The Unopened Casebook of Sherlock Holmes

By: John Taylor

Narrated by: Simon Callow, Nicky Henson

Length: 2 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

Here are six extraordinary adventures, never revealed before, starring Simon Callow as Sherlock Holmes and Nicky Henson as Dr Watson, written by John Taylor.

"The Wandering Corpse": The professor claimed he knew how to resurrect the dead. Now he's dead and his body's missing from the coffin.

"The Horror in Hanging Wood": The victim's arm has been wrenched half off, face battered out of all recognition. Who, or what, could have made such a ferocious attack?

"The Paddington Witch": Saul Ransome's body was cooked like meat and black as coal. But "Garth Ransome is saying his brother was witched - that it was Bess that witched him."

"The Phantom Organ": The night that Hugh Hembury was killed, a note was nailed on the church notice board: "Now is the hunter hunted. H H shall be first."

"The Devil's Tunnel": A young woman disappears from a train as it speeds through a tunnel, and only her hat and one shoe are found. Surely too few clues, even for Sherlock Holmes.

"The Battersea Worm": The Tower was Angel Holland's fortress. The only way to Holland's room at the top was by the passenger elevator, and Dr Watson was the only person who had used the lift the day she was murdered.

©2009 John Taylor (P)2008 BBC Audiobooks Ltd

Critic reviews

"Do you remember the time Sherlock Holmes led Dr. Watson into mortal peril with an animal-loving librarian in a dark and mysterious wood? Or solved a baffling murder that involved a newfangled Otis lift? Of course you don't, as they are a mong the stories created by John Tatylor for this collection of six half-hour plays first broradcast on Radio Five. The scenarios he has invented for the great fictional detective and his sidekick involve a higher proportion of deadly females than usually invaded the pair's clubby Victorian world, but they are still reassuringly reliant on a working knowledge of Britain's railway timetables. This affectionate and respectful not-quite pastiche should delight rather than outrage fans. Although the casting of beefy Simon Callow as Holmes could work only on radio, Nicky Henson makes a fine Watson, his trusting nature a bluff counterpoint to his cerebral companion." ( Sunday Times, Audio Book of the Week)

Enjoyable

The Stories are a great way to spend a rainy evening. Quite enjoyable. My only regret was there were too few of them.

Alright Story but Butter Alternatives

This wasn't bad but it wasn't great. Simon Cowell as Sherlock Holmes seemed to work for me. However, the voice acting was not that strong from the supporting cast. Watson's character was written more as bumbling, aloof, and not fully aware. The stories were not that bad. However, they did not seem to fit into the Sherlock Holmes canon that is so strong.

If you want to hear a wonderful dramatization of Sherlock Holmes with stellar sound effects, voice acting, and story -- I would recommend that dramatizations starring Clive Merrison as Sherlock Holmes and Michael Williams as Dr. Watson. After Williams passed away, Andrew Sachs took over as Watson and he is equally good. I would recommend those audio books over these hands down.

Good stories, but not by Arthur Conan Doyle

I am a Sherlock Holmes fan and enjoyed the uniqueness of the 6 mysteries included in this collection. While most of the original Arthur Conan Doyle stories keep me wondering right to the end, these seemed to be a bit easier to figure out before the final "reveal", though.

I would recommend the original Sir Arthur Conan Doyle stories first, also available through Audible. Don't be misled as I was, though. There has been an error and the author is listed as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but it is not. These are not any of the original 56 short stories. They are based on the characters by ACD, but the stories are actually written by someone else.

Enjoy, but be aware...

Not bad

The acting was a little over the top but the stories were good. Enjoyable book.

Almost classic Holmes and Watson!

I think the excellent cast of Simon Callow and Nicky Jensen as Holmes and Watson make this BBC series a not to listen to.

Don’t bother.

This is a sham. Any Doyle fan should steer far away, as the title warns. Smarmy exploitation; and for some reason it has appeared in my “Library”.

Poor imitations of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Some contemporary writers have given us acceptable and enjoyable new stories featuring Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson. This particular collection is very disappointing as the solutions are so glaringly obvious from early on that all mystery is lost. The performance is good but does not make up for the boredom of waiting for the ending you have foreseen. Although the likeable Dr Watson is well portrayed, he has been made to seem unbelievably gullible.

The author is John Taylor, NOT Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as another reviewer has made clear, and this should be corrected on Audible as it is misleading.