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The Valley of Fear (Sherlock Holmes #7)

3.95 of 5 stars 3.95 · rating details · 6,638 ratings · 351 reviews

A coded warning sends Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson to a country retreat, where they follow a perplexing trail of clues to unmask a murderer — and to break the stranglehold of a terrorist cult. In this, the fourth and final Sherlock Holmes novel, Doyle is at his storytelling best.

Paperback, 176 pages

Published September 23rd 2005 by Dover Publications (first published 1915)

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Dec 19, 2011 Stephen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 1900-1929, mystery, classics, sherlockian, audiobook, hardcase-crime

Let’s face it, Sherlock Holmes is a prig. A vainglorious bombast whose every breath seems devoted, at least in part, to extolling his prodigious and ubiquitous knowledge and singular mastery over every form of argument, logical deduction or investigative strategy (he's a little like that last sentence). It’s amazing the man can dress himself given that one arm is forever employed in the constant motion of slapping palm to his own back in congratulations for his monumental genius.

Now when faced...more

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Jul 16, 2012 K.D. Oliveros rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: british, detective, crime, series

This is the least enjoyable compared to his earlier 3 novels. The reason is that the plot is a lot thinner and there is almost nothing that Holmes and Watson do except the display their usual power of deduction. Together with the two detectives, the duo go to the scene of the crime and do their usual investigation and after a day or two, are able to solve the crime. The revelation in the end felt so simple and did it not really surprise me at all. I also suspect that I may have been feeding my b...more This is the least enjoyable compared to his earlier 3 novels. The reason is that the plot is a lot thinner and there is almost nothing that Holmes and Watson do except the display their usual power of deduction. Together with the two detectives, the duo go to the scene of the crime and do their usual investigation and after a day or two, are able to solve the crime. The revelation in the end felt so simple and did it not really surprise me at all. I also suspect that I may have been feeding my brain with too much Sherlock Holmes stories that when John Douglas came out, my heart did not skip a beat or two unlike while reading some of his short stories or even recently with his most popular novel, The Hound of the Baskervilles.

However, even if this book is not a par with the other three, this is still a good book. The saving grace is that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle made use, as a backdrop, the 19th allegedly criminal Irish-American mining group called Molly Maguires including the fictional appearance of a real-life agent called James McParland who tips off the death of the rich businessman, John Douglas to Holmes and Watson. The tie up was barely established, however, and I found that Sir Doyle could have elaborated further towards the end to make the plot more interesting. I am not sure if this true-to-life link will still be used in some of his succeeding short stories because, towards the end of the book, Holmes hinted on the connection between his archenemy, Professor Mortiary and the Pirkenton agency as the ones controlling the criminal underworld. I hope he would, since this is quite interesting.

Other than this tie up with some history, there is nothing else worth mentioning, as far as I am concerned, regarding this book. I have seen everything else in his 3 earlier novels and around 30 short stories. I also missed the way he used human emotion in some of his short stories, the use of elaborate flashback in his first novel, A Study in Scarlet and the fast-paced action in the one prior to this - The Hound of Baskervilles.

I'm on to the last two collections of short stories. I am now nearing the end of my quest to read the whole Sherlock Holmes canon. I am not sure whether I will be happy because I will surely miss Holmes and Watson.(less)

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Jan 07, 2011 Dan Schwent rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: hardcase, 2010, cool-covers

Holmes and Watson investigate a murder in a country mansion, a man shot in the face with a sawn off shotgun. Things quickly prove not to be as they seem. But what does the murder have to do with the Valley of Fear...

First off, I'm not the biggest Sherlock Holmes fan and was at a loss when Valley of Fear was announced as a book in the Hard Case line. While I respect Arthur Conan Doyle as one of the pioneers of detective fiction, I was never really interested in him or Holmes. In my quest to read...more

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Mar 07, 2008 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, history, mystery

Not enough Holmes!
Finally found a copy of this to read and, unfortunately, it is too much like The Scarlet Thread. NO ONE wants to read a book about some whackjob American with a secret mysterious past! We already did that once! We want to hear about HOLMES, by God! That's why we are reading this book-- because it is a SHERLOCK HOLMES BOOK. I don't care how spectacular Birdy Edwards is. I don't care what became of him. I want to see a classic character being classic.
Surely, by the time Conan Doy...more

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Jul 29, 2012 Kim rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-fiction, kindle

So far this is my least favourite of the Sherlock Holmes novels. Holmes appears and solves the mystery, of course, but most of the book consists of back story in which neither Holmes nor Watson appear. There is nothing at all wrong with the prose, but the narrative, while interesting enough, is hardly compelling. Overall, I much prefer A Study in Scarlet and The Hound of the Baskervilles. There is simply not enough Holmes in this one for my taste.

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Apr 22, 2013 Kirstine rated it 4 of 5 stars

I got tricked.

Except that's probably not what you call it when you commit the hubris of presuming to know what's going on in a Sherlock Holmes story. I didn't even assume, I thought I knew. I was so absolutely certain I knew where that last part of the story went, that I didn't even consider other options; but I was wrong. I unwittingly handed Sir Arthur Conan Doyle the honor of throwing my ego around like a ragdoll. Well deserved, I say.

On the bright side, nothing keeps you hungry for a myster...more

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Dec 03, 2009 Jim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: hard-case-crime, mystery-thriller

This is a Sherlock Holmes story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, although the cover & blurbs would make you think it's anything but. Great story, of course. Actually, it's two stories; Sherlock solving a mystery in England, then a flashback written by the mystery man that Holmes was investigating, followed up with an epilogue by Dr. Watson.

The first part is typical of a Sherlock Holmes novel. The second part reminded me more of an Edgar Rice Burroughs or Robert E. Howard western. Both were good,...more

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Oct 07, 2011 John Yelverton rated it 5 of 5 stars

Yet another fantastic addition to the greatest mystery book series of all time.

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Jul 15, 2012 ☯Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to ☯Emily by: Goodreads Book Club

Shelves: mystery, classics

I usually read the short stories about Sherlock Holmes and after reading two of Doyle's novellas, I have to say I prefer his short stories. I recently read A Study in Scarlet where Doyle is introduced to the reader. This book follows the same format as A Study in Scarlet. Holmes solves the mystery in the first half and then in part 2, we go back in time to get "the rest of the story." It feels like two stories. I'm not sure I like the formula. In both books, the back story takes place in lawless...more

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Apr 26, 2013 Lance Greenfield Mitchell rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book contains two stories which tie up nicely towards the end.

The first is a classic Holmes crime and mystery which is resolved, as expected by the smug Sherlock, to the astonishment and adulation of Watson and all of the other characters involved. Most avid readers of the Sherlock Holmes stories would probably unravel the puzzles before they read the conclusions of the master. The twist provided by the discovery of a corpse which has been shot in the face by a shotgun is overdone these da...more This book contains two stories which tie up nicely towards the end.

The first is a classic Holmes crime and mystery which is resolved, as expected by the smug Sherlock, to the astonishment and adulation of Watson and all of the other characters involved. Most avid readers of the Sherlock Holmes stories would probably unravel the puzzles before they read the conclusions of the master. The twist provided by the discovery of a corpse which has been shot in the face by a shotgun is overdone these days, but Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle's representation of that scenario may have been completely original when he wrote this story. I would be very interested to know if he was the first, or if there was already a precedent.

It is a good mystery based around the murder of the owner of a mansion which is surrounded by a moat. The murderer's escape route seems to be clear, but how did he get into the mansion when the draw bridge was up. There are many more puzzles to be solved. Of course, as always, the police detectives quickly come to the obvious conclusions, whilst Holmes thinks laterally until he arrives at the truth. The clues are scattered liberally throughout the text for the pleasure of the reader. I usually find that I discover the explanation just before it is revealed. That is what makes these stories so skillfully crafted and so enjoyable.

The second story is about "the scourers" in a mining community in North America. They are a goup of men who terrorise the Valley of Fear using their Freemasons' Lodge as their cover and meeting place. A violent and terrible death is on the cards for anyone who crosses them or who tries to bring them to justice. This is an exciting and action-packed tale. What has this got to do with the murder which occurred in the opening chapter. Well, you know that there is some connection, but the layers are peeled off slowly, and the final knots are not tied until towards the end of the book.

I really did enjoy this one despite the predictabilities. Because of thier timings, they just made it more digestible. I can see why some lovers of Holmes would disagree with me, but I would strongly recommend it to any of my friends who enjoy a good crime mystery. For any lovers of Sherlock Holmes stories who have not read The Valley of Fear, I would say that their reading is not complete if this one is missing from their list.(less)

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Feb 01, 2011 F.R. rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Over the last year I’ve re-read ‘A Study in Scarlet’, ‘The Sign of Four’ and ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’. It’s been an incredibly enjoyable experience, not least because each of the novels performed the charming trick of being much better than I remembered it. I take the orthodox view that it’s in the short stories where you find the true magic of Sherlock Holmes (particularly ‘The Adventures’ and ‘The Memoirs’), but this seems to have had the odd effect of downgrading the qualities of the n...more Over the last year I’ve re-read ‘A Study in Scarlet’, ‘The Sign of Four’ and ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’. It’s been an incredibly enjoyable experience, not least because each of the novels performed the charming trick of being much better than I remembered it. I take the orthodox view that it’s in the short stories where you find the true magic of Sherlock Holmes (particularly ‘The Adventures’ and ‘The Memoirs’), but this seems to have had the odd effect of downgrading the qualities of the novels in my mind. Something told me though, that when I came to ‘The Valley of Fear’ – the book which, memory told me, was very much the least of the longer works – there wouldn’t be enough there to turn my disappointment into appreciation.

And so it proved.

Firstly, let me just say that the Sherlock Holmes parts of this book are excellent. He and Watson are called in to investigate what’s basically a locked room mystery, and Holmes exhibits all the sardonic wit, masterful deduction and infuriating melodrama which readers have come to love him for. Even when Conan-Doyle was just churning them out for the money (and most of the later Holmes’ stories were written with a large cheque in mind), he does keep true to the wonderful character he created, but came to despise. Even, if he can get a tad fuzzy about the details of the canon.

The major problem with this book is the second half. Both ‘A Study in Scarlet’ and ‘The Sign of Four’ have sections of flashback not involving Sherlock Holmes, but here Conan-Doyle gives nearly fifty percent of the book to these other matters. Watson describes the flashback as a “singular and terrible narrative”, but instead it’s flat, hackneyed and with some dreadfully corny dialogue. It concerns the infiltration of a murderous and secret American society, and in précis sounds interesting, but the author never manages to bring it to life. The entire tale lies there inert, daring the reader to plod through it.

It wouldn’t be so bad if that flashback was shorter, it wouldn’t be so bad if the Baker Street wrap-up which follows wasn’t a meagre page and a half long. As it is, even a dedicated Sherlock Holmes fan can’t help feeling somewhat cheated.(less)

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Dec 26, 2012 Eligah Boykin jr. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a fine book about raising the tone of an entire community by ridding it of its secret criminal element and thereby making it something more than a 'Valley of Fear'. This novel is not as tightly written as 'A Study in Scarlet', nor does it move in real time with the suspenseful pace of 'The Hound of the Baskervilles', but it speaks to something more profound about the Human Spirit in its eternal struggle for Freedom. This is the novel that makes one ponder the darker implications of figh...more

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Apr 04, 2011 Jessica-Robyn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: classic mystery fans

Shelves: classics-adult, mystery-crime-adult, pov-male, series-book-4-plus, adult-fiction, historical-fiction

Sherlock Holmes investigates a murder in Part I of The Valley of Fear and in Part II exits stage left to allow the American set story of Jack McMurdo and the murderous society of the Scowrers in the Valley of Fear to take centre stage and bring everything full circle. And it all ends in an rather unexpected turn of events!

Sherlock and Watson are two of the most iconic literary characters ever written and when you read their stories there is always that little bit of extra weight that comes with...more Sherlock Holmes investigates a murder in Part I of The Valley of Fear and in Part II exits stage left to allow the American set story of Jack McMurdo and the murderous society of the Scowrers in the Valley of Fear to take centre stage and bring everything full circle. And it all ends in an rather unexpected turn of events!

Sherlock and Watson are two of the most iconic literary characters ever written and when you read their stories there is always that little bit of extra weight that comes with them, the weight that tells you as you're reading that this is a classic. This is a classic. A classic!
This is the third Sherlock Holmes novel I have read and up till this point I have yet to truly be impressed. Arthur Conan Doyle had not really blown me away in the manner that I am with other more modern mystery novels and I wasn't expecting the Valley of Fear to be any different. Perhaps it is because I'm more accustomed to a different style of writing, but I've always been left wanting something more from the story that it just wasn't giving me. Like eating a bar of "healthy" chocolate. It's great in it's own way, and great for you, but leaves you wanting a bowl of jello instead.

However, I enjoyed reading Sherlock and Watson go through the motions of Douglas's murder in Part I of the story. There were so many different possibilities surrounded by the building tension of Moriarty and his involvement, as well as a rather perplexing moat.

Yes, there is a moat, though a rather non-threatening one.

The mystery had a flow to it that kept everything moving, even if it was a bit slow to start. The nature of the murder itself was interesting, although the suspects were a bit so-so and the conclusion wasn't really a conclusion at all.

Continued in Part II, we are transported to America, to reveal the secretive past of Douglas in amazingly descriptive detail. The time and place is depicted so vividly that by the time I was finished it had such a great impact on me.

Although, not all things were smooth sailing. While nearing the end of Part II I was ready for it to be finished. I enjoyed the descriptive writing and overall story, but it seemed to be dragging a bit. I understand why it was necessary to build the characters for the Valley of Fear and add depth to the mystery that happens years later, but it seemed like the point of "these are terrible people, who do very terrible things" was being driven home a bit too at length. ... Then came the twist and I was wowed by the deception.

It took all that build up to get to that point and it was, for me at least, amazing. I was not expecting things to take that sort of turn and it brought everything together in a way that saved me from feeling like all Sherlock Holmes was is a "classic" instead of a truly excellent mystery.(less)

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Jan 16, 2011 I Read rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: detective

I don’t like Doyle’s habit of having effectively two stories in his books as I choose the book depending on what I feel like reading about at the time and then suddenly half way through you are in another country with another plot altogether – that is frustrating! However, I liked this book.

The first section was set in Sussex (my home county which held appeal for me) and at a nice country house. The details of the murder when revealed when satisfying in that I felt I had been provided enough in...more

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May 14, 2010 Anu Harchu rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: detective, fiction

4.0/5.0
Гоё гэж хэлмээр л байна, даанч хоёр хэсэг болгочихоор ийм юм утгагүй байдаг юм. Би уг нь үргэлж Уатсон, Холмс хоёрыг зурган дотор харахыг хүсдэг. Гэтэл ингэж тэр хоёрыг зурагнаас арилгасан нь тийм ч их таалагддагүй юм.

Дээрхи дутагдалыг эс тооцвол үндсэн плот нь өмнөх бүрэн хэмжээний туужуудаас нь сонирхолтой байсан. Өмнө нь би ном дуусахаас нь өмнө үр дүнг нь бараг л таачихаад байсан бол энэ удаад яагаад ч юм минийх оноогүй. Магадгүй Доел туршлагажсаных байх л даа. (хэхэ. хэсэг тэнэгтэв)

Э...more

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Dec 10, 2011 Ensiform rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, mystery

This adventure is even more enjoyable than the first, containing a really puzzling setup that is at the same time perfectly understandable once the razor mind of Holmes explains it all. I didn’t guess the solution at all, I must admit, although all the clues were right there in front of me. It is a nice touch to make the two detectives who are actually on the case that Holmes is helping with not obtuse in the slightest, but still completely off the right track. As in the very first Holmes story,...more

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Sep 03, 2010 the review man rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Judging from Goodreads reviews, The Valley of Fear takes a lot of flak. It's criticized for having the same style of flashback as A Study in Scarlet and for ignoring Sherlock Holmes for half the story.

However, I thought the American flashback scenes were excellent. They reminded me a lot of Dashiell Hammett; I wonder if he was influenced by Arthur Conan Doyle? At any rate, Doyle's background in spiritualism is clear: his characters dabble in secret societies and cults, and the story benefits fro...more

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Jan 04, 2011 Kristopher rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime, detective, phd-reading-list, 19th-century-novel

I have come to enjoy A. Conan Doyle's odd construction of "A Study in Scarlet" and this book. I think I like "Valley of Fear" even more for its bifurcated country-house mystery and rough-and-tumble American gangsterism. For all its British condescension, "Valley of Fear" looks forward to the rise of 20th-century American crime writing (especially in its inclusion of a Pinkerton agent!). I'll be teaching this book in the spring and I can't wait. I have in my possession from Netflix right now the...more

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May 16, 2010 Dan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Sherlock Holmes fans, mystery fans

The storytelling of Valley of Fear hearkens back to that of A Study in Scarlet, the first Sherlock Holmes story which Arthur Conan Doyle penned, and which also featured a lengthy story-within-a-story. What he did right by Valley of Fear was to merge the two much better. The outer story is told by Watson this time (Study in Scarlet is one of just a few Sherlock Holmes tales not narrated by his sidekick), and the inner is handed to him by one of the main players, to be told to his readers. Thus, w...more

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May 11, 2010 Susan rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio

I love Sherlock Holmes. I love how he figures out a case. I love how he manages to make obscure clues perfectly clear and logical. In that regard, this book did not disappoint.

This story was divided up into two books - part one is the crime and solution from Holmes. The second was the events which led up to the murder in part one. This part was the one I had a problem with. Way too slow, too much talking, no Holmes and I found my mind wandering while listening and hoping it would end soon.

If p...more

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Jan 11, 2013 Jenny Sparrow rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Единственная повесть про Шерлока Холмса, которую я до сих пор не читала. Её не было ни в одном из сборников, которые находились дома или попадались мне в библиотеках. Много позже я про неё услышала с оговоркой, что это далеко не лучшая повесть про великого сыщика. Сейчас, прочитав, я убедилась, что это так. По крайней мере никакого сравнения с Собакой Баскервелей. Слишком тут большая часть не про Шерлока Холмса, а самого Холмса маловато. Причём я, даже не стараясь, сразу догадалась, в чём соль....more

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Apr 26, 2012 Zainab rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

طفولية / خياليه / واحداثها متداخله ، بشكل لم يرق لي

تبداء القصة بجريمة قتل ، لمستر دوجلاس ،، وحينها يبداء المحقق هولمز ، وصديقه دكتور وطسن ، بالتحري ،، لنكتشف بعدها ، ان دوجلاس لم يقتل ، بل هو من دبر ذلك لكي ينجو من محاولة قتل ، ووتبداء الرواية فصلها الثاني : حيث يبداء دوجلاس في تفصيل ماضيه ، ومن يريد قتله! ،، وهنا تتشابك الاحداث (بطريقة لم ترق لي ^^) لنصل في نهاية ، الي هروب دوجلاس وزوجته ، الي جنوب افريقيا ، لتأمين علي نفسه ، ولكن في ختام الرواية يأتي خبر بمقتل دوجلاس اثناء الرحلة !! لتنتهي الر...more

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May 26, 2011 Ellen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, mystery, read-2011, reviewed

Like A Study in Scarlet, this book goes like this: Watson presents us with a mystery; Holmes solves the mystery; we get a hundred pages of the events leading up to the mystery, during which neither Holmes nor Watson is present. I'm pretty sure even Conan Doyle only gets to pull that trick once. Shaaame.

Also, I figured out both of the major twists almost instantly, which sort of dulls the impact of BRILLIANT DETECTIVE BEING BRILLIANTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE.

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Feb 20, 2013 Rose rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: holmes, mysteries

I think "The Sign of Four" will always be my favorite of the four Conan Doyle-penned Holmes novels. How could it not be? The characterization is rich, the plot twists and turns on itself, and it's chock-full of fantastic action sequences. And I'm always going to have an incredible soft spot for "The Hound of the Baskervilles," which does, admittedly, not feature much of Sherlock Holmes himself in its pages, but which is full of atmospheric chills and thrills, and, despite Holmes's lengthy absenc...more I think "The Sign of Four" will always be my favorite of the four Conan Doyle-penned Holmes novels. How could it not be? The characterization is rich, the plot twists and turns on itself, and it's chock-full of fantastic action sequences. And I'm always going to have an incredible soft spot for "The Hound of the Baskervilles," which does, admittedly, not feature much of Sherlock Holmes himself in its pages, but which is full of atmospheric chills and thrills, and, despite Holmes's lengthy absence, features a fantastically wonderful narrator in Dr. Watson.

"The Valley of Fear" is the last of the four Holmes novels, and I am pleasantly surprised to have enjoyed it as much as I did. Set before "The Final Problem" (the short story in which Holmes and Professor Moriarty face off atop the Reichenbach Falls), the novel's opening breaks the series's canon by having Watson aware of the existence of Moriarty before the events of FINA. Considering, however, how much I love to hate Moriarty, I'm certainly not going to complain about a little canon-breaking if it means more of the not-so-good professor.

Of course, neither Moriarty nor Holmes himself show up that much in VALL. Moriarty never actually appears and is only talked about by the other characters, although that hardly fails to keep his presence from being felt at various points throughout the story (primarily, the rather chilling ending). And, much like "A Study in Scarlet," Holmes is only present in the first half of the novel -- although, to Conan Doyle's credit, it's quite a lovely first half. Holmes and Watson are both in top form, with a fun bit of a coded puzzle to open the book (and some crackling-fun dialogue to go along with it), and a baffling set of clues in a case that has exactly the kind of off-beat clues you hope for in a Holmes story -- with precisely the sort of surprise solution that appears in the best of them.

Holmes disappears from most of Part Two, as Watson switches the action to a "prequel" of sorts, explaining how the players in the case came to be positioned as they were. We get Masons this time (unlike Mormons, as in STUD) -- although Conan Doyle never calls them that explicitly, and we're told more than once that the particularly nasty band of "brothers" of the valley are quite unlike their perfectly peaceful counterparts at any of the other, normal lodges throughout America. Unlike STUD, however, I found this part two to be a good bit more engaging.

A lot of this book is just a ripping good adventure read. What makes me cross the divide between three stars and four was the ending, featuring a spectacular twist that I never saw coming, and an epilogue that was both chilling and quietly epic. (I am such a _sucker_ for all things Moriarty, what can I say!) It all combined into a fantastic mystery that was, for me, quite a worthy finish to the Conan Doyle Holmes novels.

Luckily, I have one more book of short stories to go ...(less)

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Apr 02, 2013 Wizzy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 30, 2012 Arwen56 rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romanzi

Praticamente due romanzi in uno: dapprima la storia "gialla" propriamente detta e poi la ricostruzione del retroscena. Piacevolissimo.

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Jan 06, 2011 Bettie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: winter-20102011, classic, mystery-thriller, published-1915, bullies, britain-england, gangsters, revenge

Revenge and treachery link a Sussex country house with the secret societies of 1890s America. With Clive Merrison as Holmes.

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Feb 08, 2010 Joy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Awesome! I think I loved second part of the novel best. Doyle did a great job telling a very thrilling tale.

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Feb 15, 2013 Tim Cole rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Reason for reading:
Volume seven of eight and the last of the four Holmes novels…

About the book:
Holmes receives a coded letter from a man in Professor Moriarty’s organization that a man is about to be killed in Sussex. The notification comes too late though, as Inspector MacDonald of Scotland Yard comes to tell them that indeed, a strange murder has taken place. They visit the moated Birlstone Manor House and unravel a series of riddles involving a bloody boot print on a window ledge, a missing w...more Reason for reading:
Volume seven of eight and the last of the four Holmes novels…

About the book:
Holmes receives a coded letter from a man in Professor Moriarty’s organization that a man is about to be killed in Sussex. The notification comes too late though, as Inspector MacDonald of Scotland Yard comes to tell them that indeed, a strange murder has taken place. They visit the moated Birlstone Manor House and unravel a series of riddles involving a bloody boot print on a window ledge, a missing wedding ring, a card reading VV 341 and a bicycle. The first part ends with Watson being handed the documents that make up the second section of the book. This takes place in The Valley Of Fear that gives the book its name. An isolated and desolate area of the US with coal and iron work the sole reason for a human presence. The place is under the grip of the Scowrers, a Lodge that is a law unto itself. A romance is included and one of Conan Doyle’s most magnificent twists brings the second section to its conclusion. There is, however, an epilogue…

Quote, unquote:
McMurdo’s coat had been brought to him, but before putting it on he examined his right arm, which still smarted heavily. There, on the flesh of the forearm, was a clear-cut circle with a triangle within it, deep and red, as the branding-iron had left it. One two of his neighbours pulled up their sleeves and showed their own Lodge marks.

What was good:
The first section of the book offers an obvious solution to anyone who has read a similar tale before, but it is wonderfully executed. The setting of the house with a moat adds a stirring resonance to the atmosphere of the tale. The back-story though is everything here. Holmes and Watson are almost superfluous – it could be Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot playing detective without any alteration to the plot or prose. Where the American half of A Study In Scarlet seemed a bit slow to me, here Conan Doyle has a riveting read for the second section of the book. The characters are strong and the tension builds with a rush towards the final chapter.

What wasn't good:
There is a problem with the whole involvement – or rather the non-involvement – of Professor Moriarty. What we are promised, we don’t really get. Also, with The Valley Of Fear set before, but written after The Final Problem – the short story in which Moriarty is introduced – Watson’s lack of knowledge about him at the start of both books makes no sense. It is an unfortunate timey-wimey problem, which The Doctor of Doctor Who would have more ease in explaining than our dear doctor here.(less)

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Feb 23, 2011 Paul rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Among my favorite stories of Sherlock Holmes. Was very tempted to rate it 5 stars.

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About Arthur Conan Doyle

Arthur Conan Doyle was born the third of ten siblings on 22 May 1859 in Edinburgh, Scotland. His father, Charles Altamont Doyle, was born in England of Irish descent, and his mother, born Mary Foley, was Irish. They were married in 1855.

Although he is now referred to as "Conan Doyle", the origin of this compound surname (if that is how he meant it to be understood) is uncertain. His baptism record...more

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Books by Arthur Conan Doyle

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock Holmes, #3)

A Study in Scarlet (Sherlock Holmes, #1)

The Hound of the Baskervilles (Sherlock Holmes, #5)

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The Valley of Fear (Sherlock Holmes #7)

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