A Study in Scarlet by Sir Author Conan Doyle

"A Study in Scarlet" is the first published story of one of the most famous literary detectives of all time, Sherlock Holmes. Here Dr. Watson, who has just returned from a war in Afghanistan, meets Sherlock Holmes for the first time when they become flat-mates at the famous 221 B Baker Street. In "A Study in Scarlet" Sherlock Holmes investigates a murder at Lauriston Gardens as Dr. Watson tags along with Holmes while narratively detailing his amazing deductive abilities.GOODREADS

Dear reader,
let me introduce you to the greatest fictional (consulting) detective of all time. You might have heard of him ,Mr Sherlock Holmes and never forget his partner and friend Dr John Watson. Who together solve the most curious of cases. I only vaguely remember reading the Hound of the  Baskervilles a long time ago and all I remember is some eerie howling and moores. My new found interest in the Sherlock Holmes stories hails from the BBC series which in my opinion  is a great adaptation of the stories (although set in modern times). So I went out and bought Bantam's volume 1 of novels and short stories. The very first story is a Study in Scarlett, which introduces us to Holmes and Watson and a case that even Scotland Yard can't solve.

An interesting and delightful (yet unrelated) fact is that this volume of short stories was published by Bantam Classics which is a book series from Bantam Books which publishes George R. R Martin's A song of Ice and Fire Saga!!

Watson arrives from Afghanistan and is looking for a more comfortable and affordable place to live when he comes upon an old friend who happens to know another man , who's also looking for a place to stay and a flat mate to share the financial bits of an apartment in London. Thus Watson is introduced to Sherlock Holmes and they move into 221B Baker Street. Very soon Watson notices his flat mates odd habits of running out and being visited by detectives and becomes curious as to what Sherlock's occupation is and tries to deduce this himself by making a list , here's some of the list:

Sherlock Holmes-His limits
1. knowledge of philosophy- nil
2....................... literature- nil
3......................astronomy- nil
4....................... politics-feeble
8......................anatomy- accurate, but unsystematic
10. plays violin well
11.is an expert single stick player,boxer, and swordsman
12. has a good practical knowledge of British law

I should add that apparently Sherlock only keeps information that he deems useful. He doesn't know much about the solar system because he doesn't think he'll ever need it. Which if you think about it is true. And I'm not  using this to justify my not knowing if the Earth revolves around the sun or the moon? ..............or does it go around itself.......oh boy

The story is really well written ,it flows just like the tv series (which stayed true to the source material). Sherlock and Watson are great together. I love the characters and Sherlock's eccentricities. From beating a dead body with a horse wip to see how it bruises to keeping all kind of things in his apartment, like human eyes and fingers.

It's called a Study in Scarlet because Sherlock invents a way of distinguishing normal mud stains from blood stains which in itself is of great use in homicide cases.

In the end Sherlock catches the bad guy (no surprise there) . the murderer was out for revenge. There was something familiar about Jefferson Hope's story. I don't remember ever reading this story before but it sounded so familiar. Of course Lestrade and Gregson end up getting all the credit but Watson assures Sherlock (who doesn't really care) that he has documented everything in his journal and the public shall know about it.

And so the very first Sherlock Holmes story ends with

 populus me sibilat, at mihi plaudo 

 Ipse domi simul ac nummos contemplar in arca

Which means:

"The public hisses at me, but I applaude myself in my own house, and simultaneously contemplate the money in my chest."

P.s the earth revolves around it's axis. and the sun. .........I think