Other editions of book The Valley of Fear

"It is the Valley of Fear, the Valley of Death. The terror is in the hearts of the people from the dusk to the dawn. Wait, young man, and you will learn for yourself." Sherlock Holmes is intrigued and disturbed when he receives an ominous coded message: a Mr. Douglas of Birlstone House is in terrible danger. Before Holmes can act, shocking news arrives. Douglas has been founded dead—his face blown off by a shotgun. Scotland Yard is stumped. Was this suicide or murder? But Holmes is in no doubt. For he recognizes the calling card of his nemesis: Professor James Moriarty. In this thrilling tale of fear and tyranny, stretching from the stark American coal valleys to an English country manor, Holmes must battle his greatest—and most lethal—enemy.6 CDs. 6 hrs 17 mins.

In this, the final of Arthur Conan Doyle’s four Sherlock Holmes novels, the author returns to the original format. It is a story is two parts: the first, centered on the deductive skills of Holmes, set in England; the second, an involved background story set in the United States. In Part 1, Holmes receives an anonymous letter forewarning a murder that he knows he has little chance of preventing. Indeed, the crime is committed just as Holmes, with Dr. Watson at his side, begins to unravel the letter’s clues. The scene is a moat-protected castle residence of a reclusive married couple. But how did the murderer gain entrance—and how has he escaped undetected? Part 2 is based loosely on the true story of Irish-American James McParland and his involvement with the Molly Maguires, an organization of Pennsylvania miners involved in violent struggles against the powerful mine owners.

Sherlock Holmes, legendarily-if fictionally-the world's first consulting detective, returns for his fourth and final novel-length adventure in this 1915 book, originally serialized in the Strand Magazine from September 1914 to May 1915. In the course of investigating the apparent murder of one man-and discovering that the body belongs to another man entirely-Holmes and his sidekick and biographer Dr. Watson learn that they are up against the detective's most fiendish opponent, Professor James Moriarty. Can Holmes and Watson thwart Moriarty's agents in time to stop another murder? Scottish surgeon and political activist SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE (1859-1930) turned his passions into stories and novels, producing fiction and nonfiction works sometimes controversial (The Great Boer War, 1900), sometimes fanciful (The Coming of the Fairies, 1922), and sometimes legendary (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, 1892).

A man called Douglas has received a bullet in the head. Sherlock Holmes has deciphered a secret message warning him of Douglas's danger - too late. When he arrives at Douglas's home he finds a bizarre series of clues: the victim's branded arm, the theft of his wedding ring and a mysterious calling card. Scotland Yard is stumped, but Holmes, who has detected the evil presence of Moriarty in this crime, has some ideas of his own.

The plot of the novel is based very loosely on the real-life activities of the Molly Maguires and, particularly, of Pinkerton agent James McParland. The novel is divided into two parts: in the first, Holmes investigates an apparent murder and discovers that the body belongs to another man; and in the second, the story of the man originally thought to have been the victim is told.

The Valley of Fear, the last of the four Sherlock Holmes novels, ranks among Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's best work. The mystery begins with a coded warning of imminent danger, drawing the illustrious Sherlock Holmes and the faithful Dr. Watson to a secluded English country home. A trail of bewildering clues—raincoats, dumbbells, a missing wedding ring—leads to sleuthing in the finest Holmesian tradition and the gripping backstory of a cult that terrorized a valley in the American West. The Valley of Fear is loosely based on the real-life exploits of the Molly Maguires and Pinkerton agent James McParland. The story was first published in the Strand Magazine between September 1914 and May 1915.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859 – 1930) was a Scottish writer and physician, most noted for his fictional stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, which are generally considered milestones in the field of crime fiction. He is also known all over the world as the creator of the most famous fictional characters in English literature. He was a man of many talents : a medical doctor, prolific and excellent storyteller, keen patriot and a staunch imperialist, as well as a campaigner against miscarriages of justice.In August of 1885, he married a young woman called Louisa Hawkins, the sister of one of his patients. He described her in his memoirs as having been "gentle and amiable”.Sherlock Holmes made his first appearance in ‘A Study of Scarlet’ published in Beeton’s Christmas Annual in 1887. Conan Doyle was paid £25 for this story. Its success encouraged its author to write a full length novel, and two years later, Micah Clarke was published to critical acclaim. Connan Doyle added to this success with a series of Holmes stories for the Strand Magazine in 1891.In 1906 his first wife died an infectious diseases from tuberculosis, this year Doyle published Sir Nigel, a popular historical novel of the Middle Ages; and in 1907 Doyle married Jean Leckie. Doyle now took up a number of political and charitable causes. In 1909 he wrote Divorce Law Reform, supporting equal rights for women in British law, and The Crime of the Congo, attacking the mistreatment of that colony by Belgium. In 1911 he published a second collection of poems, Songs of the Road, and in 1912 began a series of science fiction stories with the novel The Lost World, featuring another of his famous characters, Professor Challenger.Conan Doyle also published a number of non-fictional works including, The War in South Africa: its Cause and Conduct, and The British Campaign in France and Flanders, a six-volume history, which he completed in 1920.Arthur Conan Doyle died on July 7th, 1930 of a heart attack; he was 71 years old. His last words were directed toward his wife: "You are wonderful." At the time of his death, there was some controversy concerning his burial place, as he was avowedly not a Christian, considering himself a Spiritualist. He was first buried on 11 July 1930 in Windlesham rose garden. He was later reinterred together with his wife in Minstead churchyard in the New Forest, Hampshire.