For the final book on my 2023 list, I chose Arthur Conan Doyle’s ‘A Study in Scarlet’.

I’ve had Stephen Fry’s narration of the Sherlock Holmes collection for years. But I never could find the time to listen. With my recent rediscovery of audiobooks, I decided to delve into these, one book at a time. I’ve always been a big fan of Fry’s—the man has a beautiful voice. His audiobook work seemed the next logical step.

I’m always wary of older books since teachers forced me to read Shakespeare and Dickens in school. Since choosing my reading material, I have stuck to the twentieth century and beyond. But Doyle’s work drew me in within a few pages. Of course, the language is old-fashioned. But his prose avoids the clutter typical of Victorian writings.

We meet Holmes and Watson as they first meet each other. He seems well-formed for the first story ever containing the detective. All his oddities and quirks that we all know are on display here. The story soon takes off with the discovery of a murdered man. What surprised me was the novel’s diversion into America. When I think of Holmes, narrow London streets—cobbles slick with rain—come to mind. And that is the case for half of this novel. But Doyle also explores the US and delves into the religion of the Latter-Day Saints.

If this is the start of the Holmes saga—a piece I expected to be the weakest—I understand why these books are so revered.

I look forward to journeying into the next one with Mr Fry sometime in 2024.