Valley of Fear - Audiobook

The novel The Valley of Fear begins with Sherlock Holmes, the famous detective, and Dr. Watson, his companion and roommate at 221B Baker Street, having a conversation. Holmes is puzzling over a coded message he has received from Porlock, an accomplice of Holmes's arch-enemy, Professor Moriarty. Soon a second message arrives from Porlock, which is supposed to contain the key to the coded message, stating that he (Porlock) fears Moriarty's wrath and does not wish to reveal the purpose of his correspondence. Holmes nevertheless deciphers the message and discovers that it warns that Douglas of Birlstone is in imminent danger. They are soon visited by MacDonald, a policeman known to Holmes, who informs them that this same Douglas has been murdered.

Upon examination of the body, it is discovered that he was killed with an American rifle with the barrel sawed off. Next to the mutilated body lies a card with the inscription "VV 341". Among other clues in the room are a bloody trace on the windowsill, a missing dumbbell, and a missing wedding ring. Soon another clue is discovered - a bicycle hidden behind the grounds of the house. Questioning the servants yields nothing, and after questioning Mrs. Douglas, the wife of the murdered man, and Cecil Barker, a family friend, Holmes informs Watson that, in his opinion, they are involved in a conspiracy together.

Although the other detectives who arrive at the scene offer their theories, Holmes informs Watson that he believes the case hinges entirely on the missing dumbbell, a single piece of evidence that the police consider trivial. Holmes announces that he plans to spend the night alone in the room where Douglas was killed, taking nothing with him except Watson's umbrella. The following day, after a vigil, Holmes informs the police investigating Douglas's murder that he has solved the case and asks them to join him in a stakeout that night.

While staked out in the bushes outside the room where the crime was committed, Holmes, Watson, and the other detectives witness a man leaning out of a window and fishing something out of the ditch surrounding the house. When the group confronts the man, they discover that he is Cecil Barker and that the item he has retrieved from the ditch is a bag weighted with the missing dumbbell. The bag contains clothes, boots, and a knife. During his time in the room, Holmes had found the same bag with Watson's umbrella and had put it back in place to wait for Barker to retrieve it. To the others' surprise, Holmes reveals that Douglas is still alive. As he says this, a secret compartment in the room opens and Douglas himself emerges.

Douglas explains that he was hunted for some time by a man named Baldwin, who then tried to kill him. They struggled, and Baldwin died when a gun went off in his face. With the help of his wife and Barker, Douglas hatched a plan to fake his own death, taking advantage of the fact that Baldwin's disfigured face would make positive identification impossible. Douglas explains that there are people out there looking for himlife , and his apparent death will allow him to get rid of them forever. Douglas gives Watson a manuscript, which he says details his past life and tells about the people who want him dead. After that,The novel moves on to the second part, which tells about Douglas's life in America.

Part II begins with a man named Jack McMurdo (who we later learn is Douglas). McMurdo travels to Vermiss Valley, a coal mining area in the westUnited States . McMurdo expresses extreme hatred for the police, which attracts the attention of a man named Scanlan. Scanlan turns out to be a member of the Freemen, a society of which McMurdo is a member. McMurdo soon joins the local Freemen lodge, which is led by a cruel and savage man named Boss McGinty. It turns out that the freedmen in the area go by another name - the Scourers, a mafia society that oppresses the people of Vermis Valley. McMurdo turns out to be just as cruel as the rest, and soon becomes a prominent member of the Scourers.

The gang continues to cause terror until they learn that Birdie Edwards, a Pinkerton detective, is hot on their trail. McMurdo reports to the lodge that he knows who Birdie Edwards is and devises a plan to capture him. McMurdo lures Edwards to his apartment, where Boss McGinty and several other prominent members of the gang are hiding. McMurdo suddenly turns the tables on the Scourers, revealing that he himself is Birdie Edwards and that he only joined the lodge to gain information that could be used against them.

McGinty and several other criminals are hanged on the evidence of McMurdo, and the rest are sent to prison. Edwards, aware of the vengeful nature of the gang, disappears and eventually ends up in England, where events unfold as described in the first part.

After Douglas's remarkable story, Holmes warns him to be on his guard, as Moriarty, whom Baldwin has contacted to find out Douglas's whereabouts, will undoubtedly try to kill Douglas himself. Douglas agrees and goes into hiding again.

Some time after Douglas's escape from England, Holmes receives a mysterious message that says only:  "My dear Mr. Holmes, my dear me!" From this, Holmes deduces that Moriarty, the sender of the note, has succeeded in killing Douglas. Watson and MacDonald discuss whether Moriarty will ever be brought to justice. Holmes assures them that he will catch the professor, but he will need time to do so.