The Return of Sherlock Holmes (Version 3)
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Read by David Clarke
The book was first published in February 1905 by McClure, Phillips & Co. (New York) then on March 7, 1905 by Georges Newnes, Ltd. (London) and was the first Holmes collection since 1893, when Holmes had "died" in The Final Problem. Having published The Hound of the Baskervilles in 1901–1902 (setting it before Holmes' death) Doyle came under intense pressure to revive his famous character.
The first story is set in 1894 and has Holmes returning in London and explaining the period from 1891–94, a period called "The Great Hiatus" by Sherlockian enthusiasts. Also of note is Watson's statement in the last story of the cycle that Holmes has retired, and forbids him to publish any more stories. - Summary by Wikipedia (11 hr 51 min)
Chapters
| The Adventure of the Empty House | 56:08 | Read by David Clarke |
| The Adventure of the Norwood Builder | 58:03 | Read by David Clarke |
| The Adventure of the Dancing Men | 1:00:36 | Read by David Clarke |
| The Adventure of the Solitary Bicyclist | 49:35 | Read by David Clarke |
| The Adventure of the Priory School Part 1 | 39:20 | Read by David Clarke |
| The Adventure of the Priory School Part 2 | 36:54 | Read by David Clarke |
| The Adventure of Black Peter | 52:02 | Read by David Clarke |
| The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton | 43:55 | Read by David Clarke |
| The Adventure of the Six Napoleons | 52:29 | Read by David Clarke |
| The Adventure of The Three Students | 42:29 | Read by David Clarke |
| The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez | 54:51 | Read by David Clarke |
| The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter | 49:41 | Read by David Clarke |
| The Adventure of the Abbey Grange | 54:24 | Read by David Clarke |
| The Adventure of the Second Stain | 1:00:50 | Read by David Clarke |
Reviews
Excellent as always
Reverend Eirena Llewellyn-Crow
David Clarke reads through these tales with his excellent way. I never tire of listening to the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson with the most fitting voices for each and every character. Sherlock himself would be delighted to listen, as well as Dr. Watson. A better job done I cannot imagine.
Another wonderful performance!
Jeff B
David Clarke does another spectacular job bringing Sherlock Holmes, Watson, and company to life in this reading of Doyle's classic short stories. There is no better Holmes narrator around. Any listener/reader, whether casual or a true Sherlock Homes aficionado, will find themselves loving every minute of this collection.
Top Notch Narration
A Human on Planet Earth
David Clarke does a superb job of narrating all of the Sherlock Holmes books! Each character’s voice is unique. Accents change and intensities vary depending on what is happening in a given chapter. Other books that have multiple narrators can really throw you off because of the different voice qualities! But the fact that David Clarke reads the entire book allows you to enjoy listening all the way to the book’s conclusion!
Joe C
I am a huge fan of the Sherlock Holmes novels and stories. I love the narrator for this particular recording. excellent job.
Nathalie
Great narrator, good audio. No yelling, so it's easy to relax to (of course it's exciting, the narrator pulls you in).
Another superb narration by Clarke
Curious Reader
Clarke’s narration does Holmes justice. Every ‘Hello’ when Holmes espies something exquisitely timed - and that is but one thing of many. I have never enjoyed Holmes more. Please do more narrations on Librivox, Mr. Clarke! Sadly Doyle cannot create more Holmes stories, but luckily if Clarke so chooses Clarke can bring more novels to life for us listeners!
Good fun
Ruth
Overall an enjoyable listen. Female characters are flat and foreign characters have not aged well, but it is a child of it’s time and it is possible to enjoy the adventures of you ignore the British imperialism. Some fun adventures that kept me guessing. Some fairly predictable. All in all good fun. Beautifully interpreted by David Clark, as always!
Another Excellent Narration!
COS_Draftsman79
I really enjoyed these stories. The Holmes in this collection is a tad more craftier, darker and willing to play by his own moral code, regardless of the law (a precursor to the hard boiled heroes like Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe?). These stories are brought to life by Mr. Clarke: one helluva reader!