Good advice given by all already....try a S&W 626 w/ a 6" bbl first (initially with .38, then move up to .357 mag when adept)...you won't go wrong. If that's not the "one" for you....then continue your quest...
My first was a S&W M27 purchased when I was 18...4 decades ago...no regrets...yet
edited: I typed 626 above...might should be 686....I don't keep up with all the models...but a 6" S&W, any of them, is a good place to start....