Sherlock Holmes novels book 1 · 1887
A Study in Scarlet
Dr John Watson, invalided home from Afghanistan, shares rooms in Baker Street with Sherlock Holmes, a strange young man who calls himself a consulting detective. Their first case is a body in an empty house in Brixton, with the word RACHE written in blood on the wall.
Spoiler-free summary written for The Recurring Cast.
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Book facts
- Author
- Arthur Conan Doyle
- Series
- Sherlock Holmes novels, book 1 of 4
- Published
- 1887
- Setting
- Set in London
- Characters charted
- 6
- Chart confidence
- High
A Study in Scarlet on screen
- Sherlock (2010–2017, series, BBC One). Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman play Holmes and Watson in modern-day London, in clever reworkings of the original stories.
Who is in A Study in Scarlet
6 recurring or key characters from Arthur Conan Doyle’s chart. Introduces Sherlock Holmes, Dr John Watson, Mrs Hudson, Inspector Lestrade and 2 more.
Lead 1
- Sherlock HolmesFirst appearanceConsulting detectiveMeets WatsonAlso in books by Laurie R. King
Major 3
- Dr John WatsonFirst appearanceArmy doctor, Holmes’s friend and chronicler
- Inspector LestradeFirst appearanceScotland Yard detective
- Tobias GregsonFirst appearanceScotland Yard detective
Minor and cameo 2
- Mrs HudsonFirst appearanceLandlady at 221B Baker Street
- The Baker Street IrregularsFirst appearanceStreet children who help Holmes
Also featuring these characters
Other Arthur Conan Doyle books that share the most characters with A Study in Scarlet.
- The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes1894 · Sherlock Holmes stories · 5 shared charactersBuy on Amazon
- His Last Bow1917 · Sherlock Holmes stories · 5 shared charactersBuy on Amazon
- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes1892 · Sherlock Holmes stories · 4 shared charactersBuy on Amazon
- The Hound of the Baskervilles1902 · Sherlock Holmes novels · 4 shared charactersBuy on Amazon