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David McK (3801 KP) rated The Valley of Fear in Books

Apr 13, 2024  
The Valley of Fear
The Valley of Fear
Arthur Conan Doyle | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry
8
7.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Sherlock Holmes stories I had previously heard of / knew (even if only a little bit) about:

The Hound of the Baskervilles (natch)
A Study in Scarlet
The Sign of Four
The Red-Headed League
The Final Problem

.. and a few others whose name I cannot currently recall.

None of them, however, were this one.

Like "The Hound...", this was a later-written story, but is also set before Holmes encounter with Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls. And like "A Study in Scarlet", it's also very much split into distinct sections: the first section in which Holmes and Watson are called to the English countryside to investigate a murder (or is it suicide?), and the a whole other section set in the United States of America filling in the backgrounds of the principal actor of the first section.

Being new to me, also, I have to say I did wonder - until the reveal! - just how this whole section (and the mention of the Pinkerton Detective Agency) fitted into the first part.

Perhaps because of its novelty (to me), I also fairly enjoyed this.
  
40x40

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2572 KP) rated Fatal Fried Rice in Books

Mar 20, 2026 (Updated Mar 20, 2026)  
Fatal Fried Rice
Fatal Fried Rice
Vivien Chien | 2021 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Murder
Lana Lee has decided to do something about not being able to cook Chinese food by signing up for a class at a local continuing education school. She is hoping to keep her class a secret, but that becomes much harder when she returns after class to find the instructor stabbed in the back. With the detective assigned to the case certain that Lana is responsible, she must figure out what happened. But with the victim a stranger, can Lana learn anything about her?

The problem with this book is that Lana really has no connection to the victim. It takes quite a while before we start getting any leads on suspects and motives. Once that happens, the book picks up, and we reach a logical climax. Fortunately, Lana and the rest of the regulars are their normal charming and entertaining selves. I enjoyed checking in with them as always. Fans will still be glad they picked up this book.