For our Siblings Book Club this year, my dad’s full list of recommendations was 10 first-in-the-series titles from 10 of his favorite mystery authors. While the following is a great list, only Sherlock Holmes’ first mystery made the final cut for our book-club list:

• The Black Dudley Murder by Margery Allingham (1929) – first in the Albert Campion series
• A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters (1977) – first in Cadfael’s series, set in the 1100s
• Fallen into the Pit by Ellis Peters (1951) – first in the George Felse series, set in the 1950s
• A Man Lay Dead by Ngaio Marsh (1934) – first in the Inspector Roderich Alleyn’s series
• The Last Jihad by Joel Rosenberg (2002) – first in the Jon Bennett series
• Whose Body? by Dorothy Sayers (1923) – first in the Lord Peter Wimsey series
• Westward the Tide by Louis L’Amour (1951) – first in the Marr Bardoul series
• Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie (1930) – first in the Miss Marple series
• Fer de Lance by Rex Stout (1934) – first in the Nero Wolfe series
• Friday, the Rabbi Slept Late by Harry Kemelman (1964) – first in the Rabbi David Small series
• A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle (1887) – first in the Sherlock Holmes series

Personally, I’m starting fresh with Arthur Conan Doyle, here, because A Study in Scarlet is not only Holmes’ first case, it’s also my first Holmes book to read—unless you count watching Wishbone recreate The Hounds of the Baskervilles on PBS when I was younger (and I’m glad you don’t).

A Brief Summary of the Story

The first half of this late 19th-Century story was easy enough to follow, as Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes find themselves sudden roomies on Baker Street. They investigate the mysterious death of a man in an abandoned building with the word “RACHE” (revenge) painted on the wall. When another man is found murdered, they assume (through deductive reasoning, of course) that the murders are somehow connected.

Enter the very confusing second story set in America and among Mormons. I had no idea what was going on, quite honestly, due to the sudden shift in setting. I thought I had purchased a book of disconnected short stories instead of a gleaming first novel.

As the story unfolds, a Mormon girl—in love with a non-Mormon—is forced to marry a Mormon she doesn’t love, and this ultimately costs her life. We eventually return to England in the present, where Sherlock Holmes unravels the mystery and identifies the culprit based upon all the circumstantial evidence we readers otherwise missed.

My Take-aways

Cop/detective novels and shows based on similar deductive reasoning are the norm today, though I imagine it must have been an absolute novelty for readers to meet Sherlock Holmes in the late 1880s. While Doyle may not have invented the mystery genre itself, he certainly dug a new vein into mystery-fiction that creators are still mining today. 

One thing I noticed in this first reading was Holmes’ arrogance throughout the case, but especially when he discovered the solution before anyone else, simply because he cared to notice the things that the other inspectors missed. I really enjoyed the Benedict Cumberbatch version of Sherlock, with Martin Freeman as Dr. Watson. Both actors play their roles to perfection, and I think in genuine reflection of Doyle’s intent, as seen in this first book.

Because I’m more used to modern writing, I’m often frustrated by the wordiness of 19th-century writing. I felt the interim story set in the States was a touch long—so much so that I was tempted not to finish! My problem, however, was the same “problem” I have with any mystery story (and it’s not really a problem): I never try to decipher the solution while I’m reading, instead just letting the author string me along so that the lead characters get to enjoy the big reveal in the end. Good thing, too, in this case, because there was no way in Hades someone could have figured out this plot on their own. It was all in Doyle’s head, until Holmes gave the secrets away.

Conclusion

Having finally finished my first Sherlock Holmes, I have to ask myself: Would I read another? I think the answer is “maybe.”

I think what I’d prefer is to read some of the other first-mysteries listed above, and then stick with the authors and characters that truly grip me. Joel Rosenberg and Agatha Christie already have, and I think Harry Kemelman and Ellis Peters both have a fighting chance as well.

©2025 E.T.

Check Out These Other Great Books Published in 1887:

• She by H. Rider Haggard
• Looking Backward by Edward Bellamy
• Down the Great River by Capt. Willard G. Glazier
• A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle