History Literature / TheValleyOfFear

* BiggerBad: Although Baldwin and the Scowrers do most of the main action, it's Moriarty who finally gets the job done.
** There's a brief reference to Evans Pott, who's the overall leader of the Scowrers and even outranks (and terrifies) Boss [=McGinty=], but there's no reference as to what happens to him once Douglas breaks the Scowrers.

Sherlock Holmes receives a coded message indicating that a man named John Douglas is targeted for murder by Professor Moriarty's criminal organization. Holmes and Watson are too late to stop the murder, which presents a puzzle: somehow the killer managed to shoot Douglas and escape despite using a shotgun which alerted the household and despite the drawbridge to Douglas's mansion being raised up for the night. Suspicion falls on Douglas's friend who was visiting, and then Douglas's strangely unconcerned wife, before Holmes discovers the truth of the mystery, which dates back to Douglas's involvement with a secret society in a coal mining district of America.

** There's a brief reference to Evans Pott, who's the overall leader of the Scowrers and even outranks (and terrifies) Boss McGinty, but there's no reference as to what happens to him once Douglas breaks the Scowrers.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: As vile as Boss McGinty is, even he's repulsed by Evans Pott, who's implied to be the overall leader of the Scowrers.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Evans Pott is mentioned as being the overall leader of the Scowrers, so powerful that he even outranks and scares Boss McGinty. However, there's no mention of what happens to him once Douglas destroys McGinty's outfit, which seems to take down the Scowrers' entire racket.

* PragmaticVillainy: Brother Morris, member of the vicious, bloodthirsty Scowrer organized crime gang, always urges moderation and restraint, explaining that it is because if the Scowrers push ''too'' hard then the citizens and government will eventually get them. He actually wants to stop the crimes completely, but knows that if he said that he would become their next victim instead.

** Additionally, there are a myriad of Johns named: John Douglas and John "Jack" McMurdo (both of which turn out to be an alias for Birdy Edwards), Boss John "Jack" McGinty and, naturally, Dr. John Watson.

* ReverseMole: Perhaps the earliest use of the trope:  the protagonist is revealed to be an undercover Pinkerton agent.

* HeroKiller: Moriarty. He has a rep to maintain.
* {{Hypocrite}}: The Scowrer criminal gang, and particularly their leader Bodymaster [=McGinty=], justify their crimes as part of class warfare: They extort money from the corporations that are exploiting the workers and strike against the wealthy capitalists. Doyle, however, spends several paragraphs explaining just how well-attired [=McGinty=] is, and as the story progresses he dresses more and more extravagantly, adding layers of gold and diamonds, while still claiming that he is fighting for the worker against the wealthy capitalists. Also he totally fails to use the powers of his public office (to which he is elected through initimidation) for the benefit of the working class; he levies enormous taxes and embezzles the money instead of spending it on public works.
* InspiredBy: As Doyle mentions in the introduction, the second half of the story is based on Allan Pinkerton's account of how his agency infiltrated the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molly_Maguires Molly Maguires]].

* GardenOfLove: Subverted. While investigating the victim's death, Watson finds the widow and the dead man's best friend laughing merrily in the garden. Their attitude makes him think they killed the husband to pursue an affair in peace, as neither looks particularly distraught by the death. [[spoiler: They both know the husband is actually alive, as they helped disguise the would-be assassin's corpse as his own.]]

* GunStruggle: Baldwin and Douglas have one of these; Douglas wins.

* MasterForger: [=McMurdo=] presents himself as a forger, showing Boss [=McGinty=] several coins which "never saw the Philadelphia Mint" and look indistinguishable from real coins, managing to hide his equipment in a single small room even when the police come calling. [[spoiler:In fact they were likely real, since [=McMurdo=] is actually a PinkertonAgent infiltrating the Scowrers.]]

* OneSteveLimit: John [=McMurdo=], the alias used by Birdy Edwards when joining the Scowrers, is unrelated to [=McMurdo=] the prize fighter who once went up against Holmes in a boxing match as mentioned in ''Literature/TheSignOfTheFour''.

* TheXOfY

* IdenticalStranger: Or close enough after a shotgun to the face.

* DontSneakUpOnMeLikeThat: [=McMurdo=]'s girlfriend sneaks up on him while he's writing a letter:

* AmbiguousSituation: As critic Kyle Freeman notes in his introduction to Barnes & Nobles' second compilation of the Holmes canon, [[spoiler:Douglas' killing of the Scowrer agent]] may have been less accidental and more cold-bloodedly proactive, even if [[spoiler:it could be written off as self-defense either way]]. Freeman goes on to note how oddly quiet Holmes is during the denouement ([[spoiler:instead of congratulating Douglas polishing off an AssholeVictim and securing safety for his family]]), and additionally wonders just how plausible it is that [[spoiler:a Pinkerton Agent could infiltrate a murderous gang for so long without being obligated to do ''some'' heinous things himself to keep his cover]].

* SlaveToPR: The reason why Moriarty has his agents kill Douglas. At first he was content to use his organization to locate Doouglas inform the surviving Scowrers of his location and let their own man do the job. But after Baldwin failed, he took matters into his own hands because as Holmes explains to Mr. Baker, Moriarty's whole reputation rests on the fact that he can't afford to fail a client.

* SlaveToPR: The reason why Moriarty has his agents kill Douglas. At first he was content to inform the Scowrers of Douglas' location and let their own man do the job. But after Baldwin failed, he took matters into his own hands because as Holmes explains Moriarty's whole reputation rests on that he can't afford to fail.

* WeWillMeetAgain: In the epilogue, when Mr. Barker expresses outrage how nobody can beat Moriarty, Holmes merely replies ""I don't say that he can't be beat. But you must give me time - you must give me time!"

* SlaveToPR: The reason why Moriarty has his agents kill Douglas. At first he was content to inform the Scowrers of Douglas' location and let their own man do the job. But after Baldwin failed, he took matters into his own hands because as Holmes explains Moriarty's whole reputation rests on he never bungles a job for a client.

* {{Hypocrite}}: The Scowrer criminal gang, and particularly their leader Bodymaster [=McGinty=], justify their crimes as part of class warfare: They extort money from the corporations that are exploiting the workers and strike against the wealthy capitalists. Doyle, however, spends several paragraphs explaining just how well-attired [=McGinty=] is, and as the story progresses he dresses more and more extravagantly, adding layers of gold and diamonds, while still claiming that he is fighting for the worker against the wealthy capitalists.

* TheBookCipher: Holmes decrypts a message enciphered with a book cipher by deducing which book had been used as a key text.

** The [[Radio/SherlockHolmes BBC Radio 4 adaptation]] actually has Holmes beat himself up over the matter until Watson consoles him by pointing out that if Moriarty is really good as Holmes says he, the outcome would've been the same anyway.

** The BBC Radio 4 adaptation actually has Holmes beat himself up over the matter until Watson consoles him by pointing out that if Moriarty is really good as Holmes says he, the outcome would've been the same anyway.

* YourHeadAsplode: The victim: "Lying across his chest was a curious weapon, a shotgun with the barrel sawed off a foot in front of the triggers. It was clear that this had been fired at close range and that he had received the whole charge in the face, blowing his head almost to pieces. The triggers had been wired together..."