A Study in Scarlet is the first book by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle featuring Sherlock Holmes as a detective.

It was first published in 1887. It is now available for free online reading from this APP.

Although written more than 100 years ago, the writing style is modern. The sentences are not ‘Victorian’. The contents, as reproduced in this app, remain basically the same as the original printed version, except that we have taken the liberty to break the longer passages into shorter paragraphs for easier reading.

If you love reading thrillers, mysteries and crimes, this book A Study in Scarlet is for you.

A Study In Scarlet, is a detective mystery novel where the young Arthur Conan Doyle first introduces the character of Sherlock Holmes (the "consulting detective") and a war veteran, Dr. John Watson.

When Holmes first introduced himself to Dr. Watson, he starts with the puzzling line “You have in Afghanistan, I perceive”. He later explained to a perplexed Dr Watson how he arrived at the conclusion.


Observation is second nature to Holmes.

In this first novel, A Study in Scarlet, you will be introduced to how the detective applies his logical mind to any problem. Holmes demonstrated his “science of deduction” throughout the novel where he said that he can reveal a man’s calling by observing “the man’s finger nails, by his coat-sleeve, by his boot, by his trouser knees, by the callosities of his forefinger and thumb, by his expression, by his shirt cuffs”.

In this book A Study In Scarlet, as with other Sherlock Holmes Detective Story, you will find the signature Holmes traits: meticulous study of a crime scene, brilliant deductive reasoning, aptitude for chemistry and music, and the somewhat annoying habit of withholding crucial facts from Watson (and consequently the reader) until the conclusion of the case.

In this book you will also find out what made Sherlock Holmes decide to share the flat with Dr. Watson, at the address 221 B Baker Street.

How did the tile of this novel come about?

In the first few paragraphs of the novel, you hear Holmes described his nature of his work to Dr. Watson;

“ A study in scarlet, eh? There’s the scarlet thread of murder running through the colourless skein of life, and our duty is to unravel it, and isolate it, and expose every inch of it."

The novel A Study In Scarlet, Sherlock Holmes Detective Story follows Dr. John Watson as he narrates in the first-person narrative, how he and Sherlock uncover a tragic tale of love and deadly revenge.

At the beginning of the book, Dr. Watson meets the detective for the first time and we ride along with them to the scene of a murder. The crime baffles the Scotland Yard detectives, but of course Holmes solves it easily.

In the second half of the story, the scene shifts to Utah as we learn the murderer's history. The action returns to London in the last two chapters.

Holmes explains why he is careful about putting the ‘correct’ knowledge in his brain.
I will “ acquire no knowledge which did not bear upon his object.” And therefore all the knowledge which he (Holmes) possessed was such as would be useful to him.

An extract from the book which I find useful :

“Now the skilful workman is very careful indeed as to what he takes into his brain-attic. He will have nothing but the tools which may help him in doing his work, but of these he has a large assortment, and all in the most perfect order. It is a mistake to think that that little room has elastic walls and can distend to any extent. Depend upon it there comes a time when for every addition of knowledge you forget something that you knew before. It is of the highest importance, therefore, not to have useless facts elbowing out the useful ones.”

Holmes is the first work of detective fiction to incorporate the magnifying glass as an investigative tool.

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