Book – The Valley of Fear

Book – The Valley of Fear

Author : Arthur Conan Dyole

Score: 10/10

Year: 1914-1915 (serialized) ; 1915 ; 1987 (this edition) 

Publisher: Wordworth

ISBN 978-1-84022-400-9

Pages 320 (this story 173-320) 

Language: English 

In this fourth and last Sherlock Holmes novella, set in the late 1880's although published in 1915 after the serialized form, Doyle mentions for the first time in many stories, Holmes' arch nemesis, Moriarity, in a much needed backstory to fill-in the gap left in the previous incident involving the master criminal who could elude not only Scotland Yard, but also Sherlock, the other greatest mind of their period.


The Valley of Fear is the 47th story Doyle published. 

Holmes, in his genius, manages to deduct a cipher, despite the lack of its key, setting him and his historian Watson on a murder case, which they investigate alongside 2 detectives, at Birlstone Manor, Birlstone, Sussex. 

This novel is divided into 3 parts - 2 main, with 7 chapters each, and an epilogue. The first part is the discovery and investigation of the crime, and the second explores the background story of the people involved in this crime, whilst adding surprising new information and explores the notion of ethical ambiguity, and means to achieve an end. 

The story is set some years before The Final Problem, in the late in 1880's, and I'd assume rather before Watson's marriage, as it isn't even alluded to in the text. This should normally place the murder case to 1888, whilst the second portion of the novel is a background story which starts in February 1875. 

Doyle's humour and gift for prose continue to excel and possibly surpasses himself in this tale, which, despite a few allusions to hunting, remains a really well told story of investigation, intimidation and crime. His characterization is usually good but with the extra space that the novel format and his years of experience in writing, combine into a whole new realm of quality and details. Just when you think you've figured something out, he surprises and ends the story with a twist. 

Dialogues are sharp as always, maybe a bit more floral in their descriptions as we have a lot more material offered, and the narrative switches from the usual Watson's telling it, until he announces that he effaces himself from the story to make it more easily readable, which will be even more prominent in the next story (told in the third person).

Although the Granda tv show didn't have an episode for it, the Valley of Fear have been adapted quite often.

• There were 4 radio plays (1960, 1986, 1997 & 2015) ;
• 4 movies ( a silent in 1916, 1935, 1962 & 1984. The 62' movie retained only minor parts of it, although it was intended to adapt the story, and the 84' is animated).
• 4 tv adaptations, with more or less faithful aspects (1954, an Italian series from 1968, a loose inspiration but with no real connection for a S.H in the 22nd century episode, and the final episode of the 4th series of the newest BBC series Sherlock mingles it into the Final Problem episode and apparently makes changes. 

As I haven't seen any of these, I cannot attest to their quality, and the S.H above stands for Sherlock Holmes, as you might expect.