A Study in Scarlet

Dr. Watson a military surgeon lately returned from the Afghan War needs a flat-mate and a diversion. Sherlock Holmes needs a foil. And thus a great literary collaboration begins. Then murder. Facing a deserted house a twisted corpse with no wounds a mysterious phrase drawn in blood on the wall and the buffoons of Scotland Yard--Lestrade and Gregson--Holmes measures observes picks up a pinch of this and a pinch of that and generally baffles his faithful Watson. Later Holmes explains: In solving a problem of this sort the grand thing is to be able to reason backward.... There are few people who if you told them a result would be able to evolve from their own inner consciousness what the steps were which led up to that result. Sherlock Holmes is one of those people.