While he obviously believes in God or a god, Holmes puts his faith in science and seems to be a believer in Evolution. God is referred to several times as the highest Judge. Mormon leader Brigham Young and his band of Avenging Angels appear, as does the Mormon practice of polygamy, which was still practiced at the time.

Mormonism plays a critical role in the backstory of the murder, and it is not looked upon favorably. Murder is not condoned, but the circumstances are also brought into consideration and the author resolves the crime in a just manner. His egotism and eccentricities are well-balanced by Watson and his first-person account of the case. Sherlock Holmes is incredibly egotistical and often derides others for not coming up to his standards, though he does commend good detective work when he sees it (which is rarely). It is not until the strange murder of a man in an abandoned house, however, that Watson learns exactly who and what his companion is, and in this first case the two form one of the best-known friendships of literary history.

Newly returned to London from the Afghan War after taking a bullet, Watson meets the eccentric, nebulous Sherlock Holmes and with him rents rooms in 221B Baker Street.

'A Study in Scarlet,' chronologically the first Sherlock Holmes mystery, introduces readers to the intrepid chronicler of Holmes' cases, Dr. An enjoyable, suspenseful beginning to the collaboration of Holmes and Watson.

A study in scarlet book cover