The Valley of Fear (SH #7)

At the midway point the main story veers off in a new direction, the story of a criminal organization in the USA, far removed from the current murder-mystery taking place in the English countryside. Two parallel stories from different perspectives focused on coming full circle to tie up loose ends. Essentially, two different books. This split concept is reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes volume #1, A Study In Scarlet.

Dovetailing two mildly related stories weakens the overall impact while still remaining tolerable because of the fluid writing style. And that's the thing with Arthur Conan Doyle, his prose is so accessible and inviting you forget the convenient conclusions he always goes for, in the same way as forgiving Jane Austin for her happy-ever-afters.

Arthur Conan Doyle's plot conclusions can be a bit unsatisfying when we're kept in the dark until everything is handed out on a plate. But it's also his particular literary skill: a convenient style used for regular magazine publications, released maybe once a week or month in the past. Luckily enough, The Valley of Fear is less pulpy than this short-burst style, better fleshed out and a more satisfying read as a complete book in comparison to the usual fare of short stories with abrupt conclusions.

This is volume #7 of the complete Sherlock Holmes collection. After this comes volume #8, The Final Bow, and more short stories. There are 10 volumes in total.