The Valley of Fear

Arthur Conan Doyle

Summary

A coded message arrives at Baker Street, warning of a murder that has already taken place in a moated country manor. The investigation leads Holmes to uncover a secret society and a history of violence in the coal mining districts of America. The narrative structure splits between the deductive puzzle in England and the gritty backstory of the "Scowrers" across the Atlantic. It is a grim and compelling tale that demonstrates the long reach of organized crime and the persistence of vengeance.

Available since: 01/29/2026.

Print length: 230 pages.

Other books that might interest you

The Hermit Kingdom

Nick Thacker

Shane Riley, ex-Australian Special Forces, is a retrieval specialist.  
People want something, and he finds it, no matter where it is. He works for rich power brokers, collectors, black market dealers, and anyone willing to pay the right price. 
He only has one rule: he does not retrieve people. 
He gets interrupted on an offshore dive, and the two men requesting his presence bring him to a rich politician in South Korea, who wants his help. 
His daughter’s been taken by a government entity in North Korea, and he wants Shane to get her back. 
Shane balks, citing his “one rule,” but this time the South Korean man knows exactly what will entice him to help. His daughter, he claims, was trying to contact Shane’s wife before she was taken. 
...Shane’s wife — who was murdered a year ago.

Show book

Mrs Holloway's Christmas Pudding

Jennifer Ashley

December 1882 
When cook Kat Holloway is blamed when a dinner guest mysteriously takes ill after eating one of her meals, she sets out to prove she had nothing to do with the gentleman’s sickness. She discovers a whole host of people who might wish to do away with the man, and she and her friends—Daniel McAdam, Lady Cynthia, Mr. Thanos, and various members of the household staff—begin to hunt for the would-be killer. 
Simultaneously tasked with crafting the perfect Christmas feast, including the pièce de résistance, the Christmas plum pudding, Kat frantically works to finish all, fearing she’ll have to choose between stopping a murderer and cherishing her few precious Christmas moments with her daughter.

Show book

After the Lights Go Out

John Vercher

Xavier "Scarecrow" Wallace, a mixed-race MMA fighter on the wrong side of thirty, is facing the fight of his life. Xavier can no longer deny he is losing his battle with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), or pugilistic dementia. Through the fog of memory loss, migraines, and paranoia, Xavier does his best to stay in shape by training at the Philadelphia gym owned by his cousin-cum-manager, Shot, a retired champion boxer to whom Xavier owes an unpayable debt. 
 
 
 
Xavier makes ends meet while he waits for the call that will reinstate him after a year-long suspension by teaching youth classes at Shot's gym and by living rent-free in the house of his white father, whom Xavier was forced to commit to a nursing home. The progress of Sam Wallace's end-stage Alzheimer's has revealed his latent racism, and Xavier finally gains insight into why his Black mother left the family years ago. 
 
 
 
Then Xavier is offered a chance at redemption: a last-minute high-profile comeback fight. If he can get himself back in the game, he’ll be able to clear his name and begin to pay off Shot. With his memory in shreds and his life crumbling around him, can Xavier hold on to the focus he needs to survive?

Show book

Adventure of the Abergavenny...

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Craig...

You need more Sherlock? You love the stories of The Canon but you want more ... more stories that are similar to the original sixty. You have come to the right place.
The Adventure of the Abergavenny Murder:
Royston Giles Tamblyn III paid a visit to 221B Baker Street without a prior appointment on the morning of Saturday, 4 May 1901. He was a handsome young fellow, with flawless pale skin, well-combed hair that was blond-on-its-way-to-brown, and straight, gleaming teeth. He was dressed in a blazer and flannels, a creaseless white shirt, and an expertly tied old-school tie. In his polished boots, I could have seen my reflection had I bent over to inspect them.

Show book

The Haunted Hotel

Wilkie Collins

In The Haunted Hotel , Wilkie Collins weaves a chilling tale of mystery and revenge set against the backdrop of a cursed Italian hotel. When Captain Wragge inherits the haunted property, he becomes entangled in its dark history, uncovering a web of deceit, murder, and hidden fortunes. As guests experience unexplained phenomena and mysterious deaths occur, the story unfolds through multiple narratives, revealing the hotel’s sinister past. At its core lies the vengeful spirit of Countess Gascoigne, whose tragic fate drives the supernatural events. Collins masterfully blends gothic suspense with psychological intrigue, exploring themes of guilt, retribution, and the enduring power of secrets. This gripping narrative challenges the boundaries between reality and the supernatural.

Show book

Hard Blows - Short Stories of...

Morley Swingle

“A spine-tingler right to the final sentence.” Dick StodghillSixteen thrilling short stories from an award-winning author of mystery and suspense:
“Hard Blows” An ex-con stalks a prosecutor.
“The Killers (Allison’s Version)" Allison Culbertson encounters killers in a diner.
“Stranger in a Strange Band” A man with a secret tries to start over.
“Why the Hearse Horse Snickers” A killer targets a divorce lawyer.
“The Bullet Fee” Wyatt Blake hopes his client is innocent of using a butterfly hairpin as a murder weapon.
“Must Be Murder” A professor who witnesses a murder while teaching her online class finds no one believes her.
“The Planted Gun” A planted gun implicates an innocent (but dead) man.
“The Spy in the Suitcase” A “honey trap” leads to a spy in a suitcase.
“Inquest for a D.A.” Wyatt Blake faces an inquest into the suspicious death of his wife.
“The Secret Legacy” A secret hidden in a safe deposit box is worth going to jail over.
“No Such Thing as Free” No Country For Old Men meets Home Alone.
“Epic Parkour Fail” A teenage boy practicing parkour witnesses a murder.
“The Un-Dead” A detective watches in horror as a murder victim tears himself out of a body bag.
“The Hanging Tree” A boy visiting the “hanging tree” finds his life in peril.
“The Death Warrant” A new constitutional amendment requires law enforcement in each county to kill one criminal per year without trial or conviction.
“Son of a Slain Cop” A boy whose cop dad was gunned down gets a chance years later to solve his father’s cold case.

Show book