The Complete Stories of Sherlock Holmes, Volume 1

The only problem I have with this series is that I am awaiting the next episode with impatience! I bought this after much comparing, I wanted a voice I could enjoy, one who could do a variety of voices, and a series that didn't end up costing a lot, as I intend to own every story. This is value for money, and worth the wait. The only improvement possible is a multiple cast, but I chose cost over that.
Well done! and thanks for getting back to me - there will be three volumes when finished, and the second is ready and due to be offered for download any time now.

There's a reason you've heard of Sherlock Holmes before ever cracking a page or hearing the narration.
These stories are great, things explained and you're never left in the dark as to what is happening.
That was my biggest fear with mystery novels, that I never knew what was going on till the very end explanation.

This Audio book narrator is TOP notch, I don't think I've heard any better, and only a few on the same level.
This is absolutely worth getting without a doubt! A voice for every character and they all come to life.

I really enjoyed listening to this collection of Sherlock Holes stories. I just wish there was an easy to find list of the stories for reference The narration was fantastic. The short stories were a nice length; I often listened to them on the way to work. Each story contained an individual plot/case yet there were many times references to previous cases, providing a connection between stories. It was interesting to see the Holmes and Watson characters develop throughout the collection.

I started listening to this collection because of the Sherlock TV show produced by BBC. The show was great and surprisingly fits with the classic stories quite well.

A Study in Scarlet (novel; 1887)

The Sign of the Four (novel; 1890)

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (short stories, published in The Strand between July, 1891 and December, 1892):

A Scandal in Bohemia
The Red-Headed League
A Case of Identity
The Boscombe Valley Mystery
The Five Orange Pips
The Man with the Twisted Lip
The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle
The Adventure of the Speckled Band
The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb
The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor
The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet
The Adventure of the Copper Beeches

From what I can tell from a quick internet search, Volume 1 of this audiobook covers the Holmes cannon faithfully from the first. I'm eager to start Volume 2 to see if the coverage will be as comprehensive.

I liked Charlton Griffin's Sherlock and Dr. Watson, but I didn't like his portrayal of any of the female characters (they sounded so wimpy and foolish, even when they were written otherwise).

I read several of the short stories, out of order, years ago. Listening to this audiobook to "read" the cannon from start to finish is great because I can follow the character development of Homles and Watson, and their relationship.

I gave this four stars, but that is a little unfair. I probably need to break it down a little better. ACD's first couple novellas (Study in Scarlet; Sign of Four) were interesting but just didn't hold together well. I could easily deduce what Doyle was trying to do with Study in Scarlet, but he just didn't pull it off (3 stars). Sign of Four was a tad better fit for Doyle (3.5 stars), but still not quite up to my expectations.

ACD's true form is the short story. His longer pieces just don't hold up quite as well as Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (5 stars). ACD is a master of the short story. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes has very few duds. It is clear that not only was Doyle breaking new ground, but he absolutely pwned the form (and would for the next century). It is rare to find a literary work that sold so well initially (the Strand sold Holmes like crazy) and still appears relevant and popular today (from t.v. shows like Sherlock to Bones). That is the brilliance of Doyle's detective stories: they are universal, they are timeless, and they are -- elementary.

Griffin does a fantastic job at bringing Holmes to life.

If you are an audiobook addict as I am, you will probably agree that a mediocre narrator can make a fantastic book awful and a mediocre book un-“readable.” I did not find Charlton Griffin’s performance at all mediocre! I love all of the Sherlock Holmes stories and enjoyed every hour of this narration.

I agree with the person who said that this book needs to do a better job at the chapter breaks and to include a table of contents. Navigating is not easy when all you get on the iPod screen is chapter 1, chapter 2 --and then those divisions don't have anything to do with where the stories stop and start.

Okay, but that is a technical problem and it doesn't take away from this return to the junior high classroom. Did they really let us read about this opium addict in junior high?? Funny, I don't remember such a detailed description of the addiction, while I do remember that the speckled hat band was a snake and a beryl is a gemstone. Hmm, maybe our school used an expurgated edition.

Good job on the narration, although there are some glitches in the recording.

These are great stories that have stood the test of time and work well in the audiobook format.

I have great admiration for the actors who read these audiobooks and can produce a range of accents and never get them mixed up. So I am willing to forgive a few lapses in this regard. However, the frequency of missed accents and mispronunciations did detract from my enjoyment of the book. There were occasions where it was clear that the reader did not comprehend the words he was reading. For example, "bowing" with a violin bow not bending from the waist; "a propos" and "in situ" mispronounced; "house' and "horse" getting mixed up - and many more.

Very delightful to listen to, the stories are well read.

I read a few Sherlock Holmes stories many years ago but had no idea that so many were written by Conan Doyle. The stories are of a length that is easy to digest and the excellent narration by Charlton Griffin (tops in my book, up there with Frank Muller and Simon Vance) brings the stories to life with his various character impersonations. I probably like Griffin's narration with a woman's voice the best of any narrator. The women often sound somewhat fickle, but for the late 1800s this wouldn't be too out of step with the times.

The length of each story is such that it can be "read" at a good pace leading to excitement to hear the next story. The voice characterization for Holmes is spot on. Having seen the older movies that featured Basil Rathbone as Holmes, I found myself picturing him as the Holmes character thanks to Griffin's narration.

You will find humor in these stories as well, especially when Holmes must tolerate the incompetence of others around him. At such a cheap price with good audio quality, a top-shelf narration by Griffin, and intriguing stories, this is a must-buy.