The Valley of Fear
Arthur Conan Doyle
Contains spoilers for the entire book.
Discussion topics
Topic 01 of 08
A warning in code
How does the opening cipher from Porlock pull Moriarty into a case that seems purely local?
Keep the conversation going
- What did you make of Holmes's way of breaking it?
- Why is Moriarty more frightening for staying almost completely off the page?
There is no single right answer. Bring your own reading.
Discussion topics
How does the opening cipher from Porlock pull Moriarty into a case that seems purely local?
Keep the conversation going
- What did you make of Holmes's way of breaking it?
- Why is Moriarty more frightening for staying almost completely off the page?
Which details at Birlstone Manor, the moat, the missing dumbbell, the wedding ring, struck you as clues before Holmes explained them?
Keep the conversation going
- Did you suspect the truth about the body before it was revealed?
- How does Holmes's night watch by the moat change the case?
How did you judge Mrs Douglas and Cecil Barker while they seemed to be hiding something?
Keep the conversation going
- Why does their behaviour first look so suspicious?
- What do they turn out to be protecting, and was it worth it?
How did you respond when the novel leaves Holmes behind for the long story of the Vermissa Valley?
Keep the conversation going
- Why do you think Doyle built the book in two halves?
- Does the second half stand on its own as a story?
What does the lodge of the Scowrers show about how terror can rule a whole community?
Keep the conversation going
- How does Boss McGinty keep his hold on the valley?
- Why do the decent people there find it so hard to resist?
When did you begin to suspect McMurdo was not what he seemed?
Keep the conversation going
- How does Doyle make us half admire him even while he joins the lodge?
- What did you make of his love for Ettie Shafter in the middle of all this?
What does Birdy Edwards gain and lose by bringing the Scowrers to justice?
Keep the conversation going
- Why can he never be safe again after it?
- Is his story a triumph or a tragedy?
How did you feel about the ending, in which Douglas is lost overboard and Holmes can only promise to fight on?
Keep the conversation going
- Why do you think Doyle lets Moriarty win this round?
- What does the ending suggest about the limits of Holmes's power?
There is no single right answer. Bring your own reading.