To get back to the point, which is HB mysteries dealing with
unions, not whether or not unions are a beneficial or
malevolent presence on the US scene, it occurs to me that
perhaps the first mystery to deal with this theme is A.C.
Doyle's last S. Holmes novel, *The Valley of Fear*. The
second half, which is, for Conan Doyle fairly HB, is . .
.
(***SPOILER ALERT*** Don't read farther unless you've
read the book, already).
. . . set in Pennsylvania and tells the story of an
undercover Pinkerton operative who infiltrates a corrupt
union of miners called the Scowrers. It's based on the
real-life case of Pinkerton detective James McPartland's, the
undercover agent who brought down the Molly Maguires. Conan
Doyle got the idea for the novel after striking up a
friendship with one of Allan Pinkerton's sons during an ocean
crossing. Pinkerton told Concan Doyle all about the Molly
Maguire case, and Concan Doyle decided it would be just the
thing to build a Sherlock Holmes novel around. When the book
was published, Pinkerton was outraged, and, although Conan
Doyle apologized, never really forgave the author.
JIM DOHERTY
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