A study in scarlet

With their previous collaboration, The Hound of the Baskervilles (2009), Edginton and Culbard opened the Sherlock Holmes wing of the Illustrated Classics series, and they now return with this adaptation of the book that introduced the famed detective duo. There are many elements to this tale: the meeting of Watson and Holmes; a murdered body in a bloodstained room with no obvious weapon; a lengthy exploration of the crime's whys and wherefores that takes readers to the American West and focuses on the Mormons. Yet all this is neatly woven together and given a cinematic feel through both text and art. The story moves along at good clip, while the action-filled panels have a dusky palette that evokes Victorian England. The flashbacks to events in the U.S. are done primarily in sepia tones that work well to evoke a sense of memory. The one disconcerting note is Holmes himself, who looks more like Dudley Do-Right than the lanky, laconic sleuth. Still, like previous incarnations, this should bring him plenty of new fans.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2010 Booklist

This is the first story Conan Doyle wrote about his famous detective, Sherlock Holmes. In this short novel, Dr. Watson is presented to Holmes as a potential Baker Street roommate. Holmes utters the immortal line, "You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive," and the adventures begin. A Study in Scarlet introduces and fleshes out the characters of Holmes and Watson, while initiating readers to the world's first consulting detective. Valuable to Sherlockians as the beginning of an ageless saga, this novel is also an interesting mystery. It allows Holmes a chance to outwit Scotland Yard, and readers get to see how he resolves the mysterious murder at Lauriston Gardens. Frederick Davidson gives a correctly British narration to this Baker Street adventure. Sure to be a hit with mystery readers; recommended for all public libraries.--Theresa Connors, Arkansas Tech Univ., Russellville (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Dr Watson, Mr Sherlock Holmes,' said Stamford introducing us... and with these words the world is also introduced for the first time to the great detective and his indefatigable assistant. A Study in Scarlet was published in 1887, the first of Conan Doyle's full-length Holmes novels. It plunges us straight into the dark world of an unsolved murder in Victorian London, which has links to the American West and the Mormons. Holmes displays his powers to solve the scarlet thread of murder running through the colourless skein of life. Excerpted from The Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.