In "A Study in Scarlet," Sherlock Holmes works with Dr. Watson and the detectives of Scotland Yard to solve a complex murder investigation, the perpetrator of which turns out to be Jefferson Hope, an American who sought to fulfill a personal vendetta against his victims. Holmes himself is an actual detective. However, he is not the only character who participates in the investigation or even in general detective work. Holmes, Watson, and even Jefferson Hope all have distinct motivations that drive them to function as detectives. Holmes's detection work is obvious seeing as it is his self-proclaimed profession. However, Watson and Hope's functions as detectives are less apparent. Nevertheless, Watson participates in the investigation, and Hope spends many years hunting down those who wronged him. Therefore, although less obvious, all three characters perform detective work, each with their own unique drive and purpose. .
Holmes's motives for crime detection arise mainly out of his innate interest in the subject and his exceptional ability in the art of deduction and logic. He does not value the objective of definitive truth so much as he appreciates the process of reasoning he uses to get there. In the beginning of the novel, Watson discovers the true profession of his companion, and after this Holmes reveals his opinion that there is a disappointing lack of interesting crimes to investigate (19). In this way, one can see that a major desire of Holmes is to be intellectually challenged by whatever cases he pursues. However, he does not have much motivation to pursue the murderer on the basis of morality itself, meaning to uphold what is right in the eyes of the law. Through Holmes's efforts justice is eventually obtained, but the real reason he chooses to investigate is based on the unusual and intriguing nature of the case, rather than the actual immorality of murder as a crime. The very title A Study in Scarlet references Holmes's perspective on crime solving saying that he is motivated to unravel the scarlet thread of murder that runs through life and to expose it (37).