Showing results by narrator "David Ian Davies" in All Categories

A young, hard-up aristocrat decides to visit his wealthy relative in the hope of obtaining a loan. When he arrives at Greylands Court, he is warmly greeted by his cousin, but his hostess is strangely hostile. However, her husband urges the young man to pay no attention to her, and invites him to tour his menagerie. There he sees the star of his cousin's collection: a sleek, black Brazilian puma.

An ancient Egyptian mummy comes to life, but not to chase anyone around a tomb. This is a science fiction story, not a tale of horror. If you look carefully, you'll find a little sarcastic humor here and there. The mummy has a story of his own to tell, and it's quite an interesting one, to say the least. Another example of Poe's fantastic imagination.

It is Yom Kippur, and the entire village - a town so poor there is nothing to steal and no one to steal it from - is praying in shul, observing the daylong fast. There is an out-of-town stranger with them - a rich visitor and a generous one too: He donates to the rabbi, the cantor, the shul, and the poorest of the town. So it is particularly shocking when, near the end of the service, the visitor suddenly discovers that the rest of the money he had with him has been stolen!

Watson joins Holmes late one night as the detective takes on the case of an army officer who has died an apparently violent death. He is found in a pool of blood, his head savagely struck during an argument with his wife, who is now incapacitated by the traumatic event. Yet there is evidence that suggests the presence of a third party in the locked room - and even a strange, curtain-climbing animal of unknown origins.

When the giant's away, the children will play. That's what happens in Oscar Wilde's classic tale The Selfish Giant. Kids of all ages will love listening to this lively performance and will unwittingly learn an important lesson about selfishness and overcoming adversity.

Flagged down by Inspector LaStrade of Scotland Yard as they walk through the icy winter streets, Holmes and Watson are transported to the home of the aristocratic Lady Whitebread. Once there, she tells them her traditional holiday centerpiece has vanished in the midst of the Christmas dinner - right under the very noses of her guests. The decoration? An enormous work of the jeweler's art centered upon a three inch round emerald called...the Christmas Jewel.

Sherlock Holmes is at it again. Mrs. Warren, a London lodging-house keeper, comes to Holmes with a curious story of a reclusive and eccentric tenant. Mrs. Warren's husband has been abducted and then quickly released again, perhaps a case of mistaken identity. Holmes decides the case is more important than it appears.

Sherlock Holmes is called in to investigate when the body of an Italian diplomat is discovered in the River Thames, his torso horrifically mutilated. Fearing the political repercussions - the diplomat being in London to initiate talks regarding a secret naval treaty between the two nations - the Government entrust Holmes with the delicate task of uncovering the truth behind the brutal murder. Events take a shocking turn, however, when a young solicitor is found slain in the East End, his body similarly mutilated.

"The Murders in the Rue Morgue" is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe published in Graham's Magazine in 1841. It has been claimed as the first detective story; Poe referred to it as one of his "tales of ratiocination".

Sherlock Holmes investigates when a young woman's twin sister is mysteriously murdered in her locked bedroom, leaving in her dying words the only clue with which to begin: "band" and "speckled".

Here are six classic Sherlock Holmes stories: "A Scandal in Bohemia", "The Red-Headed League", "A Case of Identity", "The Boscombe Valley Mystery", "The Five Orange Pips", and "The Man with the Twisted Lip"....

One hot steamy night in London, on a bridge looking over the Thames, a gentleman meets what appears to be a vagabond. The drifter, though looking ragged, has some class about him, and tells a story of being very successful in business. The gentleman is at first amused and then amazed when the vagrant pulls from around his neck a bag of very large diamonds.

Five more cases solved by Sherlock Holmes, including "The Adventure of the Creeping Man", "The Adventure of the Lion's Mane", "The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger", "The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place", and "The Adventure of the Retired Colourman".

When Pyecroft, an obese man who cannot stop eating, becomes a member at the club H.G. belongs to, his corpulence becomes a disturbance and a distraction. Soon, Pyecroft gets wind of the fact that H.G. has some mystical weight loss remedies given to him by his grandmother, and he begs H.G. to let him have one.

Mac's Restaurant - nobody calls it MacFarland's - is a mystery. It is off the beaten track. It is not smart. It does not advertise. It provides nothing nearer to an orchestra than a solitary piano, yet, with all these things against it, it is a success. In theatrical circles especially it holds a position which might turn the white lights of many a supper-palace green with envy.

Seven more cases solved by Sherlock Holmes, including "Silver Blaze", "The Yellow Face", "The Stockbroker's Clerk", "The 'Gloria Scott'", "The Musgrave Ritual", "The Reigate Puzzle", and "The Crooked Man".

"A Descent Into The Maelstrom" is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe that first appeared in the May 1841 edition of Graham's Magazine. In the tale, a man recounts how he survived a shipwreck and a whirlpool. It has been grouped with Poe's tales of ratiocination and also labeled an early form of science fiction.

Aristide Valentin, the chief of the Paris police, arrives from Holland by boat at the English port of Harwich. He is pursuing an infamous thief and con man named Flambeau, to whom Parisian reporters attribute numerous mysterious and unsolved crimes committed in the French capital.

This lovely narrative tells the story of the soul of a quiet man who never hurt another human being, never complained even when he was hurt or humiliated by others, as it enters the Heavenly Court of Judgment.

Dr. Aloysius Lana, a "Black Doctor" of Spanish ancestry, has settled in a Lancashire town and courted Miss Frances Morton, a young woman of the local gentry. After he unexpectedly breaks off their engagement, he is found dead, and Frances' brother is arrested.