The Return of Sherlock Holmes

David Timson's reading of the Sherlock Holmes stories must surely be the definitive audio performance featuring this timeless character. Previously released in three installments by Naxos, this 10-disc set includes his narration of all 13 cases published in THE RETURN OF SHERLOCK HOLMES in 1905. Resurrected after his apparent death three years earlier, the older and wiser Holmes of these stories shows a willingness to let his conscience prevail over the letter of the law. Timson's range is remarkable--he gives perfectly tuned accents to characters not only from all of Britain but also from South Africa, Australia, and the United States. By the end, you'll forever associate Holmes and Watson with Timson's voices. As well as being a marvelous narrator of these stories, his own liner notes reveal him as something of a Sherlockian. D.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine

In this fully realized radio performance of "The Empty House," "The Norwood Builder," "The Dancing Men" and "The Solitary Cyclist," each character is performed by a different actor. Sound effects, such as gunshots, are interspersed. Background music of the period is moody and effective, particularly the rendition of Holmes's violin. Actor Clive Merrison sounds overly petulant and shrill to be the perfect Holmes, accustomed as we are to Basil Rathbone and Jeremy Brett. However, Michael William's Watson is closer to that of the written stories than Nigel Bruce's screen portrayal. Some of the scenes are presented as episodic flashbacks, especially in "The Solitary Cyclist." First class. D.W. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

These stories, published in 1905, recount 13 of the great detective's cases after his supposed death while grappling with Professor Moriarity at the Reichenbach Falls. It's amazing that the Holmes tales, which I've read three or four times, always seem fresh and new at each encounter. Here one's enjoyment is substantially increased by the vigorous, exciting reading of Derek Jacobi, one of Britain's finest actors. He disappoints only in his interpretation of the title sleuth. Jacobi's Holmes has a high-pitched effete-sounding voice, an interpretation this reviewer finds at odds with the decisive and masterful portrayals of the well-known Holmes actors such as the BBC's Jeremy Brett. Y.R. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine