When I say I am called Valmont, the name will convey no impression to the reader, one way or another. My occupation is that of private detective in London, but if you ask any policeman in Paris who Valmont was he will likely be able to tell you, unless he is a recent recruit. If you ask him where Valmont is now, he may not know, yet I have a good deal to do with the Parisian police. (The Triumph of Eugéne Valmont) Robert Barr (1849–1912) was a Scottish-Canadian short story writer and novelist, born in Glasgow, Scotland. His famous detective character Eugéne Valmont, fashioned after Sherlock Holmes, is said to be the inspiration behind Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot. Barr also wrote two parodies of Holmes as a form of flattery to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the fashion of other such parodies being written at that time. And in spite of these parodies the two remained good friends all through their lives. A must read for all Holmes' enthusiasts! TABLE OF CONTENTS The Triumph of Eugéne Valmont The Mystery of the Five Hundred Diamonds The Siamese Twin of a Bomb-Thrower The Clue of the Silver Spoons Lord Chizelrigg's Missing Fortune The Absent-Minded Coterie The Ghost with the Club-Foot The Liberation of Wyoming Ed Lady Alicia's Emeralds Parody of Sherlock Holmes The Adventures of Sherlaw Kombs The Adventure of the Second Swag Literary Article "Canadian literature"