A selection of 10 classic stories featuring some of the detective “rivals of Sherlock Holmes” who began to appear in popular periodicals after Conan Doyle apparently killed Holmes off in 1893. Featuring cases for Loveday Brooke, Max Carrados, Father Brown, the Old Man in the Corner, and Dr. Thorndyke. All narrated/performed by me, Simon Stanhope. The stories are already available on the channel as individual uploads if you prefer to listen that way, although I’ve taken the opportunity while producing this anthology to remaster and re-edit some of my older recordings.
Timestamps:
00:00:00 Introduction and notes by Simon Stanhope
00:02:25 The Redhill Sisterhood by Catherine Louisa Pirkis
01:00:10 The Missing Actress Sensation by Ernest Bramah
02:08:20 The Secret Garden by G. K. Chesterton
03:02:36 The Robbery in Phillimore Terrace by Emma Orczy
03:41:02 Gleanings from the Wreckage by R. Austin Freeman
04:33:37 Drawn Daggers by Catherine Louisa Pirkis
05:26:28 The Secret of Dunstan’s Tower by Ernest Bramah
06:28:27 The Oracle of the Dog by G. K. Chesterton
07:26:19 The Fenchurch Street Mystery by Emma Orczy
08:12:34 The Naturalist at Law by R. Austin Freeman
09:21:19 Credits, thanks and further listening
(Story teasers below)
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The Redhill Sisterhood | 00:02:25
Surrey police call in the services of ‘Lady Detective’ Loveday Brooke, to investigate the activities of a local order of nuns which they suspect may be a cover for a gang of country house burglars.
The Missing Actress Sensation | 01:00:10
A young actress making her London debut in the west end becomes an overnight star after earning rave reviews on the opening night, even though she only plays a supporting role in the piece. But a few days later, her name is in the newspapers again for a very different reason…
The Secret Garden | 02:08:20
One of the most celebrated Father Brown stories, an outdoor “locked room” mystery in which a body is discovered in a sealed garden. But with no access to the outside world how did the victim get into the garden – and how did the murderer get out?
The Robbery in Phillimore Terrace | 03:02:36
A daring double theft of diamonds, from the homes of two dealers who are near neighbours in Kensington, has baffled the police – especially when the prime suspect vanishes under their very noses.
Gleanings from the Wreckage | 03:41:02
On a late-night walk through London, Thorndyke and Jervis are witnesses to a small explosion and fire in a laboratory. Then the widow of a scientist killed in the blast seeks Thorndyke’s help to satisfy the insurers that his death was an accident, and not suicide…
Drawn Daggers | 04:33:37
A valuable diamond necklace disappears while its owner, a young heiress, is staying with the Hawke family, but for some reason she seems reluctant to report the loss to the police. Then Mr. Hawke receives the first in a series of cryptic anonymous drawings: could they be a warning? Loveday Brooke investigates…
The Secret of Dunstan’s Tower | 05:26:28
Max Carrados is asked by an old school friend to investigate the case of the Aynosfordes, who are apparently haunted by a strange and inexplicable manifestation on the stairs in their ancient family seat, Dunstan’s Tower…
The Oracle of the Dog | 06:28:27
The press calls it the “invisible murder case”: Colonel Druce was stabbed while alone in his summerhouse – yet multiple witnesses confirm that no-one was seen to enter or leave. And the victim’s dog, who was out on a walk at the time of the murder, began to howl inexplicably at just about the time the crime was committed. Could the dog really hold the key to the mystery?
The Fenchurch Street Mystery | 07:26:19
Journalist Polly Burton is initially annoyed to have her lunch disturbed by a strange man who sits at her corner table. But her interest is piqued when he begins to talk to her about a baffling murder case which has confounded the police and the public for more than a year…
The Naturalist at Law | 08:12:34
When a man’s body is found drowned in a shallow ditch, it seems a clear case of suicide. But there are several puzzling features: why did he travel miles from home from an area where he was unknown, and how did he get there?
Original recordings © Bitesized Audio 2020–23. This compilation © 2023.
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A selection of 10 classic stories featuring some of the detective "rivals of Sherlock Holmes" who appeared in popular periodicals to plug the gap after Conan Doyle apparently killed Holmes off in 1893. All narrated/performed by me, Simon Stanhope. Story timestamps:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:02:25 The Redhill Sisterhood (1893) by Catherine Louisa Pirkis (Loveday Brooke)
01:00:10 The Missing Actress Sensation (1913) by Ernest Bramah (Max Carrados)
02:08:20 The Secret Garden (1910) by G. K. Chesterton (Father Brown)
03:02:36 The Robbery in Phillimore Terrace (1901) by Emma Orczy (The Old Man in the Corner)
03:41:02 Gleanings from the Wreckage (1927) by R. Austin Freeman (Dr. Thorndyke)
04:33:37 Drawn Daggers (1893) by Catherine Louisa Pirkis (Loveday Brooke)
05:26:28 The Secret of Dunstan's Tower (1913) by Ernest Bramah (Max Carrados)
06:28:27 The Oracle of the Dog (1923) by G. K. Chesterton (Father Brown)
07:26:19 The Fenchurch Street Mystery (1901) by Emma Orczy (The Old Man in the Corner)
08:12:34 The Naturalist at Law (1925) by R. Austin Freeman (Dr. Thorndyke)
09:21:19 Credits, thanks and further listening
(Story teasers and more information available in the video description)
Note: The stories are already available on the channel as individual uploads if you prefer to listen that way, although I've taken the opportunity while producing this anthology to remaster and re-edit some of my older recordings
Much Aloha from Kapakalua, Maui Simon my friend. Thank you so much.
Love your channel.
J
Looking forward to getting to know some new classics
I don't sleep well so I listen to audiobooks on YT all night every night with earbuds. I like the fact that this compilation has over 9 hours of listening. Although I'm American I enjoy listening to listen to books read in a British accent. Your voice is fabulous. Luckily, I stumbled upon this excellent channel just today.
Thanks for all the effort you put in to breathe life into these old strand magazine stories….
This is the finest collection of audiobooks I will ever find on Earth.
Listening to all of these excellent readings is pure pleasure but my favourites are the Dr Thorndyke stories.
I love the stories, your narration and your amazing voice. It's great listening to them while performing some quiet manual labour. Thank you for the wonderful time you give us.
I like Max Carados
As always, wonderful story telling!
Thank goodness you do these for us.
Have always had a soft spot for Father Brown – but have really enjoyed hearing about Loveday Brooke and Max Carrados
I pressed "like" during the intro. Just knew it was gonna be brilliant.
Just subscribed. You're now my faithful companion on my morning walks. I'm a handicap, older lady. Your stories keep me perfectly entertained till I complete my daily walks❤ thank you😊
Lovely voice! I'm so grateful for this distraction from our troubled times. X
Thank you so much Simon, a treat indeed, perfect renditions as always!
Thanks!
Simon you have outduone youerself. Bravo
Another Simon series that is just awesome. I listen to other very good narrators that really do a great job on their subjects. They aren’t Simon. Thanks for your work Simon I always appreciate your style of reading.
Wonderfu! My sis and I are big fans of yours. Just sent the link to her. Thanks Simon.
Why Simon, you must have remembered that we are coming up on Mother's Day, next Sunday, May, 14, here in the US!!
Speaking for all the American mothers, allow me to thank you so much for one of the loveliest gifts ever!!!
'Well…..I feel like a little girl wearing what my own little girls refer to as a "spinny dress" joyously whirling and twirling around a big sunny meadow full of wildflowers, spinning until I'm so dizzy and there's nothing for it but to simply flop down among the tiny violets and overblown dandelion puffs, breathless and near euphoric!
Question
"How did you feel when you saw that Simon had uploaded a compilation of TEN Rivals of Sherlock Holmes compilation?"
Simon, as always, well done! 🎉
I really enjoy your channel. As a historian, I really appreciate the wonderful pictures that accompanies each stories. PURE Genius, from tropical Australia.
Mr Stanhope you're the bomb💥😃💙⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The way he says Edwardian eras gets me every time, in a good way if course
Quite lovely ❣️ Thanks Simon
You’ve shown me so much, I’d never heard off, Loveday Brook & Thorndyke are my personal favourites, both discovered through this wonderful channel.
Many thanks.✊♥️
Thank you for these stories. It certainly required a lot of time, but it was superb.
Thank you so much, Simon!❤😎
❤Thank you ❤..and hope YouTube are behaving themselves these days!.