Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle

The Valley of Fear is the fourth and last novel in the Sherlock Holmes series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. 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 a story about a mysterious murder in Birlstone, beautiful countryside in England. 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 story also introduces the character of Professor James Moriarty, the elite criminal mastermind, for the first time in the series. 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 takes us backs to the Valley of Vermissa, a mining town in the United States. 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. Interestingly, the story has two tipping points, almost like two distinct climaxes, that blew me away. The first - the point when the flamboyant detective solves the mystery, and two - the point when the story from flashback comes to its end. No matter how smart you think you are, there's no way one can anticipate what Sir Arthur has in store. Most importantly, the end of the story has compelled me to read the entire collection of Sherlock Holmes short stories for one reason only - to learn more about James Moriarty, and those who've seen the Sherlock Holmes BBC series, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, will know why so.

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