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In this gruesome Sherlock Lock Holmes tale, Holmes and Watson are called upon to investigate the mysterious shooting of John Douglas, when he is mysteriously murdered with a sawn-off shotgun at his Manor home in Sussex. The House is surrounded by a moat so the two, are at first, left baffled as to how the murderer entered or existed ... or did he? Fans of the famous detective will love this book, as will anyone interested in a thrilling and exciting read. 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

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"Look down the valley! See the cloud of a hundred chimneys that overshadows it! It is the Valley of Fear, the Valley of Death." The Valley of Fear, the last of the four Sherlock Holmes novels, ranks among Arthur Conan Doyle's best work. The mystery begins with a coded warning of imminent danger, drawing the illustrious Sherlock Holmes and the faithful Dr. Watson to a secluded country home. A trail of bewildering clues--raincoats, dumbbells, a missing wedding ring--leads to sleuthing in the finest Holmesian tradition, with a gripping backstory of a cult that terrorized a valley in the American West. A cracklingly suspenseful narrative makes this a must for all lovers of mystery and detection. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859--1930) was born in Edinburgh and studied medicine. He began writing while he waited for his practice to grow and with 1887's A Study in Scarlet, he created Sherlock Holmes, one of the most famous literary characters of all time. Derek Jacobi has had a long and distinguished career in theatre, television and film. He has toured nationally in Breaking the Code, Becketand Uncle Vanya, and he also received a Tony Award for his performance of Benedick in the RSC's production of Much Ado About Nothing. His television work includes the lead roles in the ITV series Cadfael as well as the BBC's highly-acclaimed production of I, Claudius, while among his films are Henry V, Dead Againand Hamlet. Excerpted from Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

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Library Journal Review

The last of Doyle's four Sherlock Holmes novels, this one actually comprises two distinct stories. In the first, Sherlock brilliantly solves a gruesome murder case in England; the second tells the backstory of a character in that case who had earlier been part of a cutthroat gang in the United States. That tale does not involve Sherlock but is an engaging crime story in its own right. The linear narratives of both episodes lend themselves so well to the audio format that this recording is the third unabridged audio edition of the book in recent years. Libraries acquiring this edition, however, cannot go wrong, as Sir Derek Jacobi's polished narration makes it an excellent choice.--R. Kent Rasmussen, Thousand Oaks, CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

School Library Journal Review

Gr 7 Up-A coded warning of imminent danger sends Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson to the country house of the reclusive Jack Douglas. When they arrive too late to prevent a tragic death, they must follow bewildering clues and find a murderer. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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The most famous fictional detective in the world is Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. However, Doyle was, at best, ambivalent about his immensely successful literary creation and, at worst, resentful that his more "serious" fiction was relatively ignored. Born in Edinburgh, Doyle studied medicine from 1876 to 1881 and received his M.D. in 1885. He worked as a military physician in South Africa during the Boer War and was knighted in 1902 for his exceptional service. Doyle was drawn to writing at an early age. Although he attempted to enter private practice in Southsea, Portsmouth, in 1882, he soon turned to writing in his spare time; it eventually became his profession. As a Liberal Unionist, Doyle ran, unsuccessfully, for Parliament in 1903. During his later years, Doyle became an avowed spiritualist.

Doyle sold his first story, "The Mystery of the Sasassa Valley," to Chambers' Journal in 1879. When Doyle published the novel, A Study in Scarlet in 1887, Sherlock Holmes was introduced to an avid public. Doyle is reputed to have used one of his medical professors, Dr. Joseph Bell, as a model for Holmes's character. Eventually, Doyle wrote three additional Holmes novels and five collections of Holmes short stories. A brilliant, though somewhat eccentric, detective, Holmes employs scientific methods of observation and deduction to solve the mysteries that he investigates. Although an "amateur" private detective, he is frequently called upon by Scotland Yard for assistance. Holmes's assistant, the faithful Dr. Watson, provides a striking contrast to Holmes's brilliant intellect and, in Doyle's day at least, serves as a character with whom the reader can readily identify. Having tired of Holmes's popularity, Doyle even tried to kill the great detective in "The Final Problem" but was forced by an outraged public to resurrect him in 1903. Although Holmes remained Doyle's most popular literary creation, Doyle wrote prolifically in other genres, including historical adventure, science fiction, and supernatural fiction. Despite Doyle's sometimes careless writing, he was a superb storyteller. His great skill as a popular author lay in his technique of involving readers in his highly entertaining adventures.

(Bowker Author Biography)