The Valley of Fear

By: Arthur Conan Doyle

Narrated by: John Bolen

Length: 5 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's Summary

Only Holmes and Watson can get to the bottom of this baffling murder mystery. John Douglas is found in his study, blasted faceless by a sawed-off shotgun. There is no obvious motive or suspect. Douglas and his wife, Ivy, a rich and locally popular couple, have lived for years in the ancient, moated Birlstone Manor House. Despite Douglas' nightly ritual of raising the drawbridge, the perpetrator had somehow concealed himself, shot Douglas, and made a clean getaway.

Does the mystery have something to do with the "interesting" relationship between Cecil Baker, Douglas' only friend from his obscure past, and the surprisingly merry widow? There are plenty of clues, including a brand mark on the deceased's arm and the fact that his wedding ring is missing, but not the ring that he always wore above it.

Public Domain (P)2002 Tantor Media, Inc.

Worst reading EVER!!!

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

NOBODY would enjoy this.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Valley of Fear?

There were none.

What didn’t you like about John Bolen’s performance?

His reading was terrible. The "accent" he used was sooo false and affected-sounding, it completely took away from the most excellent Sherlock Holmes story.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Valley of Fear?

I would never allow this narrator to read a Sherlock Holmes story.

1 person found this helpful

Sometimes the narrator is enough

Struggling to finish this. I have started over numerous times. The good news is the narrator and pace is pleasant; I play audible on this one instead of listening to tv. Today, I begin to listen to the story again. Like the old joke, there must be a pony in there.

Don't purchase!

I can't accurately rate the story because the narration was SO bad it distracted me from the plot completely. Awful accents that were all over the place. Definitely don't waste a credit on this, and even at a discounted price I'm sorry I purchased it.

Automatic computer reader would be better

What disappointed you about The Valley of Fear?

The reader mispronounces words, and does so in a fake English accent. It was too excruciating to listen to for more than a few minutes. I am glad this was discounted. It's very disappointing; I am new to Audible and listened to the phenomenal Branagh read of Heart of Darkness and excellent Kent read of Island of Dr. Moreau and am now being surprised by some very flat, and in this case unlistenable-to, audible book. I picked up a number of others at low cost that are read by the same reader;these were cheap, and maybe he does not add the fake English accent in the other books; guess I will see.

A Great Novel Poorly Performed

What disappointed you about The Valley of Fear?

The novel itself is great. I have read it before. What killed this version was the performance.

Would you be willing to try another one of John Bolen’s performances?

Emphatically NO. He had a wooden, robotic performance and very little range. I was bored from the beginning with what has been one of my favorite of the Holmes novels. I don't really see why this production is still available to hear. Why does a Holmes novel have to be a drag? This is one of the most exciting ones - or should have been.

Any additional comments?

Just don't bother.