The last cases (1915–1927) · England and the United States, late 19th century

The Valley of Fear

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A coded message takes Holmes to a country-house crime with roots in an American secret society

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Not required. It's left out of the main story but is part of the full chronological order.

Where it falls in the order

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Everything7 of 9

BeforeThe Return of Sherlock Holmes

AfterHis Last Bow

Spoilers for this title

Quick recap

Holmes's last novel is in two parts. In the first, a coded message from a Moriarty informant sends Holmes and Watson to Birlstone, where the master of a country house has been killed and the clues don't add up. In the second part, the story goes back in time to an American mining valley, where a secret society ruled the region and an undercover detective tried to bring it down. The two threads meet at the end. Published in 1915.

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2 what changed on screen

What changed on screen

ReferenceA real past
The backstory is loosely based on the Molly Maguires and Pinkerton agent James McParland, real figures from 19th-century America.
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Behind the scenesThe last novel
It is Holmes's fourth and final novel. It ran in The Strand from September 1914 to May 1915, and the first book edition was published by George H. Doran in New York on February 27, 1915.
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