A Study in Scarlet

A Sherlock Holmes Novel

By: Arthur Conan Doyle

Narrated by: Simon Prebble

Length: 5 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

In the first of all the Sherlock Holmes stories, Dr. John Watson, discharged from military service after suffering severe wounds, is at a loose end until a chance encounter leads him to take rooms with a remarkable young man. The arrogant, irascible Sherlock Holmes is a master chemist, a talented musician, and an expert on all aspects of crime. And when Watson is drawn into the investigation of a bizarre murder in which Holmes is involved, he is unaware that it is the beginning of the most famous partnership in the history of criminal detection.

The mystery begins when a body turns up in an abandoned building. A baffled Scotland Yard calls in the world's first "consulting detective," Mr. Sherlock Holmes. Through observation, subterfuge, and tenacity, he is soon able to discover the identity of the assassin, but that is only the beginning of the bizarre mystery. This audiobook includes the bonus Sherlock Holmes story "The Adventure of the Speckled Band."

©1923 Public Domain (P)2009 Tantor

Wonderful voice!

The introduction to the characters, Watson and Sherlock Holmes. A classic - the ending story was my favorite.

Very enjoyable reading

Some readers read too quickly, some too slowly. This actor had a wonderful pace and while he doesn't have too wide a variety of voices, he is easy to follow through the story. He demonstrates emotions and tensions throughout the story very well.

Best narrator there is

The only thing better for Holmes mystery lovers than reading one of Conan Doyle's tales is hearing it narrated by Simon Prebble. He is one of the best, and I recommend you seek out any & all of his audiobooks. The Dick Francis books narrated by him are a joy as well.

that's a lot of motive

as this was my first Sherlock Holmes novel I was pleasantly surprised that it lived up to my expectations. if I have 1 complaint though is that halfway through the book it drastically switches stories to a very long explanation of the killers motive. now this wouldn't be an issue except for the lack of the killers presence in the story about his motive, as he only really appears at the tail end of the story after a brief appearance earlier to establish his connection to the main characters of that part of the book. overall great story and a great introduction to the series.

great as always

I love the Sherlock Holmes stories and this was not disappointing. I can listen to these repeatedly and just may do do again.

masterful performance<br />

Once again, one of the very best narrators. good story master of voices. kids. enjoyed it too.

Great book-classic

I have read this book since I was a kid. It's awesome that they have it on here. All of the Sherlock Holmes books are true classics. Great read.

excellent choice

very good choice, great plot, well done. the narrator should have made more of a difference in the voices of Watson and holmes. it was sometimes difficult to determine which of the characters are speaking.

This is probably heresy to Holmes fans but...

I've become enamored of detective fiction only in the last year, and I came to Holmes through his reinterpretations by authors like Laurie R King and Nicolas Meyer. I was delighted to see new versions of the Conan Doyle's classics and eagerly wanted to listen to this one --Perhaps my expectations were just too high.

The original Holmes is still a great invention, but Conan Doyle didn't create great fiction around him, in this novel anyway --Even Simon Prebble couldn't make this a great listen to me (and sometimes I wonder if Simon was bored -- this is not his best narration). Also, the recording quality of my download was a bit wonky -- I didn't bother to re-download to see if that corrected the sound glitches (probably would).

I will persevere on to other of Conan Doyle's novels or short stories, but without as high expectations. And I look forward more to next year's release of Laurie R Kings' second part of "The Language of Bees."

Homes' deductions a bit too excessive for my taste

What did you like best about A Study in Scarlet? What did you like least?

The era is quite charming and Watson is very likeable, but I have to say that Homes' extraordinary deductions based on apparently insignificant details are just too fictitious and over-the-top for my taste.