I really enjoyed the two plays by Conan Doyle...the third by Yuri Rasovsky was awful. ( )

This audio recording consists of the two plays written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle that feature Sherlock Holmes. The Napoleon of Crime was co-written by actor William Gillette, who starred as Holmes in its stage productions. Holmes matches wits with the evil Moriarty, who hopes to take advantage of Holmes's current case to get the best of Holmes. I enjoyed the drama, especial Martin Jarvis's portrayal of Holmes, but I thought its story line was a little out of character. Holmes actually develops a romantic interest in a woman involved with the case. Could this be William Gillette's influence? Maybe he thought audiences wanted to see him as a romantic hero.

The second play is an adaptation of the short story The Speckled Band. This is probably my least favorite Holmes story for a reason I can't reveal without spoiling it for readers unfamiliar with the story. Doyle seems to have added material that wasn't in the short story to get to the right length for a stage production. When Dr. Watson goes to Sherlock's home to consult him about the problem faced by the young lady at the center of the story, he has to wait while Holmes sees a whole string of clients. Although this scene is entertaining, it doesn't quite fit with the rest of the story, and I thought it seemed out of place. The cast did a wonderful job with their voice characterizations.

The third drama is a modern satire of the Sherlock Holmes stories by Yuri Rasovsky. It's supposed to be a comedy, but I didn't think it was very funny. I think listeners can safely skip it. ( )

I was very excited to find this excellent audio collection at my local library. This full-cast edition contains three works: Sherlock Holmes: A Play in Four Acts by William Gillette and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Speckled Band: An Adventure of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Ghastly Double Murder at Famed Detective's Flat (or Sherlock Holmes Turns Fifty) by Yuri Rasovsky. The first two were excellent - indeed, The Speckled Band was just as captivating as when I first read it in junior high school, even now that I knew the mystery's end. The last one was a short, silly piece of fluff that was only so-so. The readers were all excellent, particularly the one who voiced Sherlock Holmes himself. ( )