The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes, Volume 1 [Abridged] [Audiobook] (Audio Cassette)

"The Three Garridebs" rehashed the plot of "The Red Headed League". "The Creeping Man" turned in a creepy tale whose premise has been disproved by later science. "The Veiled Lodger" was not even a mystery.

The rest of the stories were much better. "The Blanched Soldier" presented a conundrum which Holmes solved without visiting the scene. "The Sussex Vampire" had a perfectly natural explanation. "The Lion's Mane" involved violent death, but was there a crime? Holmes worked for an unnamed "Illustrious Client", but you should be able to figure out who it was. We meet Holmes' page, Billy, for the first and last time in "The Mazarin Stone". We meet international intrigue in "Shoscombe Old Place" and an arrogant murderer in "The Retired Colourman". My favorite story of the lot is "The Problem of Thor Bridge", where Holmes assists a young lady of murder in the face of almost overwhelming evidence of guilt.

The BBC production of "The Case Book" was done in three packets of two cassettes, each containing two stories from "The Case Book". Clive Merrison once again turns in a virtuoso performance as Holmes, and Michael Williams portrays a far more capable Watson than Nigel Bruce ever imagined.

Bert Coules and Vincent McInerney took more liberties with the plotlines in this collection than they did in any of their other treatments of the Holmes saga. They write Billy out of "The Mazarin Stone" and replace her with Mrs. Hudson, who participates more actively in the solution of the case than she ever did in any of Doyle's writings. In fact, Doyle's story occupies only about 10 minutes of the production, with 20 minutes of leadup in which Lord Cantlemere serves as Holmes' chief suspect. The changes consist of additions which make the story more enjoyable without altering Doyle's original plot. The same cannot be said for their treatment of "The Three Gables". Langdale Pike, a minor character in Doyle's original rendition, becomes a major actor. Pike assists Holmes in the ruination of the villainess. This constitutes a major change from Doyle's original plot, in which Holmes allows the villainess to escape upon payment of "punitive damages". In "The Sussex Vampire" they manage to work in a few references to Bram Stoker's "Dracula", but don't otherwise tamper too much with the plot.

If you like Holmes, mysteries, or radio plays; you'll like this collection.