MARCH READ - SPOILERS - A Study in Scarlet

I had a good time reading A Study in Scarlet. I can see how having Holmes solving everything with knowledge we don't have could be annoying but with this being only my second story, I haven't gotten tired of it yet. I did enjoy Study (8/10 stars) more than The Hound of Baskervilles though (6/10) stars saying, "This was my first Holmes. I liked the atmosphere and the story. I didn't care that much for Holmes. I found him to be surprisingly abrupt and arrogant." I guess in Scarlet he didn't bother me as much because he was introduced as a pain in the ass.

Did you also happen to catch the repeat of the BBC episode of "Sherlock", "A Study in Pink"?

"I can see how having Holmes solving everything with knowledge we don't have could be annoying..."

That's exactly what my husband hates about Sherlock stories.  I can still enjoy the story, but I have to agree that it's pretty lazy writing.

I enjoyed A Study in Scarlet far more than I expected. The style is very accessible, and it works well as an introduction - Watson is very affable (his reluctance to ask Holmes his business amused me) and Holmes is as insufferable as he is introduced to be.

The shift to Utah was unexpected; is this device common for Sherlock Holmes? It was a good way to build sympathy for the murderer, but did feel a bit odd, like 2 stories that ended up meeting in the middle.

I don't share Conan Doyle's distaste for the desert, but I suppose I've always had the luxury of a motor vehicle (if not always an air conotions one) and no concerns about marauders or water!

I think what is most instructional for me in watching the new Sherlock series is how it plays with the adaptation of the Holmes stories. In particular, Study in Pink offers some interesting spins on Scarlet, even as it maintains many of the story's original elements. To me, that's a really difficult thing to manage.

>4 imyril: - yes, although I think SiS is the worst offender, but there are quite a few where sherlock doesn't do a great deal, catches the offender and then the offender tells all the backstory explaining how things came to be.