Valley of Fear. This is The End.

Arthur Conan Doyle definitely went a different way with the ending of the novel. Doyle is known as mystery novelist since he wrote all of the Sherlock Holmes novels and this ending is much different from the first half of the novel. The novel is not as much focused on the mystery involving the Eminent Order of Freemen but rather how Mr. McMurdo is trying to move up within the ranks of a criminal organization.

I want to focus on the driving force of the plot for the last two parts of the novel which is the Eminent Order of the Freeman, also known as the Scowers. The Scowers are essentially a domestic terrorist group in Pennsylvania specifically Vermissa Valley. They have a hand in every organization in town from the police to the mining to the government. The group will stop at nothing until they rule the land they deam their birthrate as members of the Freemen. The group could be described in one word as bullies. If they don't get heir way the take their frustration out on someone else rather than blame themselves much like Unions in today's world.

Mr. McMurdo is a very interesting character who is a totally different character when we met him earlier in the book. In the beginning or I guess when he was older, he seems more gentle soul who regrets his past and is a man desperately trying to outrun his mistakes. From what we see in his flashback is a man who did not have a purpose for him whole life but rather only for the moment. His goal at the moment in the flashback is to impressive everybody in the Freemen and move-up within the ranks just to have a title in front of his name.

In all, I really enjoyed this Sherlock Holmes novel since it blended both a mystery story and an origin story. The origin story was really well written as it clearly spelled out characters' ambitions within the organization and also it shined a different light on how unions are portrayed.