Posted: March 25, 2022
A Study In Scarlet
A puzzling murder in London is explained by a flashback to the American state of Utah giving this book two distinct parts. This is the introductory adventure of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson.
Because of this book I now know that at one point in my life, my mental and emotional state was such that I must have been in a truly bad way. I have read Sherlock Holmes before. The reading left me with the impression that Sherlock Holmes stories are boringly intricate with nothing to commend them whatsoever.
The reason that I surmise that I must have been thoroughly distraught during my twenties is that, now - in my fifties - I have picked up and read the first Sherlock Holmes novel, "A Study in Scarlet". The result of this reading is awe. Awe at the wonderful writing talent of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Awe at the character of Sherlock Holmes and Watson. Awe at how amazingly entertaining the novel was.
How could I miss this treat of a read during my younger years? But I did. I must have been quite the train wreck.
This novel is the introduction to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Not only do we see how they met but we also read about how they come to live in the fabled 221B Baker Street apartment.
The mystery in "A Study in Scarlet" involves a murder of a man who has no apparent wounds yet is surrounded by blood. A second murder also occurs. The whole incident not only involves Holmes and Watson but the Scotland Yard detectives Lestrade and Gregson. The book is in two parts, the second part takes us into a very well written adventure set in the United States before coming back to the concluding chapters.
I found the book entertaining and quite an addictive read. The first part is full of interesting details. The second part pulled me in emotionally and built up a momentum that kept me turning the pages, unable to stop until I finished the tale.
Sherlock Holmes' level of expertise reminds me of what little I know about cognitive learning, of how devotion to learning creates linkages in the brain to such an extent that experts on a particular subject may display such knowledge and skill as to be considered geniuses. This seems to be what has happened to Holmes. He has such a monomania for building his detective skills that he sees things that others do not. Holmes informs Watson in this novel that he is careful to pick what to put in his brain because space is limited and unfocused learning results in a cluttered mind. He also says something to the effect that he's skill at detection is such that it's hard for him to break down the exact steps by which he makes his deductions - he experiences such revelations almost instantaneously.
Holmes is the ultimate expert who has come upon his skill through constant study and application.