgado capaz. – Você esteve no Afeganistão, pelo que vejo.

– Como é que sabe disso? – perguntei espantado.

– Não importa – disse ele, rindo para si mesmo. – A questão agora é a hemoglobina. Sem dúvida, você compreende o significado dessa minha descoberta, não?

– É interessante, quimicamente, sem dúvida – respondi – mas na prática...

– Ora, meu caro, é a descoberta médico-legal mais prática em anos. Não compreende que ela nos dá um teste infalível para as manchas de sangue? Venha aqui! – Na sua ansiedade, ele me agarrou pela manga do casaco e me levou até a mesa onde estivera trabalhando. – Vamos conseguir um pouco de sangue fresco primeiro – disse, enfiando uma longa faca no seu dedo, e colhendo a gota de sangue resultante com uma pipeta química. – Agora, acrescento essa pequena quantidade de sangue a um litro de água. A proporção de sangue não pode ser mais do que um em um milhão. Mas não tenho dúvida de que vamos ser capazes de obter a reação característica. – Enquanto falava, jogou no recipiente alguns cristais brancos e depois acrescentou algumas gotas de um fluido transparente. Num instante, o conteúdo assumiu uma cor de mogno escuro, e uma poeira amarronada foi precipitada para o fundo do recipiente de vidro.

– Ah! Ah! – gritou, batendo as mãos e parecendo tão deslumbrado como uma criança com um brinquedo novo. – O que você acha disso?

– Parece ser um teste muito delicado – observei.

– Beleza! Beleza! O antigo teste do guáiaco era muito canhestro e incerto. Assim como o exame microscópico dos corpúsculos do sangue. Esse último não tem valor, se as manchas já têm algumas horas. Agora, este novo teste parece funcionar igualmente bem com sangue velho ou fresco. Se esse teste tivesse sido inventado antes, centenas de homens que andam pelo mundo já teriam pago pelos seus crimes.

– Certamente! – murmurei.

– Os casos criminais estão sempre girando em torno desse ponto. Um homem é suspeito de um crime talvez meses depois que esse foi cometido. As suas roupas e lenços são examinados, e descobrem-se manchas amarronzadas neles. Serão manchas de sangue, manchas de lama, manchas de ferrugem ou manchas de frutas, o que serão? Essa é uma questão que tem confundido muitos peritos, e por quê? Porque não havia nenhum teste confiável. Agora temos o teste Sherlock Holmes, e não haverá mais nenhuma dificuldade.

Seus olhos brilhavam bastante enquanto falava, e ele pôs a mão sobre o coração e se inclinou como se agradecesse os aplausos de uma multidão criada pela sua imaginação.

– Você está de parabéns – observei, bastante surpreso com seu entusiasmo.

– No ano passado, tivemos o caso de Von Bischoff em Frankfurt. Ele certamente teria sido enforcado, se já tivéssemos esse teste. Depois tivemos Mason, de Bradford, o notório Muller, Lefevre, de Montpellier, e Samson, de Nova Orleans. Poderia citar muitos casos em que esse teste teria sido decisivo.

– Você parece

Avaliações de Um Estudo em Vermelho

[asxz-2 · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

My first ever Holmes. Wonderfully there is much of the modern understanding of Sherlock Holmes clearly laid out on the page. He is perhaps even more self aware than TV and movie adaptations allow describing his mood swings and eccentricities to Dr. Watson even before they move in together.

There is a remarkable section in the middle where the narrative goes all Fenimore Cooper and we are transported from London to the snowy peaks of Utah. Quite unexpected. This was more fun even than I had expected. Fortunately I have already purchased further volumes.

[haloedrain · Nota: 1 de 5 estrelas]

I would have liked it better if most of part 2 didn't feel so completely separate from the rest (and maybe were more accurate and less bigoted), but the detectiving part was alright. Holmes is a bit insufferable, but interesting too.

[stbalbach_1 · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

A Study in Scarlet was the first Sherlock Holmes story published. Given its age (1886) it reads surprisingly well with crisp non-florid prose, almost like a novel written in 2017 by someone pretending to be from the 1800s. This is the first Sherlock Holmes I've read. It gives a sense that, while you may be confused, someone else understands the world and answers can be had. That is comforting, like a parent reassuring an anxious child. This is echoed in the name "Sure" as in assurance or confidence; "Lock" as in holding the key to the mystery; and "Holmes" which sounds like "Home", a reassuring feeling. The clues to the mystery are somewhat beside the point, contrived and making sense only after the explanation. Regardless, I really enjoyed it and look forward to dipping into more in a sequential fashion as they were published. Giving 5 stars as the origin story of Sherlock Holmes.For modern readers the Mormon sub-plot is weird and maybe a little offensive. However in the 1880s, they were indeed a novel, strange and exotic people who engaged in massacres and "harems". In the story they come to London, to the homes of the readers. It's a classic "invasion novel" popular at the time, similar to Dracula which saw Eastern Europeans as the invaders. The invasion of London by secretive sub-cultures is a common theme Holmes stories.

[andrew1theqm · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

This is an enjoyable introduction to both Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, and it will be interesting to see how their characters develop across the series. I particularly enjoyed the large section that took place on the American Plains (not something you expect in a Sherlock Holmes book!) and how the story unravelled that led up to events being investigated in London. This was particularly well done. I look forward to continuing with the series.

[wassilissa · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

Der erste Band der Krimis um Sherlock Homes kann zweifellos als Klassiker des Genres gelten. Mit Sicherheit ist es einer der ersten Krimis, der das deduktive Schließen zur Lösung des Falls benutzt. Außerdem wurde in diesem Krimi das Detektivpaar etabliert, in dem es zum genialen Detektiv den vernünftigen SideKick gibt. In diesem Buch lernen sich Sherlock Homes und Doktor Watson kennen. Sie ziehen gemeinsam in die Wohnung in der Baker Street. Durch Zufall wird Watson von Holmes mit in die Lösung eines Falles hineingezogen, in der ein Mann tot in einer leeren Wohnung aufgefunden wurde. Der mittlere Teil des Buches beschreibt die Vorgeschichte dieses Mordes und ist enorm spannend und fesselnd. Der Fall selber wird von Sherlock Homes auf seine übliche geniale Weise gelöst.

[robert.zimmermann · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

I wanted to give this a full 5 stars, but I just couldn't. Still, for my first venture into Doyle's Sherlock Holmes books/stories, I was happy with what I found.

The thing that turned me off was that after the first part of the book is done and the second begins, I was very confused at what I was reading. There was no transition/introduction mentioning that the story was taking a major change in time, place, characters. It was no longer Sherlock Holmes in London; it was the Mormon migration to Utah.

But near the end of the book, it all came together and the point of the sudden change was explained. I still think it was too abrupt and could have been done in a different way to preserve the flow, but all-in-all it was a fun read. I'm sure Doyle improved on his writing after this first novel, especially judging by the fact that it's so popular even over a century later.

[adilinaria · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

** spoiler alert ** I was a little worried going into this, just unsure of how a longer Holmes story would read. I really enjoyed The Hound of Baskerville when I read it but I loved the short stories I read between these two. I shouldn't have been too worried however, this was excellent. I really enjoyed the second portion of the story, deviating from Sherlock and Watson to give us the back story of our murderer. It was different from the previous books in it's delivery and made the victims seem more the villains and our murderer more the almost hero. A great way to turn it around. Overall, a great one. I really enjoyed it and will definitely recommend it for any new fans of the series.Side note - this was the story that the first Sherlock episode is based on. That tickles me.

[ragwaine · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

Daring style, funny, original.

[spyderman58 · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

My first Sherlock Holmes book was without disappointment. A very nice read and would be recommended to anyone asking for something to read.

[laphenix · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

I really liked this book up to the point where we zoomed out on the world, and back in on the other side of the ocean. Once I figured out it was the background of the criminal, and not entirely a new story, I quickly reengaged. Sherlock is much more relatable in Doyle's writing than in some of their other incarnations. And the book proved a much better place to start than The Hound of the Baskervilles.

[catquilt-1 · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

Amazing book! Most (all?) of the other Sherlock Holmes books take place totally in Great Britain. This one makes a *very* interesting side trip to the United States.

[wethewatched · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

The first adventure of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson is a page turner. The investigation is interesting from start to finish, though the flashback in the middle comes on a bit too suddenly. I thought for a second that the Holmes story was over and Doyle had thrown in a random Western short story to fill up the book. On second thought, maybe that's exactly why he wrote the flashback. It's a good Western though, so can't really complain.

[ajbraithwaite_1 · Nota: 3 de 5 estrelas]

I think this is the first time I've read a Sherlock Holmes story. They're so familiar from film and TV adaptations that it's good to get back to the original. I was startled by the change of pace in part two, where we're thrown out of 1880s London and into the Mormons' journey to Utah and the story of John and Lucy Ferrier. I'm guessing Conan Doyle doesn't have too many Mormon fans...

[john257hopper · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

This, the very first Sherlock Holmes story, is a re-read, I have read the whole canon several times before. It is particularly striking as being a story of two halves. After the initial meeting between Holmes and Watson - surely one of the most significant and memorable literary acquaintanceships - the story of murder unfolds against the London backdrop that is considered so typically Sherlockian. The mystery is solved half way through. The second half is then a sympathetic backstory of why the murderer committed his crimes, which takes us to Utah and the Mormons (whose cultish nature depicted here is the source of the evil). This is very atypical Conan Doyle material, but brilliantly and dramatically described, his evocation of the bleak and barren landscape every bit as convincing as that of the more familiar foggy London streets. No doubt this contrastingly wide spaced environment is part of the reason why this story has been much less adapted for the screen than Hound of the Baskervilles (Dartmoor is more accessible and realisable than the Utah desert!) or The Sign of Four (set in London). But this is a real classic that deserves to be better known as the beginning of a literary legend. 5/5

[eclecticdodo · Nota: 3 de 5 estrelas]

I've never read any Sherlock Holmes before, so I thought I ought to start at the beginning. Most of the story is told by Watson, recording events after the fact in the form of a rather formal diary. A section is more of a traditional story, recounting events that took place in America which provide the motive for the crime. I didn't enjoy this writing style nearly so much as the first. I found the facts a little thin on the ground, and Holmes supposed deductions far too obscure to form a really engaging mystery. Overall a good book, but not great.

[jessiqa_1 · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

This is the first novel featuring Sherlock Holmes. As an introduction, it's perfect. Almost. The book comes in two parts. The first part is Holmes meeting Watson and working their first case together. The second part follows the story of the murderer, detailing his background and motive. At the end of that section the two stories join and he relates his tale to Holmes, Watson, and the police.The first part is obviously the best, since it features Holmes. After all, he is the reason I read the book, so it was a little disappointing to have him absent from nearly half of it. On the other hand, this is the first Holmes book, so Conan Doyle had very little way of anticipating the draw his detective would have on the audience.I already know the character so well, most recently from BBC's Sherlock (which, by the way, does a tremendous job at following this story in the episode titled "A Study In Pink.") and I couldn't help but smile at everything that I recognized and all the little details that I knew would figure in later, like testing poison on Watson's dog. I highly recommend this to any Holmes fan. the book is fast and fresh. It may be over 100 years old, but it doesn't feel like it. Go for it!

[dulac3_1 · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

_A Study in Scarlet_ is an interesting book for several reasons. Here we have the first written adventure of Sherlock Holmes and get both the first introduction to the famous sleuth and his comrade Dr. Watson, as well as details of their first meeting. We are treated to a somewhat humorous précis of Watson’s first impressions of his strange room-mate (detailed in several other reviews) and even manage to see a fledgling Holmes occasionally wrong, or at least not 100% accurate, in some of his initial surmises at the mystery they become embroiled in. We also see the somewhat ambivalent and competitive relationship Holmes has with Scotland Yard and his disdain for the official investigators and their inferior methods of detection.

The mystery itself involves the double homicide of two Americans and an embarrassment of mysterious clues at the place of the first murder. Of course both Scotland Yard detectives assigned to the case manage to make the wrong assumptions and go off in different directions, though Holmes has to grudgingly admit that they “are coming along” and even wonders at one point if they have managed to beat him to the punch when one of his own assumptions seems to have gone awry.

The story is actually in two parts, the first of which covers the initial mystery and the very engrossing portrait of Holmes and his many quirks. Holmes ultimately proves able to solve the mystery by the end of this section in a fashion perhaps more mysterious than the murders themselves. From here we go to a flashback of events separated in both time and space by great distance in order to be given the background of the two murders in London and many readers seem to have a big problem with this. I actually found this section, while certainly a bit jarring at first, to be a well-written and entertaining story in itself. Its chief failings seem to be that a) it is not a story involving Sherlock Holmes, and b) the historicity of some of its facts can be considered somewhat questionable as it turns the early Mormons and their leaders into some kind of nefarious secret society rivalling even the Illuminati or Rosicrucians. I didn’t find either of these elements to be too great of an obstacle personally. I knew that we would return to Holmes & Watson in due course to be provided with our explanations and revelations and if I wasn’t being given a straight history lesson on the true founding of Salt Lake City, then I was certainly given an entertaining tale that was probably more interesting than the facts themselves would have been. The only part of this tale I really found questionable was that a man like Jefferson Hope would simply wait a month for Lucy to die of a broken heart after she’d been abducted and didn’t try to rescue her, even if it proved impossible and meant his death.

The culmination of both stories as they meet in the rooms of Holmes and Watson at 221B Baker Street in London was satisfying and I highly recommend this story. Another 4, or 4.5 star book from Doyle.

[ishanella · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

I’m a lover of mysteries. I grew up watching Perry Mason with my grandmother (did I just age myself?), Columbo and Matlock came out on top as well, and currently, I enjoy a lot of detective shows. So, Sherlock Holmes always appealed to me, but I never read a full length novel (shocker!). So, in my attempt to rectify this, I decided to listen to the audiobook version of A Study in Scarlet. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is a bit of a genius. I wish I could just say, “read this book!” and be done with it, but, I’ll try to be coherent.

A Study in Scarlet is written in two parts, John Watson is the narrator. He is introduced to Sherlock Holmes and the two agree to share a room together - the famous 221B Baker Street lodgings. Their introduction to each other is detailed and a bit tedious, but we learn, along with Watson, the curious nature of Holmes; his diverse visitors and his strange habits. The case starts, as most do, with a murder. Holmes is called to the scene of the crime where he is asked to aid in the murder investigation of Enoch Drebber, who was found dead in a building with the word “RACHE” scribbled above the corpse. Soon, another corpse shows up - Stangerson, the Drebber’s secretary is found dead with “RACHE” written above the corpse.

The first part focuses on the present, the murder of the two men and Holmes’s deduction of the killer. As Watson is relaying the story, the reader isn’t privvy to Holmes’s methods until he reveals them to Watson - who asks intellegent questions (even though he does spend most of the beginning questioning Holmes’s authenticity).

The second part of the story switches to the past and is written in third person. It follows the story of John Ferrier and Lucy, two lone survivors of a party of pioneers who are rescued by a group of Mormons. The sudden switch in story and perspective is a bit jarring, but I was quickly sucked into the society and Lucy’s situation Information on Stangerson and Drebber’s past is revealed in such a way that I felt empathetic towards their murderer - a really interesting twist.

Though it’s very heavy on the narration and light on the dialogue, and though the pace is rather slow, A Study in Scarlet still managed to capture my imagination and only served to cement my love of Holmes. If you’re a fan of mysteries and smart reads, then A Study in Scarlet will be a great read for you.

[nx74defiant · Nota: 3 de 5 estrelas]

After they caught a suspect the story suddenly changes to the American west. I thought it was a problem with my download, but that is the way the book is. After going through a story that seems to be totally unrelated to the mystery the explanation of the connection comes. The change was very jarring.

[superant_1 · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

This first story in the Sherlock Holmes original storyline is great. It blew me away. I had no idea it was going to end relating to the Mormon practices of the time!

[oscarwilde87_1 · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

Published in 1887, A Study in Scarlet is the first Sherlock Holmes novel, introducing the famous detective and his sidekick Dr. Watson. The novel derives its name from a statement by Holmes who calls his murder investigation a 'study in scarlet'. It is divided into two parts, the first one introducing the characters and setting the scene and the second one providing background on the motives of the murder of Enoch Drebber and Joseph Stangerson, two Mormons who fled from the United States to England in order to avoid their looming death. Sherlock Holmes is introduced as a consulting detective who helps out Scotland Yard inspectors Gregson and Lestrade in murder investigations.In the second part of A Study in Scarlet, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle provides a commentary on Mormonism. The reader is informed about how the Latter Day Saints deal with 'Gentiles', that is people with different beliefs from those of Mormonism. When a father does not want to marry his daughter to either Enoch Drebber or Joseph Stangerson, both father and daughter are intimidated by the people in their Mormon community until they finally try to escape their home, their community and even the state of Utah with the help of the daughter's lover, Jefferson Hope. Their flight, however, fails when the father is killed and the daughter taken back into the Mormon community. There she is married to Drebber and dies of a broken heart a month later. That is when Jefferson Hope swears to avenge the deaths of both father and daughter. It is important to mention that Doyle's criticism of Mormonism has to be regarded with respect to the time the novel was written in.There are several things I liked about A Study in Scarlet. First, there are the rightly famous characters of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson who make a great team of murder investigators and have a lot of witty dialogs. Second, there is Doyle's style of writing which I found amazingly refreshing for a late 19th-century novel. Third, there is the topic of deduction and logic which I think is quite intriguing. While Sherlock Holmes' deductions seem strange at first, Doyle manages to explain them through his narrator John Watson. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle finds a very successful way of passing on knowledge to the reader and thereby influencing and guiding the reading process. On the whole, A Study in Scarlet is a great read which makes me want to read more of the Sherlock Holmes stories. 4 stars.

[jaguar897 · Nota: 3 de 5 estrelas]

Since I was young I can always remember Sherlock Holmes portrayed as a portly older man, smoking on his pipe solving mysteries. Then I saw the 2010 Sherlock Holmes movie with Robert Downy, Jr. (yummmmmmy) and surprisingly enough Holmes was portrayed as an OCD bad ass mystery solver. Huh?! Naturally, I had to read the book now to figure out where they got this Holmes from.
Turns out the movie was not far off the mark and I’ve been lied to by those old PBS shows. Holmes was a moody freakaziod retaining and using a mass amount of information to solve mysteries. He was a bit of a bad boy who could fight and even smoked cocaine. Who knew?! I’m so glad I picked this up with the encouragement of some of my GR friends, because I thought it was going to be boring but it ended up being exciting.
I loved the mystery itself and the story behind it, but the story did slow down once the explanation of the mystery occurred. The book just took a completely different turn than what I was expecting and I almost felt like I was reading two separate books. It did come together in the end, but the explanation could have been shortened without losing the overall gist of the plot. From what I’ve been told the Holmes story gets much better with each story, so I look forward to reading more.

[mossjon · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

I read A Study in Scarlet on the heels of Murders in the Rue Morgue. Poe paled when compared to Doyle's rich characters and superb storytelling. My only complaint was the abrupt return to North America which left me reeling as to what the heck had happened but I eventually tuned back in.

This story is a great introduction (just as it was for the characters) to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.

[breakerfallen · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

Great character development that I felt was missing from the later short stories. I'm glad I read this one - it makes me want to read the rest in order.

[kaethe_1 · Nota: 3 de 5 estrelas]

Well, I knew from Tatiana's review that it was an awkwardly constructed story. Even so, I kept wondering if their was something wrong with the edition I'd downloaded, because that shift from London mystery to white settlers in the US West was weird. And sentimental. (I can now totally get Doyle's lack of skepticism for the fairy photos. Dude was a firm believer in the notion of innocent girls.)

Anyway, it's an odd story. The Spouse assures me that Doyle gets better, so, we'll see.

***

Well, I've got both the girls hooked on the new Sherlock series. So, After finishing the first episode last night, I felt compelled to go back and re-read the original. I appreciate how the screenwriter adapted it.

2011 aug 31

[shanaqui_1 · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

I only have one of the Sherlock Holmes books on my Crime Fiction list, and that is The Hound of the Baskervilles, but I prefer to get everything and since there are books set before that one, I decided to read them. Besides, they're available for free on Project Gutenberg. Besides, I saw the new movie, with Robert Downey Jr., a couple of weeks ago. I read this one on the train, more or less without stopping once. I was surprised by how easy it was to read and be absorbed in, given how old it is, but it really is a pleasure to read. Actually reading the books dispels a lot of mental assumptions about Sherlock Holmes which I gained through, I think, some kind of cultural osmosis. E.g. Watson is young, went to war, not a bad doctor, etc.

I have two main complaints, really. One is that it's not the kind of book that really allows you to find things out for yourself. Holmes is so opaque -- at least to me! -- that I'm really just as confused as Watson, most of the time. And the other complaint is about the big flashback in the middle. I almost wondered if my ebook version had somehow got muddled with another book! It's not uninteresting, but it's hard to see at first how it connects up, because the transition is so sudden.

Still, enjoyable -- and nice to meet the great detective himself, after so much hearsay.

[michellech_1 · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

This was my first Holmes book and yes, I am hooked. For me this was a great introduction to how Watson and Holmes met and the backgrounds that created these fascinating men.

I really like both. Watson is so different from Holmes and is the more practical and immediately likeable.

I don't read a lot of mysteries and this was a very interesting start for me. Holmes and his observations seem so obvious after the fact and I liked being a passenger in his mind. In this tale, the part that the Mormons played was fascinating and meshed well with some of what I have read to date. But again, I don't like being a generalist and I can see how this would prompt concern amongst Mormons. I suppose it is the same with all writers who take liberties with religion, history and famous personalities.

This story also reminds me of Dickens and a Tale of Two Cities. Revenge is at the heart and is bittersweet.

Looking forward to my next mystery!

[leslie398 · Nota: 3 de 5 estrelas]

I liked the first part - it was fun to read about Watson's first impressions of Holmes. The second part was such a change that I had to check that I was still reading the same book (I read this as part of The Complete Sherlock Holmes)! Although it all tied up in the end, it didn't work that well for me.

[jopearson56 · Nota: 2 de 5 estrelas]

The first Sherlock Holmes book -- did Conan Doyle invent the filtering of a story through a secondary participant (Dr. Watson)? I haven't ever read any Sherlock Holmes books, and I wasn't overly impressed. It was okay and a quick read, but Holmes seems like a pretty arrogant SOB to me. Knows too much and is glad to tell everyone so. The Utah digression was distracting.

[ruthich · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

The original and best Sherlock Holmes story, about fear, hatred, tragedy, recrimination, and all with a back story of Mormonism in the USA. If you have not read this yet, I'd encourage you to. You'll be hard pushed to find better mystery writing today.