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Cover of The Valley of Fear

Mystery

The Valley of Fear

by Arthur Conan Doyle

The final novel in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes series follows the eponymous hero as he investigates a Sussex murder seemingly connected with a secret society.

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First published
1914
Length
57,815 words
Reading time
About 4 hr 1 min
Language
English (UK)

About the book

The Valley of Fear is the final novel in the Sherlock Holmes series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle . The story originally appeared over several issues of the monthly Strand Magazine in late 1914 before being published as a standalone work. While Doyle would continue to publish Sherlock Holmes short stories until 1927, The Valley of Fear remains Holmes’ final long-form appearance.

In the novel, Holmes and his assistant Watson are called to assist with an investigation into the murder of John Douglas, a man shot in his own home at point-blank range with a shotgun. As evidence is examined and witnesses within the house are questioned, Holmes uncovers holes in testimonies and a connection to a secret society that no one wishes to discuss.

First published 1914; the Read4Max reading text contains approximately 57,815 words arranged in 17 navigable sections.

About the author

Arthur Conan Doyle

Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930) is described by Wikidata as British writer and physician (1859–1930), with citizenship or national association recorded as United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and United Kingdom.

Recorded occupations include physician, physician writer, novelist, essayist, playwright, and screenwriter. Languages recorded for Arthur Conan Doyle include English. Wikidata lists canon of Sherlock Holmes and The Lost World among Arthur Conan Doyle's notable works. Open Library identifies A Study in Scarlet as a leading work in its author record. Open Library catalogs 9194 works under this author record. The Read4Max catalog currently includes A Study in Scarlet, His Last Bow, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Lost World, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, and The Return of Sherlock Holmes under Arthur Conan Doyle's authorship.

1859–1930

Reading options

  • A complete text with direct section navigation in the browser reader.
  • A downloadable EPUB for phones, tablets, desktop reading apps, and compatible ereaders.
  • Book and contributor metadata are checked against the source edition before indexing.

Themes and ideas

  • Holmes, Sherlock (Fictitious character)
  • Private investigators
  • Detective and mystery stories

Table of contents

Open reader
Show all 17 sections
  1. Part I
  2. I
  3. II
  4. III
  5. IV
  6. V
  7. VI
  8. VII
  9. Part II
  10. I
  11. II
  12. III
  13. IV
  14. V
  15. VI
  16. VII
  17. Epilogue
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