Book Anatomy · Crime and mystery
Anatomy of A Study in Scarlet
Arthur Conan Doyle, 1887. Public domain in the UK and the US. The detective's debut; split structure.
Ask A Study in Scarlet a question about its craft (free beta)
Answers cite chapter and paragraph, and every quote is checked against the text. (3 free questions a day).
43,595 words
14 chapters
38% dialogue
16.2 words a sentence
first person
2.9 hours to read
Lessons to borrow
- Structure a mystery by withholding the antagonist's motivation until late in the narrative, allowing readers to understand and sympathise with the villain's actions even as they condemn the crimes.
- Use a narrator character to mediate between the reader and the protagonist, allowing the protagonist to remain somewhat mysterious while the narrator's admiration and questions drive reader engagement.
- Alternate between present-day investigation and backstory to build emotional depth and reveal how past events drive present actions, creating a richer understanding of character motivation.
All 180 lenses
The 20 lenses below are the most asked for. The full set of 180 is grouped in 12 pages:
Beat positions Both
Story and structure · lens A1 · compare across books
| Beat | Where | Our reading | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inciting incident | Ch 3 (CHAPTER III), about 19% through | Holmes and Watson are called to investigate the mysterious death of Enoch Drebber at Lauriston Gardens. | |
| First turning point | Ch 5 (CHAPTER V), about 32% through | Holmes realises the murderer has accomplices when the old woman escapes from the cab. | |
| Midpoint | Ch 7 (CHAPTER VII), about 46% through | Holmes dramatically arrests Jefferson Hope as the cab driver, revealing the murderer's identity. | |
| Low point | Ch 10 (CHAPTER III), about 67% through | John Ferrier and Lucy face the Mormon deadline and must flee Utah or Lucy will be forced to marry. | |
| Climax | Ch 12 (CHAPTER V), about 81% through | Jefferson Hope discovers Ferrier dead and Lucy captured, vowing revenge and beginning his pursuit across continents. | |
| Resolution | Ch 14 (CHAPTER VII), about 98% through | Jefferson Hope dies in his cell and Holmes explains his deductive method to Watson. |
The last link,” he cried, exultantly. “My case is complete. (Ch 7, para 27)
It were better for you, John Ferrier,” he thundered, “that you and she were now lying blanched skeletons upon the Sierra Blanco, than that you should put your weak wills against the orders of the Holy Four! (Ch 10, para 23)
It was only too clear that some sudden and terrible disaster had occurred during his absence—a disaster which had embraced them all, and yet had left no traces behind it. (Ch 12, para 9)
That’s the result of all our Study in Scarlet: to get them a testimonial! (Ch 14, para 25)
Percent is the middle of that chapter as a share of all words. The beat labels are our AI reading of the chapter notes.
Chapter length chart Count
Pace · lens D1 · compare across books
14 chapters. Median 3,344 words, shortest 1,858, longest 4,521. Whole book 43,595 words, about 2.9 hours at 250 words a minute.
Each bar is one chapter in reading order. Hover for the title and count.
Dialogue share per chapter Count
Dialogue and voice · lens C1 · compare across books
38% of all words are dialogue. A further 12% is long told stories inside quote marks (a narrator within the story), which we count apart. Speech tags: "said" is 45% of tag verbs we found.
Cast and presence map Count
Character · lens B1, B2 · compare across books
| Character | Role (our reading) | Share of mentions | Chapters on page | First appears |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherlock Holmes | lead | 18% | 9 of 14 | Ch 1, para 15 |
| Enoch Drebber | minor | 13% | 10 of 14 | Ch 3, para 15 |
| John Ferrier | ally | 12% | 6 of 14 | Ch 8, para 54 |
| Joseph Stangerson | minor | 10% | 10 of 14 | Ch 3, para 66 |
| Lestrade | foil | 10% | 7 of 14 | Ch 2, para 18 |
| Jefferson Hope | antagonist | 9% | 7 of 14 | Ch 7, para 57 |
| Gregson | foil | 8% | 6 of 14 | Ch 3, para 17 |
| Lucy Ferrier | love interest | 6% | 6 of 14 | Ch 8, para 56 |
| John Watson | narrator | 4% | 9 of 14 | Ch 1, para 2 |
| Brigham Young | antagonist | 3% | 7 of 14 | Ch 1, para 15 |
| Stamford | minor | 2% | 2 of 14 | Ch 1, para 6 |
| Madame Charpentier | minor | 2% | 2 of 14 | Ch 6, para 4 |
Who is on the page, chapter by chapter
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherlock Holmes | ||||||||||||||
| Enoch Drebber | ||||||||||||||
| John Ferrier | ||||||||||||||
| Joseph Stangerson | ||||||||||||||
| Lestrade | ||||||||||||||
| Jefferson Hope | ||||||||||||||
| Gregson | ||||||||||||||
| Lucy Ferrier | ||||||||||||||
| John Watson | ||||||||||||||
| Brigham Young |
Most shared chapters: Enoch Drebber and Joseph Stangerson (9), John Watson and Sherlock Holmes (8), Lestrade and Sherlock Holmes (7), Enoch Drebber and John Watson (7), Enoch Drebber and Jefferson Hope (7).
Counts use the names and aliases in our cast list. A name in narration or speech counts as a mention.
Chapter ending hooks AI
Pace · lens D8 · compare across books
Chapter endings: 4 reveal, 4 quiet, 3 question, 3 cliffhanger.
Chapters end with questions, reveals, and cliffhangers that propel the reader forward: Watson wonders how Holmes knew about Afghanistan; Holmes reveals his profession; the word RACHE is discovered; Stangerson is murdered; Hope is arrested; and the backstory of Lucy's death is revealed. The pacing alternates between the London investigation and the Utah backstory, creating suspense and emotional depth.
Every chapter ending
- Ch 1: question. Watson leaves the laboratory curious about Holmes, wondering how he deduced his Afghan service, setting up the mystery of Holmes' methods.
- Ch 2: reveal. Holmes reveals he wrote the article on deduction and is a consulting detective, explaining his unusual knowledge and methods to Watson.
- Ch 3: cliffhanger. Holmes departs with a revelation that Rache means revenge in German, leaving the detectives confused and the mystery unsolved.
- Ch 4: quiet. Holmes and Watson leave Rance's lodgings, with Holmes explaining his theory about the ring and planning to use it as bait.
- Ch 5: question. Holmes returns unsuccessful but realizes the murderer has accomplices, and Watson hears Holmes playing violin late into the night, pondering the mystery.
- Ch 6: cliffhanger. Lestrade announces that Stangerson has been murdered, revealing the case is far more complicated than Gregson's arrest suggests.
- Ch 7: reveal. Holmes dramatically names the murderer as Jefferson Hope, the cab driver, with handcuffs appearing as if by magic
Gentlemen,” he cried, with flashing eyes, “let me introduce you to Mr. Jefferson Hope, the murderer of Enoch Drebber and of Joseph Stangerson. (Ch 7, para 57)
- Ch 8: quiet. The caravan moves on with the new converts, the man named John Ferrier and the girl Lucy, heading toward Zion
On, on to Zion!” cried the crowd of Mormons, and the words rippled down the long caravan, passing from mouth to mouth until they died away in a dull murmur in the far distance. (Ch 8, para 68)
- Ch 9: quiet. Hope rides away reluctantly, leaving Lucy happy but waiting at the gate
He tore himself from her as he spoke, and, flinging himself upon his horse, galloped furiously away, never even looking round, as though afraid that his resolution might fail him if he took one glance at what he was leaving. (Ch 9, para 32)
- Ch 10: question. Ferrier resolves to flee Utah with Lucy, but the question of how to escape the all-seeing Mormon power hangs over them
It were better for you, John Ferrier,” he thundered, “that you and she were now lying blanched skeletons upon the Sierra Blanco, than that you should put your weak wills against the orders of the Holy Four! (Ch 10, para 23)
- Ch 11: cliffhanger. They pass the last Mormon sentinel and gain freedom, but the reader knows the Danite Band is pursuing them
Pass, and the Lord go with you,” said the voice from above. Beyond his post the path broadened out, and the horses were able to break into a trot. (Ch 11, para 65)
- Ch 12: reveal. Hope finally tracks Drebber and Stangerson to London, setting up the murders in the present-day narrative
At last, having collected enough to keep life in him, he departed for Europe, and tracked his enemies from city to city, working his way in any menial capacity, but never overtaking the fugitives. (Ch 12, para 32)
- Ch 13: reveal. Hope's final claim that he is an officer of justice rather than a murderer leaves the moral question unresolved as he is led away.
You may consider me to be a murderer; but I hold that I am just as much an officer of justice as you are. (Ch 13, para 52)
- Ch 14: quiet. Watson quotes Latin about the miser who is content with his own knowledge while the public applauds others, accepting the irony with good humour.
That’s the result of all our Study in Scarlet: to get them a testimonial! (Ch 14, para 25)
Viewpoint per chapter Both
Viewpoint and narration · lens E2 · compare across books
Counted: the narration is mostly first person (first person words per 1,000 outside speech: 32.1).
Watson narrates the London investigation in first person, providing his observations and admiration for Holmes. Chapters eight through twelve shift to third person omniscient to tell the backstory of Ferrier, Lucy, and Hope in Utah, allowing the reader to understand Hope's motivation and sympathise with his plight.
- Ch 1 to 6: Watson
- Ch 7: Dr. Watson
- Ch 8 to 12: Third person omniscient
- Ch 13 to 14: John Watson
Want and need of the lead AI
Character · lens B3 · compare across books
| Lead | Sherlock Holmes |
|---|---|
| Wants | Holmes wants to solve the mystery of the two murders and prove his deductive methods superior to Scotland Yard. |
| Needs | Holmes needs to find meaning and purpose through intellectual challenge and the pursuit of truth. |
| False belief | None clear |
| Arc | positive. Holmes demonstrates his methods and solves the case brilliantly, establishing himself as a consulting detective. |
Scene log AI
Story and structure · lens A4 · compare across books
One line per chapter: goal, conflict, outcome
| Ch | Summary | Goal | Conflict | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Watson recounts his military service in Afghanistan, his wound and illness, his return to England in poor health, and his chance meeting with Stamford that leads to an introduction to Sherlock Holmes. | Watson seeks affordable lodgings in London after returning from Afghanistan. | Watson's health is ruined and his finances are depleted; he needs to find suitable accommodation. | Stamford introduces Watson to Holmes, who is also seeking a lodging partner in Baker Street. |
| 2 | Watson and Holmes move into Baker Street lodgings and Watson observes Holmes' peculiar habits, knowledge, and mysterious visitors, eventually learning that Holmes is a consulting detective. | Watson seeks to understand Holmes' profession and methods. | Holmes is secretive about his work and his knowledge seems contradictory and eccentric. | Holmes reveals himself as a consulting detective and explains his science of deduction. |
| 3 | Holmes and Watson are called to investigate a mysterious murder at Lauriston Gardens where a man named Enoch Drebber is found dead with no visible wound, blood in the room, and the word RACHE written on the wall. | Holmes and Watson investigate the death of Enoch Drebber. | The death is mysterious with no clear cause, no robbery, and cryptic evidence including a woman's ring and a word written in blood. | Holmes examines the scene, deduces details about the murderer, and identifies the word as German for revenge, not a woman's name. |
| 4 | Holmes explains his deductions about the murderer to Watson, and they interview the constable John Rance who discovered the body, learning about a drunk man seen at the scene. | Holmes seeks to verify his deductions and gather information about the drunk man seen at the crime scene. | Rance failed to detain the drunk man, who may be the murderer or a key witness. | Holmes learns the drunk man was tall with a red face and brown coat, matching his deductions, and realizes the man came back for the ring. |
| 5 | Holmes places an advertisement for the found wedding ring to lure the murderer, and an old woman arrives claiming it belongs to her daughter, but Holmes suspects a disguise and follows her, only to discover she escapes from the cab. | Holmes uses the ring as bait to catch the murderer through an advertisement. | The person who comes for the ring is an old woman, not the expected man, and she escapes from the cab while being followed. | Holmes realizes the old woman was a disguise worn by a young man, revealing the murderer has allies helping him. |
| 6 | Newspaper accounts speculate about the murder being political, Gregson arrives claiming to have solved the case by arresting Arthur Charpentier, and Lestrade arrives with news that the secretary Stangerson has been murdered. | Gregson seeks credit for solving the Drebber murder by arresting Charpentier. | Gregson's arrest may be wrong, and Lestrade arrives with news of another murder, complicating the case. | Gregson explains his theory that Charpentier killed Drebber, but Lestrade reveals Stangerson has also been murdered, suggesting the case is more complex. |
| 7 | Holmes deduces the murderer's identity from poisoned pills found at Stangerson's body, then dramatically arrests Jefferson Hope by handcuffing him as a cab driver. | Holmes wants to prove his theory about the pills and identify the killer | The pills seem inert when tested on a dog, threatening Holmes's entire chain of reasoning | The second pill proves deadly; Holmes identifies and arrests Jefferson Hope |
| 8 | A dying man and orphaned girl are rescued from the desert by a Mormon caravan, and the man adopts the child as his daughter Lucy. | A starving man and girl seek water and survival in the alkali desert | The desert is barren and deadly; they are dying of thirst and hunger | A huge Mormon caravan discovers them and takes them in as converts |
| 9 | Lucy Ferrier grows into a beautiful young woman in Utah, meets Jefferson Hope, and they fall in love while her father prospers as a farmer. | Lucy and Jefferson Hope want to be together and marry | They are separated by Hope's need to work the mines and return with wealth | Hope leaves for Nevada, promising to return in two months to claim Lucy |
| 10 | Brigham Young visits Ferrier and demands Lucy marry one of two Mormon Elders' sons, giving him one month to decide or face the consequences. | Young wants to force Lucy into a Mormon marriage to keep her within the faith | Ferrier refuses to allow his daughter to marry a Mormon and opposes the Prophet's authority | Young gives Ferrier one month to comply or face the wrath of the Mormon church |
| 11 | Ferrier receives mysterious countdown warnings from the Danite Band, Jefferson Hope arrives to help them escape, and they flee through the mountains pursued by Mormon sentinels. | Ferrier and Lucy want to escape Utah before the month-long deadline expires | The Danite Band marks off the days with mysterious warnings, and Mormon sentinels guard all roads | Jefferson Hope helps them escape through the mountains, passing a Mormon checkpoint |
| 12 | Jefferson Hope returns from hunting to find Ferrier dead and Lucy captured by the Danite Band; he vows revenge and pursues the murderers across continents for years. | Jefferson Hope wants to reunite with Lucy and Ferrier after hunting for food | The Danite Band has caught them; Ferrier is dead and Lucy has been forced to marry young Drebber | Hope discovers Ferrier's grave and learns Lucy is lost to him; he devotes his life to revenge |
| 13 | Jefferson Hope is arrested and reveals his entire motive and method for murdering Drebber and Stangerson in a detailed confession. | Hope wants to confess his crimes and explain his vengeance before he dies from his aneurism. | The police initially resist allowing him to speak, but his medical condition forces them to listen. | Hope gives a full account of how he tracked and poisoned both men over twenty years to avenge Lucy Ferrier's death. |
| 14 | Jefferson Hope dies in his cell from his burst aneurism, and Holmes explains his deductive method to Watson while the newspapers credit Lestrade and Gregson. | Holmes wants to explain his reasoning process and demonstrate the power of analytical deduction. | Watson struggles to understand Holmes's method, and the public credit goes to the wrong detectives. | Holmes reveals his step by step logic while accepting that Lestrade and Gregson will receive the public recognition. |
Setups and payoffs AI
Story and structure · lens A8 · compare across books
| Planted | Pays off | |
|---|---|---|
| Watson's weakened health and need for quiet lodgings (Ch 1) | Watson moves into Baker Street with Holmes, beginning their partnership (Ch 2) | |
| Holmes' mysterious deductive ability demonstrated by knowing Watson came from Afghanistan (Ch 1) | Holmes reveals he is a consulting detective who uses observation and deduction (Ch 2) | |
| The word RACHE written in blood on the wall at Lauriston Gardens (Ch 3) | Hope explains RACHE was a deliberate misdirection inspired by a New York case (Ch 13) | |
| A woman's wedding ring found at the crime scene (Ch 3) | The ring is revealed to be Lucy Ferrier's, the woman Hope loved (Ch 13) | |
| Holmes places an advertisement for the found wedding ring to lure the murderer (Ch 5) | An old woman comes for the ring, revealing the murderer has accomplices (Ch 5) | |
| Jefferson Hope's love for Lucy and his promise to return in two months (Ch 9) | Hope's years of pursuit across continents are driven by his vow to avenge Lucy's death (Ch 12) | |
| Brigham Young demands Lucy marry one of two Mormon Elders' sons within one month (Ch 10) | Ferrier and Lucy attempt to flee Utah but are caught by the Danite Band (Ch 11) | |
| The mysterious countdown numbers appearing on Ferrier's house (Ch 11) | The countdown represents the Danite Band's invisible power and the approach of death (Ch 11) |
You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive. (Ch 1, para 37)
a man’s brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose. (Ch 2, para 10)
the height of a man, in nine cases out of ten, can be told from the length of his stride. (Ch 4, para 7)
Speech fingerprints Count
Dialogue and voice · lens C3 · compare across books
| Character | Share of attributed speech | Lines | Words a line | Questions per 100 lines | Exclaims per 100 | Pet words |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherlock Holmes | 50% | 92 | 12.6 | 20.7 | 7.6 | don't, mind, doubt, done, lestrade, really |
| Gregson | 16% | 20 | 18.9 | 25.0 | 10.0 | case, gold, stangerson, joseph, done, though |
| Lestrade | 13% | 26 | 11.8 | 7.7 | 0.0 | duty, find, joseph, stangerson, enough, room |
| John Ferrier | 6% | 16 | 8.9 | 31.2 | 12.5 | many, mormons, guess, i'll, terms, neglected |
| Jefferson Hope | 6% | 11 | 12.1 | 9.1 | 9.1 | don't, once, through, seven, five, answer |
| Stamford | 5% | 9 | 11.9 | 11.1 | 0.0 | about, watson, sherlock, holmes, seem, walking |
| John Rance | 3% | 5 | 12.4 | 20.0 | 0.0 | where, seems, knows, deal, back, gate |
| Enoch Drebber | 2% | 6 | 5.7 | 0.0 | 16.7 | maiden, decide, leave, decision, hand, lord |
We give a line to a speaker only when one cast name appears in the narration of that paragraph, so many lines stay unattributed. Treat the figures as a sample.
Sentence length per chapter Count
Pace · lens D2 · compare across books
Mean sentence 16.2 words, median 14. 31% of sentences are under 10 words and 10% over 30. In the last fifth of the book, chapters run at 108% and sentences at 111% of the earlier average.
Emotional arc shape Count
Pace · lens D7 · compare across books
Computed shape: Riches to rags (fall) (fit 0.33 on a scale of 0 to 1).
We score the mood of each paragraph with a standard word list, then average across 20 equal slices of the book and smooth it. It is a rough reading of word mood, not of plot, and old styles of English can fool it. Shapes follow Reagan and others (2016).
When the lead and the first dialogue arrive Count
Openings and endings · lens F3, F4 · compare across books
First line of dialogue: after 231 words (Ch 1, para 4), 0.5% into the book.
The lead, Sherlock Holmes, is first named after 859 words (Ch 1, para 15). In a first person book the narrator may be on the page from the first line before we learn the name.
Mystery clue list AI
Genre craft · lens G4 · compare across books
| Clue | Kind | Laid | Explained | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The word RACHE written in blood on the wall | clue | Ch 3 | Ch 13 | |
| A woman's wedding ring found at the crime scene | clue | Ch 3 | Ch 13 | |
| Blood in the room but no visible wound on the body | clue | Ch 3 | Ch 7 | |
| A tall man with a red face and brown coat seen drunk at the gate | clue | Ch 4 | Ch 7 | |
| An old woman comes for the ring instead of the expected man | clue | Ch 5 | Ch 13 | |
| The ointment box containing two pills, one poisoned and one harmless | clue | Ch 7 | Ch 13 | |
| The telegram from Cleveland saying J. H. is in Europe | clue | Ch 7 | Ch 7 | |
| Young's mention of Stangerson and Drebber as possible suitors for Lucy | clue | Ch 10 | Ch 12 | |
| The Mormon countersign overheard in the garden | clue | Ch 11 | Ch 11 | |
| John Ferrier's grave with the date August 4th, 1860 | clue | Ch 12 | Ch 12 |
The unfortunate creature’s tongue seemed hardly to have been moistened in it before it gave a convulsive shiver in every limb, and lay as rigid and lifeless as if it had been struck by lightning. (Ch 7, para 40)
A spasm of pain contorted his features; he threw his hands out in front of him, staggered, and then, with a hoarse cry, fell heavily upon the floor. (Ch 13, para 49)
Antagonist AI
Character · lens B7 · compare across books
| Who | Jefferson Hope |
|---|---|
| Goal | To kill Drebber and Stangerson in revenge for the death of his beloved Lucy Ferrier. |
| Methods | He uses poisoned pills hidden in ointment boxes, poses as a cab driver to track his victims, and employs accomplices to help him evade capture. |
| Shows their hand | Ch 7 |
| Our note | Hope is driven by love and loss rather than malice, making him a sympathetic antagonist despite his crimes. |
Tension curve AI
Pace · lens D6 · compare across books
Tension score per chapter, 1 to 5 (our AI reading). The novel moves quickly through the London investigation in the first seven chapters, then shifts to a slower, more emotional backstory in chapters eight through twelve before returning to the investigation's conclusion. The alternation between mystery and backstory maintains reader interest while building sympathy for the antagonist.
Subplot thread map Both
Story and structure · lens A7 · compare across books
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watson-Holmes partnership formation | ||||||||||||||
| Drebber and Stangerson murders investigation | ||||||||||||||
| Holmes versus Scotland Yard detectives | ||||||||||||||
| John Ferrier and Lucy's story | ||||||||||||||
| Jefferson Hope and Lucy's romance | ||||||||||||||
| Mormon persecution and the Danite Band |
- Watson-Holmes partnership formation: Watson meets Holmes through Stamford and they become lodging partners, establishing their working relationship.
- Drebber and Stangerson murders investigation: Holmes investigates the mysterious deaths and eventually arrests Jefferson Hope as the murderer.
- Holmes versus Scotland Yard detectives: Holmes proves his superior deductive methods while Lestrade and Gregson fumble with conventional investigation.
- John Ferrier and Lucy's story: Ferrier and Lucy are rescued by Mormons, fall in love with Hope, face persecution, and are ultimately destroyed by the church.
- Jefferson Hope and Lucy's romance: Hope and Lucy fall in love but are separated by Mormon persecution, driving Hope's decades-long quest for revenge.
- Mormon persecution and the Danite Band: The Mormon church uses invisible power and the Danite Band to enforce obedience and punish those who disobey.
Motif tracker AI
Theme and motif · lens J3 · compare across books
- Observation and deduction (Ch 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 14): Holmes' method of careful observation and logical reasoning is the key to solving mysteries.
- The wedding ring (Ch 3, 4, 5, 13): Lucy's ring serves as a memento of lost love and the emotional core of Hope's revenge.
- Blood and death (Ch 3, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13): Violence and murder are the inevitable consequences of the Mormon persecution and Hope's obsession.
- Disguise and deception (Ch 5, 7, 13): Hope uses disguises and false identities to evade capture and track his victims.
- Countdown and death (Ch 10, 11, 12): The mysterious countdown numbers represent the inexorable approach of death and the Danite Band's power.
- Revenge and vengeance (Ch 12, 13): Hope's decades-long pursuit of revenge transforms him from a lover into a killer driven by obsession.
Side by side on the narrow shawl knelt the two wanderers, the little prattling child and the reckless, hardened adventurer. (Ch 8, para 39)
So the bud blossomed into a flower, and the year which saw her father the richest of the farmers left her as fair a specimen of American girlhood as could be found in the whole Pacific slope. (Ch 9, para 7)
Yes, a dangerous matter—so dangerous that even the most saintly dared only whisper their religious opinions with bated breath, lest something which fell from their lips might be misconstrued, and bring down a swift retribution upon them. (Ch 10, para 3)
In solving a problem of this sort, the grand thing is to be able to reason backwards. That is a very useful accomplishment, and a very easy one, but people do not practise it much. (Ch 14, para 9)
Signature words Count
Prose style · lens H3 · compare across books
Words this book uses far more than the other books on our shelf (log odds, at least 8 uses). Names often top the list.
Commercial facts card Research
Commercial facts · lens L1, L2, L4 · compare across books
| First published | 1887 |
|---|---|
| Author died | 1930 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the UK (author died 1930, so life plus 70 years has passed) and in the US (first published 1887, before 1931). |
| Length | 43,595 words in 14 chapters; about 2.9 hours to read |
| Genre | Crime and mystery |
| Sales and adaptations | Coming in a later phase, with sources. |
Method: counts come from a clean public domain plain text, split into chapters and paragraphs with stable IDs (for example c3p12 is chapter 3, paragraph 12, in reading order). Lenses marked AI are our AI reading of each chapter, made once and stored. Every quote shown was checked word for word against the text; 8 AI quotes for this book failed that check and were dropped.
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