Valley of Fear ch. 1-4 Analysis

I have read A Study in Scarlet plenty of times, so I am fairly familiar with the concept of Sherlock Holmes. However, The Valley of Fear has thus far convinced me that Holmes, although brilliant as ever. has somewhat calmed down and seems slightly more apathetic and deep in thought in contrast to his past portrayals as a jumpy and anxious detective. With a level of enjoyment that borders on the psychopathic upon hearing of Douglas's death, an event that Holmes clearly foresaw, the classic ideology of Sherlock Holmes is still very much alive in this book.

Sherlock Holmes seems to have very selective hearing in this part of the book when others are speaking, absorbing only what he deems as relevant to the case and zoning out the rest. I could tell, although it was not outright stated, that hundred of questions and hunches were racing around in Holmes' head while he was at the crime scene.

I enjoyed how Conan Doyle laid out the details of the crime for the reader to utilize in crafting his or her own opinions. These chapters reminded me of the movie Inception and its "dream within a dream" concept as The Valley of Fear contains multiple mysteries within mysteries, such as the true identity of Porlock within the broader mystery surrounding the actual murder of Douglas with a shotgun.

It is interesting how Conan Doyle describes the thought process's of the other characters and their views of the murder in contrast to Sherlock Holmes'. This is probably to show the stark differences in thinking that the general population has (e.g. when they debate if it was a suicide) versus Sherlock's complex mind and powers of deduction.