A Study in Scarlet (Sherlock Holmes #1) 5⭐

Part 1
Chapter 1: Opening Credits and Introduction to A Study in Scarlet
Chapters 2-15: A Study in Scarlet

A Study in Scarlet was definitely a great introduction to both Holmes and Watson. It was great to see how their friendship started and the beginning of their time at 221B Baker Street.

The case itself was intriguing and I especially enjoyed Part 2, where we got to travel to Salt Lake City and witness the events that led to the murders in London.

While the case was intriguing it was also just really bloody tragic and sad and I did come away from this story kind of bummed out. I was totally on Jefferson Hope’s side. Still, all in all this was great and I’m so excited to continue.

The Sign of Four (Sherlock Holmes #2) 4⭐

Part 1
Chapter 16: Introduction to The Sign of Four
Chapters 17-21: The Sign of Four, Part 1
Part 2
Chapters 1-7: The Sign of Four, Part 2

Fry’s introduction to this story gives me life. A story of Arthur Conan Doyle and Oscar Wilde meeting at a dinner hosted by J. B. Lippincott at The Langham Hotel . I can’t even with the idea of it.

First of all I was absolutely shocked that Mary appeared in the series so early!! I’m starting to realise that everything I thought I knew about Sherlock Holmes is not at all accurate.

Also the blatant drug use kind of shocked me. I mean I knew he used but in my mind I thought in the books that it would be a lot more subtle. It really isn’t. This book is actually book-ended by his drug use. It opens with:

“Sherlock Holmes took his bottle from the corner of the mantel-piece and his hypodermic syringe from its neat morocco case. With his long, white, nervous fingers he adjusted the delicate needle, and rolled back his left shirt-cuff. For some little time his eyes rested thoughtfully upon the sinewy forearm and wrist all dotted and scarred with innumerable puncture-marks. Finally he thrust the sharp point home, pressed down the tiny piston, and sank back into the velvet-lined arm-chair with a long sigh of satisfaction.”

and ends with:

“The division seems rather unfair,” I remarked. “You have done all the work in this business. I get a wife out of it, Jones gets the credit, pray what remains for you?”

“For me,” said Sherlock Holmes, “there still remains the cocaine-bottle.” And he stretched his long white hand up for it.

And before we go down the road of ‘well it was a different time and people didn’t know how bad these drugs were for us’ well Watson wasn’t overly impressed and complains about it many times. The first being within the first page:

“Three times a day for many months I had witnessed this performance, but custom had not reconciled my mind to it. On the contrary, from day to day I had become more irritable at the sight, and my conscience swelled nightly within me at the thought that I had lacked the courage to protest.”

So as a Doctor he at least knew the dangers and if he knew you can bet Holmes knew. He talks of needing the drugs when his mind wasn’t sufficiently engaged and that rings even more alarm bells.

In any case, Holmes is still amazing and incredibly talented and I actually find him charming, especially when he is being overly condescending. I absolutely loved his passive aggressive comments and interactions with Jones. They were funny and oh so true.

This case was an interesting one but I don’t think it was as engaging as A Study in Scarlet. In saying that though, with the development of Watson and Mary’s relationship, the story wasn’t as depressing as the A Study in Scarlet and at least there was a little hope in it.

The Hound of the Baskervilles (Sherlock Holmes #5) 5⭐

Part 3
Chapters 15-21: The Hound of the Baskervilles, Part 1
Part 4
Chapter 1-9: The Hound of the Baskervilles, Part 2

This was absolutely wonderful and I can totally understand why it is a firm favourite with most Holmes readers. It was wonderfully atmospheric and I loved that supernatural feel to it.

I kind of fell harder for Holmes in this book as well. His logic and reason are my favourite things about him and I find it utterly fascinating that his creator was in fact his polar opposite in this respect. How rare is it that the authors personality and beliefs don’t make their way in to their characters?

I will say however that I think A Study in Scarlet is my favourite Holmes novel so far. This is likely deemed as controversial but I stand by it. It is our introduction to both Watson and Holmes and the story itself, while utterly depressing, was wonderfully told and I especially enjoyed how the second part of it was conveyed to the reader. Truth be told though all three novels will be going on my favourite shelf as they are highly entertaining and riveting!

I hope I like the rest of the books as much as I’ve enjoyed the previous.

“The past and the present are within my field of inquiry, but what a man may do in the future is a hard question to answer. 

The Valley of Fear (Sherlock Holmes #7) 5⭐

Part 5
Chapter 3: Introduction to The Valley of Fear
Chapters 4-18: The Valley of Fear

And now, my long-suffering readers, I will ask you to come away with me for a time, far from the Sussex Manor House of Birlstone, and far also from the year of grace in which we made our eventful journey which ended with the strange story of the man who had been known as John Douglas.”

I think this is my favourite of all the standalones.

Like A Study in Scarlet this has two parts, one that takes place in Birlstone, Sussex in the UK and the other in Vermissa Valley, Pennsylvania, in the US.

Intrigue and a surprise in book one and some really scary carry on in part two.

Some great lines about the evil’s of capitalism and capitalism in Russia in particular and here we are in 2024 living in an end stage capitalism world and it’s not great!!