The Valley of Fear Paperback – April 1, 2007

I am comparing the text to an original 1914 copy. The Valley of Fear is the fourth and final Sherlock Holmes novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It is loosely based on the real-life exploits[citation needed] of the Molly Maguires and Pinkerton agent James McParland. The story was first published in the Strand Magazine between September 1914 and May 1915. The first book edition was copyrighted in 1914, published by George H. Doran Company in New York on 27 February 1915, and illustrated by Arthur I. Keller.

Dual story - one as good a Holmes tale as ever, one a good adventure story as you could wish. Twists in both, of course.

kind of boring

I really enjoyed this book. I find the Sherlock Holmes books so fascinating. I liked this one a lot because it gives you a sort of historical background that puts the story into context.

The Valley of Fear has a similar set-up as A Study in Scarlet and reads like an exciting yarn of adventure.So, it comes in two parts: the first the mystery and the second the background story. Finally, it comes with a fateful conclusion which seemingly acts as a prelude to The Final Problem, written many years before, leading to Sherlock Holmes' death during his showdown with Professor Moriarty.Naturally enough, that's why Watson proclaims that he had never heard of Moriarty before when in fact that the two stories are chronically switched at different dates.All in all, The Valley of Fear is a continuation of the Sherlock Holmes stories, placed between The Hound of the Baskervilles and His Last Bow.

Hardly high literature, but good fun

Not for Kindle ebooks