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Abridged
Sherlock Holmes Theatre - Abridged by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, William Gillette & Yuri Rasovsky
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Sherlock Holmes Theatre - Abridged

$10.76

Retail price: $11.95

Discount: 9%

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Length 4 hours 37 minutes
Language English
Narrators Martin Jarvis, Kristoffer Tabori & a full cast

This audiobook uses AI narration.

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Blackstone is pleased to present the first ever audio recordings of the only two Holmes plays written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This specially commissioned production by the Hollywood Theater of the Ear is a unique, must-have audio for all Sherlockians.

In Sherlock Holmes, Professor Moriarity, the Napoleon of crime, plots with would-be blackmailers to have Holmes killed. And the normally love-proof Holmes falls for an exceptional woman.

What is the secret of the shocking death of poor Enid’s sister, whose dying words were, “the speckled band”? Only Holmes can find the answer and save a helpless girl from certain death in The Speckled Band.

When Holmes retired, it created a financial crisis for his friend Watson, who owes money to mobsters who want either their cash or his blood. The surprising upshot is: Ghastly Double Murder in Famed Detective’s Flat, a one-act comedy by producer-director Yuri Rasovsky, here receiving its audiobook premiere.

Arthur Conan Doyle was born on 22 May 1859 in Edinburgh into a prosperous Irish family. He trained as a doctor, gaining his degree from Edinburgh University in 1881. He worked as a surgeon on a whaling boat and also as a medical officer on a steamer travelling between Liverpool and West Africa. He then settled in Portsmouth on the English south coast and divided his time between medicine and writing.

Sherlock Holmes made his first appearance in A Study of Scarlet, published in 'Beeton's Christmas Annual' in 1887. Its success encouraged Conan Doyle to write more stories involving Holmes but, in 1893, Conan Doyle killed off Holmes, hoping to concentrate on more serious writing. A public outcry later made him resurrect Holmes. In addition, Conan Doyle wrote a number of other novels, including The Lost World and various non-fictional works. These included a pamphlet justifying Britain's involvement in the Boer War, for which he was knighted and histories of the Boer War and World War One, in which his son, brother and two of his nephews were killed. Conan Doyle also twice ran unsuccessfully for parliament. In later life he became very interested in spiritualism.

Conan Doyle died of a heart attack on 7 July 1930.

William Gillette (1853–1937) was an actor, playwright and stage manager in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He is best remembered for his adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes.

Yuri Rasovsky (1944–2012) was the leading writer, producer, and director of audio drama in the United States. Also a distinguished actor, narrator, and critic, his numerous honors include two Peabody Awards, eight Audie Awards, and a Grammy.

Martin Jarvis' career ranges from award-winning London theatre productions of Ayckbourn, Pinter and Wilde to Murder, She Wrote and James Cameron's Titanic in the U.S. He has twice received the British Talkies Award.

Kristoffer Tabori made his screen debut when he was six years old and appeared on Broadway for the first time at age sixteen. He has garnered numerous honors for his stage, screen, television, and radio acting and directing, including an Emmy and three Earphones Awards. His first solo narration won the 1993 Audie Award for best audiobook of the year.

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Reviews

“An excellent Holmes radio production…The sound and music are top notch and…[it] takes you back to the days of gaslight and great detective stories.”

“Two Holmes plays written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as well as a spoof production by the audiobook’s producer, Yuri Rasovsky. In all three, Rasovsky combines a talented cast, spot-on sound effects, and a rich musical score to achieve a stunning audio production. Every character, every cast member, every special effect, and every note of music merits applause. The first two plays are vintage Conan Doyle…In the third, Rasovsky presents a clever portrayal of Holmes in retirement…Once you get over the shock, you’ll never read Sherlock the same way again. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award.”

“Harkening back to the Golden Days of Radio, these three audio presentations are outstanding. They are superbly produced, and the voice work by the performers is spot on…‘Ghastly Double Murder in Famed Detective’s Flat’…is an unexpected delight, an uproarious romp in a Sherlockian parallel universe.”

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Celebrate our 10th Anniversary with giveaways, merch, and more! Learn more