About the Author

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh in 1859 and died in 1930. Penguin publish all the books about the great detective, A Study in Scarlet, The Sign of Four, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Return of Sherlock Holmes, The Valley of Fear, His Last Bow, The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes, The Uncollected Sherlock Holmes and The Penguin Complete Sherlock Holmes.

Reviews

Edward Hardwicke, who played Dr. Watson to the late Jeremy Brett's Sherlock Holmes in the celebrated television series, is in top form for this second installment of Conan Doyle's classic mystery stories. Hardwicke's narration is perfect as he again brings to life the lovable Watson and guides the listener through some of Holmes's most exciting and intriguing cases: the adventures of the Sussex Vampire, Creeping Man, Speckled Band, Crooked Man, Greek Interpreter and Naval Treaty. As the great detective gathering clues, utilizing his famed methods and unraveling each mystery, Hardwicke provides a superlative rendering of these treasured stories, which might leave listeners longing to hear Brett's Holmes reply to Hardwicke's Watson, and creates an audio book that will be adored by Holmes fans and provide newcomers with a compelling introduction to the gentlemen at 221B Baker St. (Aug.) Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.

This is a nice but flawed entry in an already crowded field (a WorldCat search for Sherlock Holmes and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle produces 137 records for audiobooks). Five of these six stories were written after Doyle resurrected Holmes following the character's death in "The Final Problem." While none are especially well known, all are worth hearing. Actor Edward Hardwicke, who played Dr. Watson in the BBC/PBS adaptation of these tales, does an excellent job narrating. Overlooking the omission of a portion of "The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans," which makes for a confusing conclusion to the story, this fine production is recommended for all collections.--Stephen L. Hupp, West Virginia Univ. Lib., Parkersburg Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.