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    The Valley of Fear
    The Valley of Fear
    The Valley of Fear
    Ebook292 pages4 hours

    The Valley of Fear

    By Arthur Conan Doyle

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    HarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics.

    ‘The greatest schemer of all time, the organizer of every deviltry, the controlling brain of the underworld, a brain which might have made or marred the destiny of nations – that's the man!’

    Summoned to a mysterious manor house by one of the henchmen of his arch nemesis, Professor Moriarty, Holmes and Watson find themselves confronted by the scene of a brutal murder. But the brilliant Holmes soon reveals that there is much more to this case than first meets the eye…

    First published as a serialisation in The Strand Magazine between 1914 and 1915, this fourth and final Sherlock Holmes novel will delight fans of Conan Doyle’s legendary detective and his faithful sidekick Watson.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins UK
    Release dateJan 14, 2016
    ISBN9780008166762
    Author

    Arthur Conan Doyle

    Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) descendía de una noble familia irlandesa y cursó estudios de Medicina. Sin embargo, nunca ejerció, pues apenas dos años después de licenciarse en 1885 dio a luz el primero de sus relatos de suspense, Estudio en escarlata (1887). Su éxito fue tan grande e inmediato, que nuestro autor ya no dejaría de escribir. El personaje creado por él, su detective Sherlock Holmes, se hizo famosísimo y protagonizó nada menos que sesenta títulos. Entre los más conocidos se encuentran El perro de los Baskerville, El valle del terror o los relatos incluidos en su libro Las aventuras de Sherlock Holmes, publicado en Gribaudo. También cultivó la ciencia ficción, la novela histórica y otros géneros. En 1900 dio a luz su libro más extenso, La guerra de los bóers, y se pronunció en favor de la contienda británica en África. Según su opinión fue esto sobre todo lo que favoreció su nombramiento como caballero de la Orden del Imperio dos años después. Había alcanzado un lugar de prestigio, con apenas cuarenta años. Poco después (1906) murió su esposa Louise Hawkins y se casó con la médium Jean Elizabeth Leckie. Este vínculo con las ciencias ocultas se acrecentó tras la desaparición de su hijo Kingsley en la Primera Guerra Mundial. Del vínculo directo con el espiritismo nació su Historia del espiritismo (1926) así como numerosas polémicas, por ejemplo, contra su amigo Harry Houdini. Fue asimismo aficionado al fútbol, al críquet y al golf, entre otras pasiones. Murió de un ataque al corazón en la ciudad de Crowborough, en donde había residido durante veintitrés años.

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    Reviews for The Valley of Fear

    3.5/5

    703 ratings27 reviews

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    • 4/5
      This is the least well known of the four of Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes novellae. It is very similar in structure and indeed in theme to A Study in Scarlet. The murder is solved half way through (with an interesting twist) and then the second half is the back story of the killer, showing why they have acted as they have, and again here showing an American past involving a shady cult or secret society, in this case a renegade branch of the Eminent Society of Freemen called the Scowrers who hold the Vermissa Valley mining communities in fear and terror. The similarities are too stark not to be noticed and this lacks the impact of its predecessor, though the choking atmosphere of fear and casual, brutal violence engendered by the Scowrers is vividly described. 4/5
    • 2/5
      Was just to -Let's go to America- for my taste, much like A Study In Scarlet . I suppose I just prefer my Holmes in the fog shrouded London streets heavily misted Moors or in a carriage down the lane
    • 5/5
      Another of the great Sherlock Holmes murder mystery novels with an American backdrop based around members of a crooked organisation trying to kill the Pinkerton's detective who broke up their gang.
    • 5/5
      The Valley of Fear is a Sherlock Holmes novel which is divided into two parts. While the first part concentrates on Sherlock Holmes solving a murder case, the second part provides a background story to the case. The novel starts by Holmes decoding a cipher from an informant against his nemesis Moriarty about a 'Douglas' in 'Birlstone'. Holmes, however, is too late to prevent crime as a dead person has already been found at Birlstone. Of course he assists the police in working the case. A body with a strange branding on the forearm is found lying dead in Birlstone Manor. The head was blown off by a sawed-off American shotgun and the wedding ring is missing. Strangely, both wife and best friend of the supposedly dead Douglas are in rather good spirits which quickly leads to Holmes solving the case. This is when the second part of the novel begins. This part is set in the United States 20 years before the murder and relates the story of a criminal organization called the Scowrers. It helps the reader understand the reason why Douglas was hunted down to be murdered.The division into two parts is something I very much enjoyed about this novel as it combines the usual crime case that is solved by the famous detective from 221b Baker Street with a great background story. Actually, I have to admit that I liked the second part of the novel even better than the first one. The background story was very intriguing and well written so that I did not want to stop reading. As to the crime case itself, it is probably nothing all too different from other Sherlock Holmes stories. With the structure of the novel, though, The Valley of Fear is a reading experience that manages to keep the good elements of every Holmes story and at the same time to include something that sets it apart from all the other stories.On the whole, it was a pleasure to read The Valley of Fear. Highly recommendable, not just to Holmes lovers. 4.5 stars.
    • 3/5
      A.C. Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories have always held a special place in my heart. They're indicative of a great time in literature and one of the archetypal creations of the detective genre; however, The Valley of Fear is a shadow of his earlier tales. The initial investigation into the murder is undoubtedly interesting, but what killed it for me was that wholly the second half of the book was a flashback told from a totally different POV (3rd, vs. the original 1st) involving a setting thousands of miles away (the American West). The whole story seemed like an excuse to tell "a tale of moral corruption and secret societies in the Wild West" and package it under the Sherlock Holmes name. It wasn't a horrible read, and it was a blessedly short book, but when you're expecting something like Doyle's original Holmes tales, this one is sure to disappoint. He did it a lot better and with a lot fewer words when he first started writing Holmes. The only reason this story gets 2 1/2 stars from me is because it's by A.C. Doyle. If I wasn't such a book completionist, I probably wouldn't have read it.
    • 4/5
      Similar to his first book, this is really two novellas compressed into one, with a Holmes story first, then a short novel about one of the characters in the mystery. Perhaps the first bit is a little long for what it is, but I enjoyed the second part quite a bit. (I must admit, I was glad to find out the story was going in the direction I was hoping it would. Details about that would spoil too much of the fun of this story.)
    • 3/5
      I found this last Sherlock Holmes novel disappointing.
    • 1/5
      Well, I didn't think much of this. It follows the same split format as does A Study in Scarlet and the second part boasts some sloppy writing. Disappointing
    • 4/5
      Definitely the most compelling of the novels, though it's still weird that ACD insists on spending half the book in America, without Holmes or Watson.
    • 4/5
      The first part is the mystery Sherlock must solve. He points out how for a book code you need the same version of a book.The 2nd part is the back story of the main character of the 1st part when he was in America.
    • 3/5
      “Mr. Mac, the most practical thing that you ever did in your life would be to shut yourself up for three months and read twelve hours a day at the annals of crime.” Sherlock Holmes to the police inspector.Compared to the other novels and short stories this was a bit of a dissapointment. Holmes and Watson only figure in very few pages - the middle part is a long crime backstory (supposedly based on real events) - but I wanted to get back to Holmes and the cocky inspector who are somewhat clueless.Of course sacrilege to suggest one should skip a Sherlock Holmes novel - but if you contemplate the unthinkable - then this novel would be it.
    • 3/5
      Essentially, this one is 'A Study in Scarlet' with Masons instead of Mormons. I would, indeed, go so far as to say that it's much worse than 'A Study in Scarlet'.My logic: I read Sherlock Holmes books to read about Sherlock Holmes solving cases. This book was written, however, to be an 'adventure in America.' It's got the kind of off-the-wall sensationalism that would have attracted the British reading audience at that time. The mystery isn't terrible, but most of the book isn't the mystery. Most of the book is either set in the America storyline or is not actually involved in Holmes' solution to the case.Because this is just a rehash of a plot which Doyle had already executed-- and executed better-- I would say that the only reason anyone should hunt down and read this particular story is for the glory of having read them all. It's not painful to read, nor is it truly disappointing, but it's not interesting.This story is, however, interesting for the similarities it has to that final propaganda story, 'His Last Bow.' Both the main character in the second half of 'The Valley of Fear' and Holmes in 'His Last Bow' perform eerily similar feats of deception. However, I would classify both of these stories as severely sub-par Conan Doyle.
    • 4/5
      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, but it was a bit of an odd mix. I don't recall reading the story before, either.
    • 4/5
      A British classic partially set in the United States...Sounds like a winner to me. Next the The Hound of the Baskervilles, this is my favorite Sherlock Holmes story.
    • 4/5
      It's probably been 50 years since I first read this, and it was quite enjoyable to read again. At least half of the book is set in the USA and does not involve Holmes, but does a great job of showcasing Conan Doyle's talent.
    • 3/5
      It's a decent story, but it doesn't feel very Sherlockian. It's definitely worse than Hound of the Baskervilles (the best of all the Holmes novels) but probably better than it's closest counterpart A Study in Scarlet. Both have the long stretches of American history making up the second half of the book, but The Valley of Fear doesn't drag quite as badly. Still, it's not one of Doyle's best.
    • 3/5
      What prevents this “reasonably good” novel from being something much better is that the main characters are only present for the first half of the story.I’m not a Holmes and Watson fanatic, but even so, I felt cheated in that I expected the duo to lead the way.When part two began as a flashback, featuring other characters, I thought any minute now it’ll return to Holmes and Watson. It never did.Based on its own merits, it’s not a bad tale, but it’s not what I expected.
    • 3/5
      The first half was quite good, but the second half was kind of a prequel and was Holmes-free so it wasn't as good. I just didn't like the format, but overall the book was still good.
    • 4/5
      The prose is elegant and witty, the plot has holes you could drive a herd of unionizers through, and the characterization is terrific. Its a classic for a reason. I "read" the audio version with Derek Jacobi as the reader, but have not yet been able to find that edition to use for my review. There are a LOT of editions on here, and I got tired of scrolling. However, the Jacobi reading was great fun.
    • 4/5
      Actually enjoyed the second part (which didn't really feature Sherlock Holmes until the very end) more than the first part.Loved the twist at the end and the way it all linked back to the original case.Really liked the fact that Arthur Conan Doyle had created such a huge backstory for his characters (because I had already read A Study in Scarlet it didn't really surprise me as much as it did the first time).The descriptions of people and scenery were great.
    • 3/5
      This was another standard fare Sherlock Holems book. However, Doyle seems to be gaining gravity and style even more so with his work as it spans on. A good book and not one to be missed for the Sherlock Holmes enhusiast.3 stars.
    • 3/5
      Another Holmes novel with a backstory taking place in the United States. These are my least favorite of Doyle’s vast Holmes canon. The British side of the plot holds up well, with a nice little trick at the end, but the US plot is not worthwhile.
    • 4/5
      Sherlock Holmes receives a coded warning from within his nemesis Moriarty’s network about a crime that is to take place shortly. Holmes has hardly finished decoding the message when news reaches him that a murder has taken place. Holmes and Watson head for Sussex to investigate the murder. Holmes spots details that others overlook and solves the murder. Its resolution leads to a very different second half of the novel, where a secret society terrorizes a Pennsylvania mining valley.I enjoyed the second half of the book as much or more than the first half, which is more characteristically Holmesian. It’s essentially two loosely connected novellas. I think Doyle must have enjoyed breaking out of the mold he had created with his Sherlock Holmes adventures. The first half of the book gave readers what they craved of the familiar detective, and the second half gave Doyle an opportunity he craved of writing of a world beyond Victorian England.
    • 4/5
      Five stars for the first half, a lot less for the dreary second half.

      In my eyes, it's novels like this that show that Doyle was really itching to write non-Holmes stories, even when he was writing Holmes stories. The first half is a decent Holmes and Watson mystery, but the second half is a mostly poorly-written story of a town held by a gang of criminals operating under a secret society banner.

      The story itself isn't horrible, and it even has a fun little twist toward the end, but it's the cringe-worthy dialogue and consistent, quick mood changes from the "see here, you bounder, are you disagreeing with me, because I'll box your ears!" frame of mind to the "ah, you're a funny scoundrel, you are and I like you all the more for it!" with a couple of quick words from the man that originally angered him.

      That, coupled with the, hey, we gotta kill this guy...all agree that's no problem, we'll get it done tonight! pacing and easy acceptance of murder with no conscience that just feels contrived.

      Taken as a whole, it's one of the weaker Holmes stories, because of the above, and the fact that neither Holmes nor Watson appear in more than half the pages.
    • 3/5
      Doyle returns to an old formula--a decades-long saga that culminates in a Holmes mystery, akin to A Study in Scarlet or The Sign of Four--with this novel. It's written in two parts--the present and past. It's interesting and complex, though it lacks some of the dramatic tension of The Hound of the Baskervilles. 3.5 stars.

      [also, my in-laws' wi-fi went out yesterday, and it was thisclose to revolution at their house, you guys.]
    • 5/5
      This was almost two stories in one. I was familiar with the first part of the story where Sherlock Holmes was involved in solving the mystery. It was the traditional Sherlock Holmes story where he sorts out the mystery and the characters involved. The second half of the story was the history that led up to the main events of the story. This part was completely new to me and I loved it. The character evolution in the second half was amazing. I almost enjoyed it more than my beloved Sherlock Holmes.
    • 4/5
      The Valley of Fear is published by Conan Doyle in 1914. Feeling shackled by the character for which he is best known, Conan Doyle's writing of the famous eccentric shows his narrative burden; Holmes himself is literally absent for over half of the book, as Part II explores the background of a particular character from Part I. This shift in genre is not entirely successful, as it does not seem to manage the expectations of the established audience; however, both narratives are enjoyable when read as separate bodies of work, and I would argue that they would be most successfully read as such.

    Book preview

    The Valley of Fear - Arthur Conan Doyle

    THE VALLEY OF FEAR

    Arthur Conan Doyle

    Logo Missing

    Copyright

    William Collins

    An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers

    1 London Bridge Street,

    London SE1 9GF

    WilliamCollinsBooks.com

    This eBook edition published by William Collins in 2016

    Life & Times section © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

    Gerard Cheshire asserts his moral right as author of the Life & Times section

    Classic Literature: Words and Phrases adapted from

    Collins English Dictionary

    Cover by e-Digital Design

    Cover image: Holmes uses his magnifying glass to help solve the mysterious events at Birlstone, Frank Wiles, The Strand Magazine, 1914 © Mary Evans Picture Library

    A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

    All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

    Source ISBN: 9780008166755

    Ebook Edition © January 2016 ISBN: 9780008166762

    Version: 2015-11-24

    CONTENTS

    Cover

    Title Page

    Copyright

    History of Collins

    Life & Times

    PART 1: THE TRAGEDY OF BIRLSTONE

    Chapter 1 - The Warning

    Chapter 2 - Sherlock Holmes Discourses

    Chapter 3 - The Tragedy of Birlstone

    Chapter 4 - Darkness

    Chapter 5 - The People of the Drama

    Chapter 6 - A Dawning Light

    Chapter 7 - The Solution

    PART 2: THE SCOWRERS

    Chapter 1 - The Man

    Chapter 2 - The Bodymaster

    Chapter 3 - Lodge 341, Vermissa

    Chapter 4 - The Valley of Fear

    Chapter 5 - The Darkest Hour

    Chapter 6 - Danger

    Chapter 7 - The Trapping of Birdy Edwards

    Epilogue

    Classic Literature: Words and Phrases

    About the Publisher

    History of Collins

    In 1819, millworker William Collins from Glasgow, Scotland, set up a company for printing and publishing pamphlets, sermons, hymn books, and prayer books. That company was Collins and was to mark the birth of HarperCollins Publishers as we know it today. The long tradition of Collins dictionary publishing can be traced back to the first dictionary William published in 1824, Greek and English Lexicon. Indeed, from 1840 onwards, he began to produce illustrated dictionaries and even obtained a licence to print and publish the Bible.

    Soon after, William published the first Collins novel, Ready Reckoner; however, it was the time of the Long Depression, where harvests were poor, prices were high, potato crops had failed, and violence was erupting in Europe. As a result, many factories across the country were forced to close down and William chose to retire in 1846, partly due to the hardships he was facing.

    Aged 30, William’s son, William II, took over the business. A keen humanitarian with a warm heart and a generous spirit, William II was truly ‘Victorian’ in his outlook. He introduced new, up-to-date steam presses and published affordable editions of Shakespeare’s works and The Pilgrim’s Progress, making them available to the masses for the first time. A new demand for educational books meant that success came with the publication of travel books, scientific books, encyclopedias, and dictionaries. This demand to be educated led to the later publication of atlases, and Collins also held the monopoly on scripture writing at the time.

    In the 1860s Collins began to expand and diversify and the idea of ‘books for the millions’ was developed. Affordable editions of classical literature were published, and in 1903 Collins introduced 10 titles in their Collins Handy Illustrated Pocket Novels. These proved so popular that a few years later this had increased to an output of 50 volumes, selling nearly half a million in their year of publication. In the same year, The Everyman’s Library was also instituted, with the idea of publishing an affordable library of the most important classical works, biographies, religious and philosophical treatments, plays, poems, travel, and adventure. This series eclipsed all competition at the time, and the introduction of paperback books in the 1950s helped to open that market and marked a high point in the industry.

    HarperCollins is and has always been a champion of the classics, and the current Collins Classics series follows in this tradition – publishing classical literature that is affordable and available to all. Beautifully packaged, highly collectible, and intended to be reread and enjoyed at every opportunity.

    Life & Times

    About the Author

    Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1859, the year Charles Darwin’s The Origin of Species was published. Conan Doyle was raised Catholic but declared himself agnostic by the time he began reading medicine at Edinburgh University in 1876. He attained his doctorate in 1885, researching a condition caused by syphilis, known as tabes dorsalis, and characterised by the degeneration of sensory neurons causing the body to malfunction.

    Conan Doyle’s professional life began with a stint as ship’s doctor on a voyage around the coast of west Africa. In early 1882, before his doctorate was complete, he set up a surgery in Plymouth, England, with a university friend. Unfortunately, their professional relationship was short-lived and Conan Doyle had moved to Southsea, England, by that summer. He then established his own medical practice, but found that business was slow, so he worked on his writing, which he had enjoyed from an early age. By 1887, he had published his first Sherlock Holmes novel and steered his career in a different direction.

    Between 1887 and 1927, Conan Doyle published nine Sherlock Holmes books: four novels and five collections of short stories. He wrote many other books, but Sherlock Holmes became such an iconic character that his other works were rather overshadowed. In fact, Conan Doyle made the decision to kill off Sherlock Holmes in 1894, in a short story entitled The Final Problem. There was such public outcry at the death of Sherlock Holmes that Conan Doyle was moved to bring him back to life in The Return of Sherlock Holmes.

    Despite his agnosticism, Conan Doyle developed an interest in spiritualism, becoming fascinated by beliefs in supernatural phenomena, including the Cottingley Fairy photographs, now understood to be hoaxes. His obsession also created a rift between himself and his friend, escapologist Harry Houdini. Conan Doyle couldn’t accept that Houdini’s escapades were elaborate tricks and Houdini grew vexed at Conan Doyle’s insistence that he possessed magical powers.

    Conan Doyle suffered from considerable personal tragedy in the early years of the 20th century. A number of family members died, including his wife Louise, in 1906, and his son Kingsley, in 1918. There was also the horror of World War I to contend with, which affected the entire nation’s morale.

    The Influence of Science

    One of Conan Doyle’s better-known other works is the science-fiction novel The Lost World, published in 1912. The character Professor Challenger mounts an expedition to the Amazon Basin. He and his entourage encounter all manner of prehistoric animals along the way and witness warfare between an indigenous tribe and ape-men. In context, this novel can be seen as a document of scientific inquiry at the time. The French science-fiction author Jules Verne had died six years before, leaving an anthology of similar stories, including Journey to the Centre of the Earth. Similarly, Conan Doyle’s contemporary, the English writer H. G. Wells, had published The Time Machine in 1895. These books all enabled the characters to visit other places in time and to witness extinct creatures brought back to life. This general theme proved popular in an era when fossils and the processes of evolution were beginning to be understood by science. Conan Doyle used science to underpin his literature, although it is fair to say that he allowed pseudoscience to also appear towards the end of his life. Sherlock Holmes was Conan Doyle’s expression of his recognition that the application of empirical science and acute intellect were the things that members of the British Empire saw as the reason for their success.

    Sherlock Holmes

    Arthur Conan Doyle originally invented and wrote about the character of Sherlock Holmes to fill his time during his period as a general practitioner. In 1887 came the first published appearance of Holmes, along with his faithful companion Dr. Watson, in a novel entitled A Study in Scarlet. Then three years after that came his second, The Sign of the Four.

    These books established Conan Doyle as a successful author. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes was published in 1892. Six of the twelve stories are described as ‘adventures’ in their title, because they were originally published singly in The Strand Magazine and this provided a sense of continuity to the reader – a type of ‘product branding’. He had devised the detective mystery novel, considered a new genre at the time. Real-life crime cases were not usually very mysterious, but Conan Doyle recognised a need to elaborate for the sake of producing a good read. It is worth noting, however, that the case of the Whitehall Murders and Jack the Ripper had been prevalent in British newspapers in 1888, making the theme of mysterious crime-solving very topical. In fact, many of Conan Doyle’s fans wrote to him, suggesting that Sherlock Holmes attempt to solve the aforementioned crime. However, the author was wise enough to realise that there should be no crossover between fiction and fact, so Holmes was never called upon.

    The private detective Sherlock Holmes was, in essence, a hybrid between the Victorian gentleman scientist and the police detective. The Victorian era marked an historical point where science came into its own as a distinct discipline based on empirical experimentation. Before then, science had been rather more ambiguous in its definition. Physicians, chemists and biologists had shown that the world always operates according to strict scientific rules and laws. It was this new phenomenon of scientific certainty that allowed Sherlock Holmes to confidently solve crimes in an age when police investigation was generally understood to be largely a matter of hit and miss, a mix of luck and judgement. Although a fictitious character, Holmes revolutionised the perception of what could be achieved by way of identifying and collecting evidence from crime scenes, theorising motives and courses of events and pinpointing suspects.

    It suited the character development better for Holmes to be a private detective, as he evidently possessed a quality of intellectual genius which, so often, is accompanied by idiosyncrasies and eccentricities that make for a personality ill-suited to the routine and regulations of conventional employment.

    To make Holmes believable as a character with an exceptional mind, he also needed to be flawed in certain ways, so the author made him something of a loner, with obsessive, fanatical and addictive traits. The result was a well-rounded character that the reader could understand, if not identify with, because he too had vulnerabilities and weaknesses common to us all. In fact, Conan Doyle openly admitted that the greatest part of Holmes was based on someone he knew: Professor Joseph Bell, a Scottish university lecturer and forensic pathologist. Conan Doyle had been impressed by the way Bell had implemented scientific analysis and detailed observation during post-mortem examinations in deducing the cause of death. Although commonplace now, a forensic approach was something quite new in 1877, when they first met.

    Conan Doyle commented that Bell’s force of habit, or inculcation, was one of observation, inference and deduction, so that the most likely cause of death was arrived at by a methodical process of elimination. It was a mindset of reason, logic and the application of acquired knowledge; perfect for a successful private investigator. The term Occam’s razor is sometimes applied to Holmes’ method, because it explains things by reducing, or razing, options so that assumptions and conclusions can be made with a reasonable level of accuracy and confidence.

    At Sherlock Holmes’ side in all of his investigations is Dr. John Watson, who acts as an enthusiastic deputy. He also narrates most of the Sherlock Holmes stories, so that the reader experiences events from a second-person perspective. Dr. Watson is intelligent in his own right, but he admires Holmes for his ability to think about things on a higher plane. It is notable that Holmes has no letters before his name, because he is a free thinker and rejects the notion of establishment and official credentials.

    Similarly, Holmes has a rather condescending view of those employed at Scotland Yard, the police headquarters in London. Inspector Lestrade is a Scotland Yard detective for whom Holmes has mixed feelings. On the one hand, he considers Lestrade the best detective on the force, but on the other hand, he seems to only tolerate him because Lestrade is useful and efficient at dealing with the more mundane duties of making arrests and providing manpower.

    One notable characteristic of Sherlock Holmes is his penchant for dressing in disguise. Conan Doyle saw that it would be useful for Holmes to be a master of disguise, so that he could access situations without the requirement for assistants who might otherwise do the job for him. In effect, Holmes becomes another character while in disguise, thereby allowing him to glean vital information by stealth. In some ways, this was the forerunner to undercover police work, where detectives are expected to covertly gain the trust of criminals by pretending to be part of the gang or by observing from the sidelines. As a plot device, it was useful for Conan Doyle to have Holmes assume different disguises where necessary, to provide intelligence so that segues between elements of the investigation could be made.

    A Study in Scarlet

    A Study in Scarlet was the very story that introduced the world to Sherlock Holmes before the character became an institution, and also to Dr. Watson and Inspector Lestrade. The novel went virtually unnoticed upon publication in 1887, but the second novel, The Sign of the Four, put both author and characters on the literary map in 1890.

    In order to illustrate Holmes’ powers of observation and deduction, Conan Doyle concocted a rather unlikely and convoluted plot, which set the blueprint for the rest of the Holmes stories – and indeed many similar novels by other crime writers since. Conan Doyle manipulated the fact that many readers seek stories that are imaginative in their scope but realistic in their details, which could explain why the Sherlock Holmes adventures have been such a success and had such an influence.

    Conan Doyle had invented a new literary genre by drawing on investigative and scientific developments in the world of policing in the Victorian era. The concept of collecting and interpreting evidence was coming into its own in late nineteenth-century England, and Conan Doyle saw that it offered rich potential for his story-telling. Fanciful storylines could be made convincing to the reader by the interweaving of facts, discoveries and inventions that only Holmes seemed to be privy to, thereby amazing his fellow characters and the reader alike. It was a clever device that caught the reader’s imagination and attention.

    The Sign of the Four

    Conan Doyle’s second novel featuring Sherlock Holmes, The Sign of the Four (also known as The Sign of Four), was published in 1890 and was the work that first introduced Holmes as a flawed eccentric to the reader. In contrast, Dr. Watson, who meets his future wife in the novel, is shown to be a far more conventional man.

    Holmes is painted as a loner who is so dedicated to intellectual pursuits that he fails to make emotional connections. Yet he is not devoid of empathy, perhaps a reason why he is so devoted to solving crimes. He needs Watson by his side, since the doctor has qualities that he lacks.

    The Sign of the Four demonstrated Conan Doyle’s ability to write complex yet engrossing plots, a skill that cemented his reputation as a crime novelist. It also referenced the increasingly exotic society of London in the late nineteenth century – the height of the British Empire under the reign of Queen Victoria – which lent his work a contemporary feel at the time. This is often lost on the modern reader, for whom the Sherlock Holmes stories are enjoyed as period literature.

    Conan Doyle’s title is well-crafted, enticing the reader without revealing too much. The Sign of the Four indicates conspiracy and intrigue, prompting the reader to ask ‘who are the four?’ and ‘what is meant by the sign?’ Simply by the title alone, the author has engaged his readership before they have even begun.

    The Valley of Fear

    The Valley of Fear is the fourth and final Sherlock Holmes novel, serialized in The Strand Magazine between September 1914 and May 1915. Some years before its publication, Arthur Conan Doyle met a man named William Pinkerton on a transatlantic voyage, and he provided the inspiration for the plot.

    In the late 1870s Pinkerton was running a private investigation company in the United States, The Pinkerton National Detective Agency. The company was contracted by the government to infiltrate a rebel union, the Molly Maguires, in the Pennsylvanian anthracite coal-mining district, who were protesting about the poor conditions and wages of the mining families.

    An undercover Pinkerton agent, James McParland, fed information about the Molly Maguires’ activity, which led to some of them being arrested and executed. William Pinkerton’s version of the story was that the Molly Maguires were criminals who deserved their punishment; McParland’s was that Pinkerton and the government were corrupt and had framed the Molly Maguires to keep the mine owners happy, suggesting that agents posing as the Molly Maguires had carried out various acts of sabotage – even murder – to set them up.

    The Valley of Fear features arch-criminal Professor Moriarty, who was also based on a real character, Adam Worth, a German-born American. Worth was known as ‘the Napoleon of Crime’, thanks to his skill at organizing heists and moving on: New York, Liverpool, Paris, London and finally Liège, where he was eventually caught by the police in 1892. His capture was newsworthy, and excited the imagination of Conan Doyle. Holmes and Moriarty are alter egos, intellectual equals and sparring partners, yet fall on different sides of the law. Together they form the one of the best-known rivalries in literature.

    PART 1

    THE TRAGEDY OF BIRLSTONE

    CHAPTER 1

    The Warning

    I am inclined to think— said I.

    I should do so, Sherlock Holmes remarked impatiently.

    I believe that I am one of the most long-suffering of mortals; but I’ll admit that I was annoyed at the sardonic interruption. Really, Holmes, said I severely, you are a little trying at times.

    He was too much absorbed with his own thoughts to give any immediate answer to my remonstrance. He leaned upon his hand, with his untasted breakfast before him, and he stared at the slip of paper which he had just drawn from its envelope. Then he took the envelope itself, held it up to the light, and very carefully studied both the exterior and the flap.

    It is Porlock’s writing, said he thoughtfully. I can hardly doubt that it is Porlock’s writing, though I have seen it only twice before. The Greek e with the peculiar top flourish is distinctive. But if it is Porlock, then it must be something of the very first importance.

    He was speaking to himself rather than to me; but my vexation disappeared in the interest which the words awakened.

    Who then is Porlock? I asked.

    Porlock, Watson, is a nom-de-plume, a mere identification mark; but behind it lies a shifty and evasive personality. In a former letter he frankly informed me that the name was not his own, and defied me ever to trace him among the teeming millions of this great city. Porlock is important, not for himself, but for the great man with whom he is in touch. Picture to yourself the pilot fish with the shark, the jackal with the lion—anything that is insignificant in companionship with what is formidable: not only formidable, Watson, but sinister—in the highest degree sinister. That is where he comes within my purview. You have heard me speak of Professor Moriarty?

    The famous scientific criminal, as famous among crooks as—

    My blushes, Watson! Holmes murmured in a deprecating voice.

    I was about to say, as he is unknown to the public.

    A touch! A distinct touch! cried Holmes. You are developing a certain unexpected vein of pawky humour, Watson, against which I must learn to guard myself. But in calling Moriarty a criminal you are uttering libel in the eyes of the law—and there lie the glory and the wonder of it! The greatest schemer of all time, the organizer of every deviltry, the controlling brain of the underworld, a brain which might have made or marred the destiny of nations—that’s the man! But so aloof is he from general suspicion, so immune from criticism, so admirable in his management and self-effacement, that for those very words that you have uttered he could hale you to a court and emerge with your year’s pension as a solatium for his wounded character. Is he not the celebrated author of The Dynamics of an Asteroid, a book which ascends to such rarefied heights of pure mathematics that it is said that there was no man in the scientific press capable of criticizing it? Is this a man to traduce? Foul-mouthed doctor and slandered professor—such would be your respective roles! That’s genius, Watson. But if I am spared by lesser men, our day will surely come.

    May I be there to see! I exclaimed devoutly. But you were speaking of this man Porlock.

    Ah, yes—the so-called Porlock is a link in the chain some little way from its great attachment. Porlock is not quite a sound link—between ourselves. He is the only flaw in that chain so far as I have been able to test it.

    But no chain is stronger than its weakest link.

    Exactly, my dear Watson! Hence the extreme importance of Porlock. Led on by some rudimentary aspirations towards right, and encouraged by the judicious stimulation of an occasional ten-pound note sent to him by devious methods, he has once or twice given me advance information which has been of value—that highest value which anticipates and prevents rather than avenges crime. I cannot doubt that, if we had the cipher, we should find that this communication is of the nature that I indicate.

    Again Holmes flattened out the paper upon his unused plate. I rose and, leaning over him, stared down at the curious inscription, which ran as follows:

    534 C2 13 127 36 31 4 17 21 41 DOUGLAS 109 293 5 37 BIRLSTONE 26 BIRLSTONE 9 47 171

    What do you make of it, Holmes?

    It is obviously an attempt to convey secret information.

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