I was really excited when I saw the penguin classics “four novels of Sherlock Homes,” having never read and Sherlock story or really watched any popular media of the most frequently portrayed fictional character in history

Reading the forward ahead of the books had me a bit apprehensive about how I’d like the study in scarlet, given the scholar who wrote the forward described it as a somewhat weaker one in the canon. But if that’s the case it only makes me more excited to go down this pathway with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle because I found the story and writing style so engaging, fun, and satisfying. 

With this being the first introduction of the Holmes and Watson characters, it felt like a great prelude to the series to come, and I think what I’m really learning is how much I enjoy the 19th century English writing that has at least a touch of gothic

The only part keeping me from five stars was the middle part being a flashback of the crime characters felt jolting and too long (as the forward warned!), but as soon as we found ourselves back in London I couldn’t put it down!

Definitely confident I’ll be going on many more adventures with Holmes and Watson. What a fun, overdue discovery!