Mature Content

         John Watson [narration]:  ‘"Dr. Watson, Mr. Sherlock Holmes," said Stamford, introducing us.’
     
     With that simple sentence Sir Arthur Conan Doyle changed the world of fiction as it was known forever, joining together Mr. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson inside St. Bart’s, lighting a fuse that would lead to their appearances in three other novels and a startling total of 56 short stories.  
     As it is quite elementary, my dear reader, to realize, this story is profoundly important to the Sherlock Holmes canon, not only because it is the great jumping off point of everything we now know as the original Holmes stories, but also because of its unique story structure, its showcase of the talent possessed by a more inexperienced Doyle, and the presentation of a backwards mystery where the man doing the murdering may not necessarily be the true villain of the piece.  These various elements make for quite the story, and I am quite excited to begin reviewing it.
     I finished this story for the first time a few days ago, reading it again after I couldn’t make it through it on my Kindle.  While I can appreciate the Kindle as a useful device for readers who wish to invest in a piece of technology that offers convenience as one of its prime features, I am a traditionalist through and through.  When it comes to literature I need a book in my hands so that I can smell those fragrant pages and turn them with anxious fingers and a fast heart as the story increasingly paces along with its beating.  
     And so, I ordered a lovely Wordsworth Editions (they are absolutely divine publishers) paperback copy off of Amazon, and was overjoyed to have the story in my hands in book form, as is my preference.  Not surprisingly, it was an utter joy to re-read the first chunk of this story that I got up to on my first way through, and it didn’t feel like a chore in the slightest.  Doyle’s writing is so deliciously wonderful, in everything from his descriptive details to his dialogues and masterful creation of mood and suspense that it is always a pleasure to return to any of his stories after a brief respite.  I have always anticipated reading this story ever since my Holmes addiction began, and I feel quite ecstatic to have finally experienced the origin tale that started the canon of Sherlock Holmes as we know it 126 years ago.  After this short introduction, it is now my most sincere pleasure to examine and review this landmark Sherlock Holmes story.  

                            The categories for this Baker Street Bibliophiles Review of A Study in Scarlet:

Holmes-
     In this story Doyle introduces Sherlock Holmes to us for the first time, and he makes an instantly palpable impression upon us even before we see him appear on the page or hear him in spoken dialogue.  That is the mastery of Doyle, you see, and why Sherlock is such a timeless character for the ages.  At first our only ideas of who this man is come from Stamford, who paints him in more of a negative light than anything else, giving Watson a notice and hefty warning about his various eccentricities.  The man himself has become a sizable legend by the time we are first officially introduced to him at St. Bart’s, and he doesn’t disappoint us from his opening deductions and spatter of dialogue to his final words at the end of the story.  Holmes is one of those rare cases where the man himself exceeds his own legend, for he is quite the genuine article, and every bit as startling and fascinating as witnesses to his talents will make you believe.  
     Through Watson’s descriptions of Holmes and our own perceptions, he takes on a life of his own, making him almost mythical.  Everything from his commanding presence, complex nature, daring sense of action and deductive superiority are indubitably glorious, and it is impossible not to root for him while he is on the scent of a great mystery.  While we have yet to see an exploration of Sherlock’s other talents in this novel like in the areas of disguise and boxing, or flaws like his dark drug habits that add to his depth as a character, Doyle has successfully laid a fruitful deposit of soil here for the expansive growth of this already topical character in future adventures.  
     In this story Holmes also has some of his most wonderful moments, my favorites being his deduction about the retired marine sergeant to a baffled Watson, his brilliant capture of Jefferson Hope inside his rooms at Baker Street, his various scathing remarks towards Gregson and Lestrade, and the ability he has to be such a powerful and mesmerizing presence without ever having to utter a syllable.  I also very much enjoy Holmes’s many dialogues on the topic of crime, stating that there is nothing new under the sun in regards to it, and that anyone with a knowledge of a thousand crimes should be able to predict the thousand and first one.  But of course, a critical reason why this story is so popular amongst Sherlock Holmes fans through the generations is because of the great detective’s relationship with his Boswell, Dr. John Watson.  This story offers us a cornucopia of material to discuss regarding their relationship at its very formation, something I will examine and gush about heavily in a special category I included just for this story, and just for this pair.  

Watson-
     Right from his opening narration, we are in Watson’s corner, wishing only the best for him after his traumatically painful and draining stint in India where he faced severe “misfortune and disaster” (his own words).  After becoming injured at the Battle of Maiwand and battling enteric fever, his health remains in severe despair for tortuous months on end where his survival is earnestly debated.  This picture we receive of Watson is a very bleak and unforgiving one, where he goes so far as to criticize the British Empire for their colonialism-fueled endeavors, calling his contraction of the fever a “curse of our [the British’s] Indian possessions”.  He even calls London, “that great cesspool into which all the loungers and idlers of the Empire are irresistibly drained,” appearing to count himself amongst that sordid group.  This makes me consider that maybe one of the reasons why Watson enjoys being around Holmes while on a mystery is because it provides him with new opportunities to help people outside of his medical field that he is now unable to practice, instead saving lives by helping take dangerous criminals off the streets.  
     Considering that Watson can’t even practice medicine any longer what with his lack of income or comfortable residence and his own dilapidated state, it is understandable why he is so depressive at this point in the story.  After facing such despair for months on end he is sent back to England with his tail quite securely planted between his legs, left with no purpose and no sense of comfort or stability by his own country.  By this time the massive British Empire had become so unequivocally obsessed with its own expansion abroad that it lost sight of its own domestic affairs and soldiers such as Watson were sent back home broken and with no concrete direction or foundation left in their lives.  Though Watson does improve from the near hopeless state he was in while stationed in India, his narration continues to convey to us a very dreary picture of his own life.  He is like a painting splattered with assorted shades of gray, the canvas covered in splashes of the darkest black, all mixing together and running off onto the floor from a grave lack of care on the side of the painter.  
     To put it more lucidly, Watson is surprisingly open about his pains both physically and mentally, but also in his wallet and social life, or lack thereof as he arrives back in London.  Let us count all the strains pressed against our dear doctor at this time:  

*He has been removed from active military service.

*He has just survived a long ordeal in India whereupon he gained a wound to the shoulder and dealt with a deadly fever.

*He has returned to London after his body proves its constancy to leave him weakened and ill.  

*Upon his arrival he finds fleeting residency in a hotel located in the Strand where he leads a life devoid of any sense of financial stability or comfort, whereupon he attempts to end this streak of nihilism by improving his situation of living and plans to go halves on an apartment with a future housemate.  

     And, as chance has it, near the Criterion Bar Watson is reunited with an old acquaintance in the form of Stamford, who is the catalyst for Watson’s life-changing meeting with Sherlock Holmes inside the chemical laboratory of St. Bart’s.  It is this single moment that changes him so powerfully from a puddle of pent up frustration and aimlessness into a man quite content with his position in life and who forever holds a firm devotion to playing both companion and scribe to the man who will quickly grow to be his greatest friend and confidant.  
     It is these kinds of sudden changes that Holmes brings out in Watson that are the most delightful of all, no matter how big or small.  One of the greatest moments of the novel occurs in the very early days of Holmes and Watson’s residency together, when the doctor unknowingly reads Sherlock’s newspaper article on deduction and spurts out infuriated words of hogwash at the very ideas the author poses to be plausible in the text.  We get to see the ever-curious Watson turn into more of a skeptic towards Sherlock, and afterwards he gains more and more reverence and fascination for the detective as Holmes continually provides infallible logic towards the puzzling questions facing both of them in this tale.  And since Watson becomes our eyes during these moments of brilliant deduction, we as readers share the same dumb-founded awe and fascination that he holds towards Holmes as he discovers that these demonstrations of his powers are not an act.  This growth from skeptic to genuine believer is one of the greatest dynamic shifts we see in Watson’s character throughout the course of the story, and is an absolute delight to read again and again.  
     While Watson watches mostly from the sidelines as Holmes takes center stage in this story (while everyone is amazed by the detective’s abilities), since he is the one who first persuades Sherlock to investigate this case he proves himself to be quite an invaluable partner.  Watson shows Holmes that he is more than ready to face danger (freshly cleaned service revolver in hand) and get his hands dirty (as he does in wrestling Hope into submission in 221B) for the right cause.  In addition, after Watson realizes Holmes is the genuine artifact he is constantly in his corner, giving him support and fighting for him to get the credit he deserves that ultimately always goes to the bumbling fools employed at Scotland Yard.  These qualities are constantly present inside Watson as the stories go on, and are part of why he is such a valuable asset to Holmes on his cases.    

Holmes and Watson (as a friendship and professional partnership)-
     As this review will no doubt demonstrate, I could write a book about why Holmes and Watson are the greatest friendship to appear in any medium.  I am resorted to a rambling mess when on the topic of their partnership, providing countless examples as to why they are worthy of such an esteemed honor.  Considering that this story marks their very first meeting I thought I would give them their own section of this review where I discuss why they are the pinnacle of companionship in fiction and remain so today as well as why I am endlessly fascinated with them.  
     I have always felt that Holmes and Watson are the symbolic exemplification of, ‘brothers, not in blood, but in bond’ who have ‘one soul in two bodies (Aristotle’s definition of a friendship).’  And as you would expect of two brothers sharing one soul, they are tight knit, prepared to help the other out if they are in need of it, and they share a special kind of care for each other that they hold for nobody else.  Each man is to the other indispensible and this is one of the reasons why they have such a unique and unbeatable pairing of companionship and trust.  
     For Holmes, Watson is his greatest audience member, staunchly supportive, never doubting the range of his abilities and always sharing in the excitement of his accomplishments that others would roll their eyes at and degrade (as we see when Watson meets Holmes while he is raving about his newly created test that exposes the presence of blood).  Watson grounds Holmes and exposes his various attempts to appear callous, coldly scientific, and analytical.  The detective’s deep care for the doctor shows that deep down he is human, infallible as we all are and possessive of the people we would do anything for.  Watson is ready within a second to do anything for Holmes, whether it is saving him from a perilous situation or simply being his companion for a calm night’s drive in a hansom cab.  And most importantly, Watson can see a beating, feeling heart coexisting with that magnificent mind the detective has.  While many take Holmes’s abilities to be cheap parlor tricks or hold contemptuous envy for him, Watson feels neither, and has greater care for Holmes than any other person in his life.  
     Watson is able to see behind the faces Holmes puts on, blasts down his defenses and examines a less guarded man, appreciating him not only for the attributes that make him extraordinary and nearly carry him and his powerful faculties into the realm of legend, but also for the qualities that connect him to the same fabric he is apart of.  I think part of Watson’s undying interest in Holmes comes from the fact that the detective is human like the whole of the life on Earth, yet he possesses traits that set him upon a completely other (higher) level in comparison to them.
     And what is Holmes to Watson, you ask?  Why, he is everything from his greatest writing subject and thrill to his grandest addiction.  When Watson is in the dumps, Holmes is his savior, giving him the grandest opportunities for feeling the adrenaline rushes he misses so much after being sent back to London from India.  While it is apparent that Watson is contentiously challenged to survive his many ordeals upon his arrival back in London, he still craves the heart-pumping suspense, action, and danger that Holmes provides him by the ton.  
     The doctor hates stagnation, just as Holmes does at his worst, and he is ecstatic when he finally meets Holmes face to face and sees him at work because the detective then becomes his own thrilling mystery to unravel, filling the void of emptiness present in his life at this point.  While Watson claims that he is seeking a quiet flat-mate in London to ease his recovery during his destitute state, it is easy to see that he can’t quite squelch that great attraction he possesses for thrills and adventure that remains deep in his heart.  Holmes becomes an obsession for his state or torpidity, to the point that he compiles a list of all the areas Holmes does and doesn’t possess knowledge in, with no veritable success.  I think it is in this moment that Watson realizes that the figure of Sherlock Holmes cannot be summarized or encompassed by a mere list, as no man or woman can, really, and why any attempt at such a project is futile.  
     Even Watson’s own frustration at being unable to figure out Holmes through such a list is outshined by the fascination he can’t help but have for the detective.  As Watson tosses his scrapped list about Holmes into the fire, you can feel his sense of confliction because to him Holmes will always be that grand enigma placed in a riddle, wrapped in a conundrum, tied with a question mark and buried deep inside an expansively labyrinthine maze.  As is evidenced in Watson’s relationship with Holmes, we may know a man, we may see him in his many forms and spot his copious habits and mannerisms with the blink of an eye, but we can never truly uncover who he is and why he does what he does.  While Watson can see like no other behind Holmes’s “cold mask”, even he cannot breach the inner sanctum of the detective’s body, wherein there lies the greatest pieces of working machinery known to mankind:  the brain and the heart.  What Sherlock’s brain thinks and what kinds of feelings bloom inside his heart can never be known, their secrets hidden like truths encompassed by the swelling folds of a great murder case.  Though we may know much about him, to both readers and Watson alike, Holmes still remains that great mystery, timelessly more mystifying than the whole of his cases put together.
     Holmes not only stimulates Watson mentally, but also physically.  Like no other the detective relieves his illness, engages his mind, trusts and believes in him like no other, protects and cares for him like a parent over their offspring, and finds in him the same spirit, both men of action fascinated by crime in its many manifestations and in constant search for excitement, secretly searching for a strong companionship and finding it in each other.  I think it is quite telling that although Watson makes constant reference to his various pains during the beginning chapters of this story, we never hear a single word about them again after he meets Holmes and is engaged with him during his ‘Study in Scarlet’.  For Watson, Holmes is his medicine, a drug he has no regret in receiving, and the detective can take him to highs no controlled substance ever could.
     For all these reasons and more it is easy to understand what keeps Watson endlessly on the edge of his seat, and why he keeps returning to Holmes at Baker Street even while balancing his marriage to Mary Morstan and his busy medical practice.  It is because to him Holmes is an uncrackable mystery that can’t be solved with a meager list or even the detective’s own powers of deductive reasoning.  Holmes is a figure that symbolizes the complexity of human nature, defying even his own methods of investigation, making it impossible for Watson’s (and our own) study of him to grow old.  For the many generations existing today, as well as those that have come and gone and the countless heaps still awaiting their lifetime, Holmes and Watson’s dynamic will remain symbolic of everything a strong relationship is founded upon.  They complement each other, both aiding the other at all times and keeping them steadfast and enthralled, never faltering in their immovable loyalty.   Upon the pages of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s enthralling detective stories featuring his greatest creations, Mr. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson, you will find that in fiction, friendship has never been more poetic.  

Villain-  
     This category is one of many reasons why this story is so unique in the canon, because it could be argued that the real villain of the tale isn’t the one committing murders across London.  Instead, in the killer named Jefferson Hope we find a heart-broken man to relate to, and like himself we see his killings as a deserving punishment for the sins of the evil Council of Four and their followers who did him wrong.  
     As you begin the story and read about the horrifying crime scenes left in our killer’s wake (who we have yet to identify yet), you feel disgusted and outraged at whoever would do such a thing.  Yet, as you enter into part II of A Study in Scarlet and receive the backstory that sparked the killings, you find in the character of Jefferson Hope a character who grows on you more and more as his story goes on.  He is a true and loyal friend to John Ferrier, a caring and protective lover to young Lucy, and is himself a brave, resourceful and determined individual who was made into a killer by men far more wicked than he was even at his worst, driven to murder in London.
It is the Council of Four and their many followers (including the Elders’ sons) that are the true villains of this story.  They are the ones who use fear and the force of The Avenging Angels to act as a Damocles sword hanging over those who dare to oppose them and their written religion.  They are a cowardly lot, using killers of a near-mythical form to scare and manipulate others to do their bidding instead of facing their naysayers open and face-to-face, like real men.  Instead, their many “followers” are bound to Mormonism not for want of salvation, but by the savage threats the Elder’s raise above their heads as a constant warning to keep faithfulness or receive the ultimate punishment: death.  
     Though Jefferson Hope is the one who murders both Drebber and Strangerson in this story, I cannot for a single moment view him as the villain, considering that the acts perpetrated by the Council and the Avenging Angels are just as horrendous, if not more so than anything he does over the course of the tale.  Drebber is a slime-ball more worried about the fortune left to him by his marriage to Lucy than he is about her care and well being, and Strangerson is just as slippery and malevolent.  For Hope, his self-ordered mission is to be the avenger of both John and Lucy by killing Drebber and Strangerson, and that single aim soon becomes his only reason for existence.  And even after he killed those men and could readily kill in defense of his capture, he offers no resistance to the authorities or Holmes and Watson when he is caught fair and square in Baker Street, a testament to the fact that he is out to only hurt those who wronged him in the past.
     He is truly a character of the most tragic form.  After all he does to help John and Lucy, growing to love both of them dearly, they are lost in the blink of an eye forever; Ferrier’s end quick, Lucy’s pain more drawn out through her brief but unsavory marriage that ends in her equally tragic death.  Hope then turns his determination as a hunter of game into a deadly attribute of the capable killer he soon becomes, his prey now the enemies that brought the lives of the only people he loved to a bloody end.  His entire character shifts here from a caring man looking happily on his future with Lucy to a tormented man with murder on the mind and his only reason for living his search for revenge in retaliation for sins that burned his heart with a searing fire of rage.  This shift into a more dangerous, nihilistic and hell-bent figure is the most tragic thing about Hope, and though he too must meet his end by way of an aortic aneurysm he finally succeeds in his mission and is able to submit to his illness with a smile upon his face.  

Supporting characters-
     In this story there is a wide assortment of supporting characters (both good and bad) in everyone from the detectives of Scotland Yard, Lestrade and Tobias Gregson, to Sherlock’s wonderful Baker Street Irregulars, John and Lucy Ferrier, the Council of Elders, and more.
     I especially enjoy the dichotomy of Lestrade and Gregson set in contrast to the raggedy troupe of homeless beggars Holmes employs on some of his cases, The Baker Street Irregulars, who Holmes sees as far superior to the detectives of Scotland Yard in this marginal excerpt from the story:

 “There’s more work to be got out of one of those little beggars than out of a dozen of the force,” Holmes remarked.  “The mere sight of an official-looking person seals men’s lips.  These youngsters, however, go everywhere and hear everything.  They are as sharp as needles, too; all they want is organization.”
 
     I love seeing just how the Irregulars act towards Holmes, standing in line at his call as if he is a drill sergeant of sorts.  Still, Holmes doesn’t act towards them in the popular fashion that you would expect from a Victorian man at the time.  Instead of ranting about their filth, abhorring their standard of living and fussing over their very presence in his rooms, Holmes sees beyond their torn clothes, downtrodden lack of financial stability and hygiene to notice their potential in helping him solve the various crimes plaguing London.  Quite cleverly, as he states, they are his eyes without being overt to those he wishes to keep watch over, just as Hope uses his occupation as a cabby to track Drebber and Strangerson without alerting suspicion.  Furthermore, Holmes gives the ragged youths something the public didn’t at the time: opportunity and a feeling of importance that they would otherwise be lacking.  He has a great sense of trust and faith in them, and as his eyes and ears they invariably assist him in halting the darkest crimes imaginable taking center stage in the dreariest and most sordid parts of London.
     Compare these sharp and inconspicuous street agents to the bumbling fools at Scotland Yard, and boy do we have a contrast.  The likes of Lestrade and Gregson are the antithesis of Holmes and the Irregulars.  This pair of detectives are often naïve, lack any real sense of observance and logical reasoning, fail in putting command behind their badges, and are often so caught up in their rivalry that the case takes a backseat when promotions and accolades could be on high order for either of them.  While Holmes is even more arrogant and assured than them coupled, he has the tact and results to back up his more narcissistic qualities, the kind of support that both Lestrade and Gregson sorely lack.  In fact, Holmes’s arrogance doesn’t even come off as such: instead, it is as if he is pointing out obvious facts about his many talents and his indubitable reliability on all questions of criminality.  
     In comparison, Lestrade and Gregson stumble about rather messily in the affairs of this case, help ruin considerable evidence, let their sizable egos cloud their judgment and any leads they think they have are in all actuality red herrings that their feeble minds misinterpreted as crucial evidence.  Though, some of the moments with the greatest relish are when they kneel before Holmes, accept his brilliance as superior to theirs and then begin to get lectured about how foolish and sloppy they are by the master of deduction himself.  How could such passages be any better?!
     As I have already given a lengthy criticism of the Council of Four, their sons and the Avenging Angels and their malicious acts, I shall move right on to a brief discussion John and Lucy Ferrier.  I must say, right from the very beginning I loved John and Lucy.  Both are such brave and likeable characters, and though they are not of blood relation they share a care, openness and understanding that you would expect to find amongst a veritable father and daughter pairing.  It is their strength that allows them to survive starvation and dehydration, and that continues to insure their perseverance to stand up to the vile designs the Council has set against them once they are rescued and taken in by the religion’s followers.
     I find John Ferrier to be such a wonderful character in every regard, a real Atticus Finch type.  He is a warm father figure to a girl who isn’t even his own and who he barely knows, and I most of all admire his staunch belief that Lucy shall not fall victim to a Mormon marriage.  He sees that women lose more than they gain when they elope in Mormon culture, and are less of a partner to their husbands and more of a vehicle to gain them more fame and property while they continue to work on possessing even more wives.  The women become mere tools for expansion and success for the males who manipulate them as their quantity of wives continues to reach unimaginable numbers.  In a polygamous marriage there is no real foundation of fidelity and trust to just one partner, and for these many reasons I respect John vehemently for standing against such an act of objectification.  Though he knows fully well that his choice may lead to his death, his care for Lucy and defense of her well being are further testaments to his character as a man and father-figure to her.  In addition, he doesn’t judge her for loving a non-Mormon (Hope), allows her to be her own woman though he is watchful over her, and never gives up on her no matter what challenges may arise from the consequences of his actions.
     I also quite enjoy Lucy for her warm nature and grace in both body and mind.  As with John, she is a fighter and keeps an honest and open relationship to her adoptive father that was the foundation to their formidable partnership built upon a mutual trust, understanding and care for each other.  In many ways they are the American companion to that of Holmes and Watson, both pairs possessing the same type of care and respect for each other that is the key to their relationship’s strength.  It is this kind of deep characterization that keeps the story interesting even after we get an unfortunate respite from Holmes and Watson in London.  Well done, Doyle.  Well done.    

Atmosphere-
     This story features some very biting atmosphere.  Everything from locations like Brixton Road, John Rance’s residence, and the dangerous landscapes of Utah, from its never-ending plains to its ominous and dangerous expanse of mountains are all presented with exceptional descriptions by Doyle.  The crime scenes are morbid and haunting in nature, leaving a sickly taste in your mouth.  The descriptions of the contorted body of Drebber, for instance, is just as bloodcurdling on the page as Watson attests to.  Both descriptions of the corpses of Drebber and Strangerson fill you will a stark horror that morphs into dumb-founded shock when it is uncovered that the likeable Mr. Jefferson Hope is the bringer of death upon both men.  
     The descriptions of London are equally as haunting, the fog-filled streets both deserted and ominous, and the crimes perpetrated in proximity to them creating a perfect pairing.  London and the terrain of Utah are just as alive as the breathing characters found scattered across its many mysterious strands, making it easy to vividly visualize this story in your head as you read along.  Watson’s own bleak descriptions of London and its aforementioned position as a stage of malevolent criminality make it the perfect battleground for the doctor to continue his fight on alongside the exceptional Mr. Sherlock Holmes.    

Suspense-
     The suspense in this story is palpable, as already mentioned in various sections of this review, and is a testament to Doyle’s skill as a master of the art form.  There are plenty of startling passages and moments here that leave you on the edge of your seat, all in fine order.  Some of my favorite moments have to be Holmes’s many methods of capturing Jefferson Hope, including him waiting with Watson at Baker Street for an answer to their add in the paper and also when the hawk-like detective brings Hope straight into his clutches at their rooms on Baker Street.  Right up until the moment that everything regarding the case is resolved, Doyle has you by the hook and never lets you breathe for a minute in comfort.
     In the section taking place in Utah, there lays one of my favorite moments in the novel.  Doyle feeds us invariably with ominous tales of The Avenging Angels and their ability to wipe anyone who dares to defy the Council off the face of the earth, and when John Ferrier refuses to give Lucy away to an arranged Mormon marriage, the suspense created by this choice is earth shattering.  Ferrier is given twenty-nine days to agree to marrying Lucy to one of the Elders’ sons, and each passing day is marked with a number decreasing downwards to that fateful last day placed somewhere around his property.  Doyle masterfully describes Ferrier’s terror to us as his days count down, though he tries to remain strong for Lucy’s sake.  The Avenging Angels grow to be more mythical than ever before as we wonder how they manage to enter Ferrier’s property unnoticed day in and day out before disappearing without a trace of their presence.  Moments like these make me eager to get into some of Conan Doyle’s horror fiction, as he had a knack for suspense and I get a thrill out of this kind of writing.  

Violence-
     There is more than a fair share of violence in this story; that much is certain.  In what is one of Doyle’s darkest threads, we see corpses of a deeply gruesome description, blood used to write the haunting word “RACHE” upon a tattered wall, and also the uneasy moments where Jefferson Hope recounts the deaths of Drebber and Strangerson at the hands of his little game, taking visible pleasure in their demises.  This novel is a stark contrast from the infinitely more cheery Scandal in Bohemia, the last story I reviewed, and isn’t for the faint of heart.  Captured upon its pages are instances of the most vile crimes imaginable, tragic ends to many characters at play across the storyline, and the many dark themes of revenge, termination, murder, depression, nihilism and more take precedence at the head of the pack.  Also, dog lovers should beware of this novel.  And…that’s all I will say about that.  Quite the solemn tale this is; black to its core.  

Humor-
     Though I just spent a paragraph analyzing the various instances of violence in this tale, that doesn’t mean it is entirely devoid of any humor or fun.  Believe me, it is there.  Most of the laughs are had with enjoying the many kinds of entertainment supplied by Holmes and Watson.  It is a cracking good time to watch Watson try and try again to pin down Holmes, thought unsuccessful in every attempt.  His raucous ranting about the article he later finds out to be scribed by Holmes is also equally as amusing, and even more entertaining to picture.  
     As for Holmes, he too supplies some hilarious dialogue and scathing comments aimed towards the bumbling Lestrade and Gregson when he puts them in their place.  One of my favorite moments occurs when Watson narrates the arrival of he and Holmes upon the grounds of the crime scene at Brixton Road:

 “It is indeed kind of you to come,” he [Gregson] said, “I have had everything left untouched.”
 
  “Except that!” my friend [Sherlock] answered, pointing at the pathway.  “If a herd of buffaloes had passed along there could not be a greater mess.  No doubt, however, you had drawn your own conclusions, Gregson, before you permitted this.”

     As we are carried into the house itself, we again get some great lines from Holmes where he again showcases his unmatched superiority over the Scotland Yarders, giving his own (correct) deductions in contention with Lestrade’s poor assumptions before leaving the room with his final biting words of criticism.  Hearing Holmes remark upon the performances of Gregson, Lestrade, and the whole of Scotland Yard truly never gets old.

Cleverness-
     This case is extremely unique, and quite exceptionally cunning because of it.  As Holmes explains to Watson at the end of the final chapter, the case required him to apply backwards reasoning to uncover the truth, a regular practice when dealing in the realm of criminology.  Holmes was provided with a case where the crime scene offered no great clues and only a small amount of data to work from, and so he had to backtrack and recount just how such a crime would occur when analyzed backwards.  He works from nothing to gain an undeniable edge over an unknowing Hope with such a skill set.  How Holmes is able to take the resulting crimes, track backwards and attain an explanation of why they were committed is enthralling, to say the least.
     How the novel is wrapped up is also well done, where all loose ends are tied up and match up perfectly with the events as they occur in the present time and in the past story, when Hope recounts how and why he did what he did on his path of revenge.  His game he played with Drebber and Strangerson with the pills is also very clever, though quite dark.  

Case-
     This case is again one of the canon’s most unique, and quite exceptional in how it is structured and paced.  We are given the story in two parts where the latter half takes us back in time to uncover the reasons for the crimes, and right in the middle of the action we depart from Holmes and Watson for many chapters, an aspect of the story some criticize.  At least when we must take a break from Holmes in The Hound of the Baskervilles, we have Watson to entertain and narrate the action for us, which is more than satisfactory.  Here we have neither men, and though the tale does lose some of its spark, the second part of the storyline set in Utah is still very good and doesn’t sink the story at all.  Hope, Ferrier, and Lucy as well as the dark designs plotted against them give us magnificent suspense and lovely moments that are some of the greatest to be found in the entirety of the novel.  While it was a strange and quite abrupt shift in pace and action, I commend Doyle for not losing the plot while going back in time and taking a massive setting change in the story, still managing to keep us interested in the story regardless of these factors.  
     In addition, this story first introduces us to some of the greatest iconographic images of Holmes we know of today, from his violin playing, his wonderful mannerisms while working over the facts of a case, and his traversal of a bleak London with blood filling its many cobblestoned streets, destitute and dark alleys and haunting countryside residences plagued with the stench of murder.  Further images of he and Watson pent up in Baker Street while being wrapped up in the intensity of the mystery, their rides in hansom cabs under the cover of night, Holmes’s many victories over the bumblers of Scotland Yard, his careful and observant analysis of crime scenes and more are all present here and richly detailed.  These kinds of images are truly iconic of who Doyle’s characters are, and are instantly synonymous with them once their name is uttered.
     And of course, the case also gives the newly united Holmes and Watson plenty of opportunity to grow as a pair and get to know each other, which begins to form what becomes the greatest fictional partnership of all time.

Doyle-
     As usual, Doyle is in magnificent form here.  This is his first Holmes story ever, yet he writes his characters, dialogue and descriptions with the kind of confidence and familiarity you would expect from a seasoned scribe.  He successfully lays the groundwork here for what would grow to become a global phenomenon of dozens upon dozens of stories with everlasting appeal to fans across generations, and his talents as a writer in the elements of suspense and mystery are apparent in his eloquently powerful descriptions.  He takes an odd story structure and makes it work, never missing a step and keeping the interest alive even without his two leads in play.  I mean seriously, who would ever think that the name “Sherlock Holmes” and “ a revenge-fueled plot set against Mormonism in America’s Salt Lake state of Utah” would ever appear in a plot description together?!  
     While I don’t know that much about Mormonism, I do think Doyle bravely managed to shine a light on the evils of humanity while still showing that not everyone prescribed to the religion had the same evil intent that the Council and The Avenging Angels had.  He touches on the acts of many followers to rise above the tyranny of the Council and its grasp over their people, showing that there were honorable crusaders (much like John and Lucy Ferrier) amongst the group.  I never once got the feeling that Doyle was trashing their beliefs or its followers for a second, and think he only used Mormonism to tell an interesting tale where the evils perpetrated by some of the members don’t fully represent the religion in its entirety.  

Paget-
     While I am fully aware that Paget didn’t begin illustrating the Holmes stories until the publication of A Scandal in Bohemia in The Strand, it is hard not to imagine what the artist would have added to this tale through his illustrations.  I instantly get images of his perfectly drawn Holmes adorned for the bleak and unwelcoming setting of Brixton Road, examining the German word “RACHE” as it was written in blood upon the wall.  How he handled the younger and freshly united Holmes and Watson would also have been a thrill, as would his take on the second part of the story set largely in America during the early days of Mormonism.  Though, the important thing is that he finally got the opportunity to have his now quintessential interpretations of Holmes, Watson and the almost living, breathing settings around them published for generations of eyes to see and enjoy.

Final verdict-
     What else it there to say about this story, truly?  I could gush about it all day long, as it offers so much food for thought and provides countlessly interesting aspects to discuss.  This one story started all that we know as the Sherlock Holmes canon today, and it isn’t hard to see why.  Doyle instantly makes a statement, showcasing his effortless talent for description, dialogue and characters with his magical syntax, and takes on a difficult issue and story structure for his major debut in the genre of crime fiction.  His characters are deep and interesting, his depictions of crime never reserved, and his knack for suspense never faltering a second.  
     And of course, the most exceptional thing about this landmark novel is Doyle’s masterful introduction of the now famous and influential Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson, and their first meeting has become the most important moment in all of detective fiction since.  We are presented with two men that hit it off right from the start, and truly are brothers not in blood, but in bond, who begin to show through their beginning trust, companionship and open communication with each other why they are fated to grow into the greatest duo to grace the pages of fiction.  Not to be put lightly, with this story featuring the introductions of his most popular characters, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle undeniably sparked a fire that still burns with that same luminous flame today.