The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle

No matter how smart you think you are, there’s no way one can anticipate what Sir Arthur has in store. The first – the point when the flamboyant detective solves the mystery, and two – the point when the story from flashback comes to its end. Interestingly, the story has two tipping points, almost like two distinct climaxes, that blew me away. The journey introduces us to the Scowrers, a secret society of criminals that are wreaking havoc on the day-to-day life in the valley. The story takes us backs to the Valley of Vermissa, a mining town in the United States. However, much like the first two novels, A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of Four, the crimes in this story too have their roots in the past. The story also introduces the character of Professor James Moriarty, the elite criminal mastermind, for the first time in the series. John Douglas of Birlstone Manor House is killed, and the mystery around his murder is mind-blowing and much more intense than any of the previous Sherlock Holmes stories. The Valley of Fear is a story about a mysterious murder in Birlstone, beautiful countryside in England.

It was first published as a book in February 1915, though it also appeared in the Strand Magazine between September 1914 to May 1915. The Valley of Fear is the fourth and last novel in the Sherlock Holmes series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. So, here’s my review of the last novel of the series (which makes me sad): Introduction & Plot Summary I was already a fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle when I read the first instalment of the Sherlock Holmes series of novels, and by the time I completed the fourth, I was in complete awe of the mystery writer. After completing The Valley of Fear, the last in the famous Sherlock Holmes novels, I admit that there’re few things in life as engaging as reading the detective tear through the darkness of suspense. However, now I can simply answer, “whatever Sir Arthur wrote was a good story!”, a great story, in fact. About a year ago, if someone would’ve asked me what makes a good story, I would talk in detail on the subject.

The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle