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Title: The Beast with Five Fingers

Author: W. F. Harvey

Narrator: Cathy Dobson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 4 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-12-15

Publisher: Red Door Audiobooks

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

William Fryer Harvey (1885-1937) was an English writer of short stories, most notably in the mystery and horror genres. His most famous work is The Beast with Five Fingers, which is universally recognised as a masterpiece and one of the most iconic horror stories ever written.

Born into a wealthy Quaker family in Yorkshire, he went to Balliol College, Oxford, and took a degree in medicine at Leeds. Ill health dogged him, however, and he devoted much of his recuperation to writing short stories.

The release of the film The Beast with Five Fingers (1946), directed by Robert Florey and starring Peter Lorre, inspired by his most famous short story, caused a resurgence of interest in Harvey's work.

Members Reviews:

Good book but the print is small.

is also the name of the lead-off short story. This reviewer believes that the book was worth buying. I have enjoyed most of the stories, a few of which I have come across in other such anthologies. I recommend the book with this caveat: The print is small and therefore difficult for some (self-included) to read. Were it any smaller I would have needed a magnifying glass. But I recently bought/ received another similar book that has print even smaller. And indeed I have (and used) a good magnifier

Master of Strange Stories

William Fryer Harvey's short stories are dark, ambivalent, murderous & sometimes slyly humorous. In this regard, he pre-dates Robert Aickman. Like some of Aickman's best tales - "Trains" & "Bind your hair" spring to mind - quite a few of Harvey's best tales are based around wanderings and the strange encounters that ensue. In "The Tool" a man takes a walking tour and somehow loses a day, a day in which a heinous crime has been committed; perhaps by the narrator? In "The Hearthside Fire", another murder is committed at midnight in an isolated public house on the moors & the perpetrator finds no rest ; in "August heat", a painter leaves his garret, goes for a stroll and is astonished to meet the murderously visaged person he has just painted an hour before. It's a dangerous business stepping beyond your doorstep, as Bilbo Baggins once observed. There is also the title story, which is one of the slickest black comedies since "Arsenic & old lace"; the "Follower" & "Miss Avenal", which are respectively a tale of elliptic horror a la Conrad & a tale of psychic vampirism. All of these tales were written in the Twenties & Thirties. The prose is clear, and always in the service of telling a lean story. I've read and re-read these stories many times with growing pleasure & appreciation.

A hidden gem

I've read too many ghost/horror stories to count. I discovered Mr. Harvey in a collection of short stories. The story I read was so delightfully creepy, I had to google him! I immediately went to Amazon to order one of his collection and I have been pleasantly delighted with his talent for writing good and creepy stories.

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Title: The Hound of the Baskervilles

Author: Arthur Conan Doyle, Tony Evans

Narrator: Rob Penman

Format: Abridged

Length: 37 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-16-15

Publisher: Real Reads

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Upon the ground around the body were the footprints of a gigantic hound!

When Sir Charles Baskerville is found dead, his face distorted with shock and horror, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are faced with a sinister and difficult puzzle.

A fearsome creature stalks the wild and barren hills of Dartmoor. Is it a demon from the spirit world? Will it defeat their skill and courage? Who is the tall, mysterious figure seen lurking on the moor at night?

Can Holmes save Sir Henry, the new owner of Baskerville Hall, from the ancient family curse? Or will the terrifying hound claim yet another victim?

Members Reviews:

I envy anyone who has not read this novella.

This is Doyle's longest and most complete story. We get to know several characters besides Holmes and Watson. Doyle describes Dartmoor and the Grimpen Mire with tantalizing details.

If you are not familiar with any of the movies, radio or TV adaptations, you have a rare treat in store. But even if you have been a longtime fan of Sherlock Holmes it is worth another read.

Absolutely Classic Story

The classic Holmes story. It can be a bit wordy at times but the reasoning behind that was to involve the reader in the general moodiness and atmosphere of the story. This isn't THE Holmes story to read if you are just becoming acquainted with Holmes, but it is very worthwhile reading once you've been introduced to him via some of the short stories or perhaps even A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of Four.

Old school detective story

If you want to start with Holmes, start here. Many old school stories don't hold up well, this does. For cultural literacy reasons alone it's worth the time (it's a quick read) but it's also a good story. Call it up on the Kindle for a buck and enjoy the bus ride.

One of the best

It was fun to have a Holmes novel with Watson taking center stage. This is a classic. Doyle makes you picture and actually feel the moor. Do yourself a favor and read this one. (One star is taken off for the incredible amount of typos.)

Sherlock Holmes rocks

Sherlock Holmes is the best. Read every story over and over again. Love this one because it proves that answers don't have to be fanciful to be right.

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Title: A Study in Scarlet

Author: Arthur Conan Doyle, Tony Evans

Narrator: Rob Penman

Format: Abridged

Length: 35 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-15-15

Publisher: Real Reads

Ratings: 2 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

"On his rigid face was an expression of horror and hatred such as I had never seen before upon human features."

When Dr. Watson agrees to share lodgings with Sherlock Holmes, he soon finds himself involved in a shocking and mysterious murder case.

What will Holmes discover when he examines the body? There are no marks on the dead man, so why is there so much blood at the scene of the crime?

Inspector Lestrade and Inspector Gregson have asked Holmes to help them. But will they listen to his advice? Can the famous detective and his new friend discover the truth before the murderer strikes again?

Members Reviews:

Missing too many details

This book wasnt for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Someone who wants a very short story. Not enough details or story is involved in this abridged version. It seemed more like an overview.

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Title: The Watcher by the Threshold

Author: John Buchan

Narrator: Cathy Dobson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 31 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-12-15

Publisher: Red Door Audiobooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

John Buchan (1875 - 1940) was a scottish writer, barrister, Member of Parliament and later become Baron Tweedsmuir and Govenor-General of Canada. While he was most famous for adventure stories, such as The Thirty-nine Steps, he was also popular for his supernatural horror stories, of which The Watcher by the Threshold is a prime example.

When Harry Grey receives a mysterious summons from his cousin Sybil to visit her and her husband Robert Ladlaw at their remote scottish estate, he is taken aback by the urgency of the postscript. "For Heaven's sake come and see us!" she writes. "Bob is terribly ill, and I am crazy. Come at once." And then to finish: "Don't bother about bringing doctors. It is not their business."When Grey undertakes the dismal journey to the House of More where the Ladlaws live, he finds a situation far more mysterious and terrifying than he could ever have imagined.

Ladlaw is in the grips of a terrible possession... and Sybil is at her wits end. Ladlaw's split personality is so bizarre that it is sometimes hard to grasp who has the upper hand.

Members Reviews:

Sacred and Profane

John Buchan is far from forgotten these days, thanks to his widely read and adapted Richard Hannay yarns that earned him a status of one of the fathers of modern thrillers.

What is forgotten, however, is that he produced fair amount of weird fiction. His strange stories are rarely reprinted, and barely read. That is a shame, as they are far from your generic supernatural yarns that were commonly produced in that period. These are subtle, oft psychologically charged, tales, whose subject range from unusual takes on more common tropes, to some pretty original tales that, in their themes and delivery, anticipated some famous 20th century's weird stories.

Longest story in this collection, "No-Man's Land", anticipates Robert E. Howard's treatment of the little people folklore as opposed to Machen's more ethereal one (tho, it would've made for more attractive weird tale if the second half of it was cut off), whereas "Space" warrants comparison to HPL's "Witch-house" and "From beyond" - through his work, brilliant mathematician regains the level of perception that modern men lost, one that lets him see "that at which dogs bark at night"... only, he too gets noticed by... other things.

"The Grove of Astharoth", "The Green Wildebeest" and "The Wind in the Portico" deal with modern man's encounter with ancient survivals, always with tragic results. "The Wind...", in particular, is great example of that somewhat dubious "folk horror" sub-genre that is increasingly popular nowadays. Any of these three tales would certainly satisfy any fan of Blackwood or Sarban.

"The Watcher by the Treshold", "Tendebant Manus" and "Fullcurcle" present most unusual hauntings. "The Watcher" and "Tendebant Manus" deal with hauntings/possession, former with an excellent gothic mood and a good dash of that interest in old survivals that I mentioned in relation to previous three stories, latter with a more psychological focus and a great dose of ambiguity as to actual presence of anything overtly supernatural.

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Title: The Wind in the Portico

Author: John Buchan

Narrator: Cathy Dobson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 55 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-15-14

Publisher: Red Door Audiobooks

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Colonel John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir (1875 - 1940) was a Scottish novelist, historian and politician. He is best known for his mystery and ghost stories.The Wind in the Portico is a strange tale of a visit by a classical scholar, Nightingale, to an odd castle set in a park in Shropshire where a rare manuscript is housed.

The owner of the castle is the amiable but eccentric Dubellay, an amateur historian who inherited his title and mansion ten years earlier and took the opportunity to excavate the site of an old Roman temple in the grounds. Since then he has spent a fortune building a huge and bizarre portico onto one side of his house as a home for the carvings and altar from the temple.

Nightingale is puzzled by the oppressive heat in the house, the strange hot wind which blows through the portico... and most of all by the very odd behaviour of Dubellay. It appears that Dubellay is in terrible danger and something highly sinister has taken up residence in the portico.

Members Reviews:

Great yarn....hideous reader

I cannot understand how readers can be so poorly educated. This ghastly woman mispronounces any word that is even remotely arcane. Demesne ( pronounced "domain" ) becomes de mez nee in her mouth. Her phrasing and accent are vulgate. A good read is made almost incomprehensible

Do NOT listen to anything read by C Dobson!!!!

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Title: Seven Short Stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Author: Arthur Conan Doyle

Narrator: Cathy Dobson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 9 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-20-14

Publisher: Red Door Audiobooks

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Seven short story masterpieces by the acknowledged master of the short story, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

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Title: The Parasite

Author: Arthur Conan Doyle

Narrator: Cathy Dobson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 51 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-17-14

Publisher: Red Door Audiobooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most intriguing novella.

Austin Gilroy is a scientist and is by nature sceptical of anything to do with the occult. So when his colleague, Professor Wilson, introduces him to the mysterious and sinister hypnotist, Miss Penclosa, he is inclined to view her as a fraud.

But when Gilroy's fiancée is hypnotised and Miss Penclosa makes her do the unthinkable, Gilroy is forced to change his views. He embarks on a series of hypnosis experiments with himself as the subject this time... but it soon becomes apparent to him that the odious Miss Penclosa has fallen in love with him and is now manipulating him to her own ends. Her power over him seems absolute ... can he ever manage to extricate himself from her evil clutches?

Members Reviews:

"The Parasite is an A. C. Doyle Story with A Mysterious Woman"

I have always enjoyed A. C. Doyle, especially his creation of Sherlock Holmes as well as others. When I saw "The Parasite" on Amazon and it was a "free e-book," I download it. Although not Holmes or other writings I was familiar with, I enjoyed it, although I had a hard time getting into it at first. Later in his life, Doyle did become fascinated with spiritualism and the paranormal, even befriending Houdini in his later years. The two of them became good friends, despite their opposing views on the supernatural. Houdini was delighted to learn that there was at least one intelligent person who believed in Spiritualism, and he found that man in his friend Conan Doyle.

"The Parasite" is a short story and nice quick read. The protagonist is Austin Gilroy, a physiologist, who is a realist and believes that the paranormal is nonsense. That is until he meets a mysterious woman who mesmerizes people; he is not only hypnotized by this woman, but he slowly becomes completely obsessed with her. Gilroy says: "This woman, by her own explanation, can dominate my nervous organism. She can project herself into my body and take command of it. She has a parasite soul; yes, she is a parasite, a monstrous parasite. She creeps into my frame as the hermit crab does into the whelk's shell. I am powerless! What can I do?" If you like Doyle in general, then you may like this book. The price was right for my Kindle!

Invasion of the Body Snatcher

âThe Parasiteâ is a short work of speculative fiction first published in 1894. It is written in the style of a personal and scientific diary maintained by Austin Gilroy, a professor of physiology who at the young age of thirty-four has attained one of the most prestigious chairs in an English university. Professor Gilroy is a skeptical but joy-filled man of science who is professionally devoted to logic and hard scientific evidence and personally engaged to the beautiful Agatha Marden. As the diary entries begin, Professor Gilroy is preparing to attend a gathering that his colleague Professor Wilson and his wife are hosting for a few members of the university community, including Agatha and her mother. Professor Wilson is a well-respected professor of psychology which Gilroy considers to be little more than a vague, mystical and indefinite pseudo-science.

At the Wilsonâs party, Professor Gilroy is introduced to Helen Penclosa, a guest of the Wilsonâs from the West Indies. Miss Penclosa is a small, frail woman, well over forty with relatively unremarkable but somewhat feline features.

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Title: Sherlock Holmes

Subtitle: The Case of the Cracked Mirror, A Short Mystery, Book 3

Author: Pennie Mae Cartawick

Narrator: Ian Whitcomb, J.W. Terry, Barbara Goodson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 32 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-21-14

Publisher: Catherine Kimball

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

An enhanced audiobook, with complete music score and extensive sound effects to add to your listening experience.

"The fireman had seen a skeleton, wearing a dress coat, whose head was aflame. I was deeply worried for the missing young woman. If she had been taken by the opera ghost, be he flesh or spirit, how would she fare if she rejected his 'love'? All worries were momentarily forced out of my head when a sudden squawk rang out across the opera house. I cannot believe this! Me; a suspect."

A Roger Rittner Production. Pulp Radio - Audio Dramas. Narrated by Ian Whitcomb, with Barbara Goodson and J.W. Terry. Announced by Dave Mallow.

Members Reviews:

Good entertainment value

The 20-page short story takes Sherlock Holmes and his long-term partner, Watson, to Paris to solve the disappearance of a budding opera singer and love interest of Raoul, a member of a prominent French family. The famous investigative duo is summoned to France by Raoulâs brother, who is concerned Raoul may have been involved in the girlâs disappearance, bringing dishonor to his family.

Possible suspects begin to pile up quickly after Holmes and Watson arrive at the Paris opera house. Prior to her disappearance, the missing girl had worked her way into the lead role of Romeo and Juliet through mysterious circumstances, providing one possible motive for her disappearance. It was also rumored she had begun a relationship with an Opera Ghost, whoâd magically improved her singing talents. A pile of letters written to the missing girl found by Holmes seems to indicate the Opera Ghost was upset by the girlâs relationship with Raoul, making the ghost the leading suspect in the girlâs disappearance. Several twists and turns later, Holmes leads Watson and the readers to the person responsible. Creating an opening for a next story in the series, the author adds one final twist at the end of this tale.

I was impressed by the late 19th century descriptions and dialogue used by Ms. Cartawick in telling the rapidly moving short story. While the short story could benefit from another edit, it was the authorâs storytelling and e-bookâs entertainment value that warrants a four-star rating and investing the $.99 for the Kindle download.

âSherlock Holmes: The Case of the Cracked Mirrorâ is the first short story by Pennie Mae Cartawick that Iâve read, and is the third in the series. I will make a point to circle back to the first two.

"Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book free from the author. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own."

The case of the cracked mirror

Predictable..phantom meets Sherlock...the language is right, the plot is transparent and its evident author has read a lot of Conan Doyle's works...still it works for free

Engaging mystery

I really enjoyed this short story. Although I did download it on a promo day and therefore got it for free, I would have gladly paid for it in the end. This is a classic Sherlock Holmes mystery. I found the story really engaging. The characters were well-developed. I enjoyed the writerâs style as well and Iâm looking forward to reading her other Sherlock Holmes stories.

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Title: Motoring Tales

Subtitle: Six Stories Inspired by the Early Automobile

Author: A. J. Alan, E. F. Benson, Rudyard Kipling

Narrator: Cathy Dobson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 35 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-13-14

Publisher: Red Door Audiobooks

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

As the invention of the automobile enabled quicker travel and enhanced the lives of the early motorists, it also gave new impetus to a generation of story writers.

Automobiles were unusual, unfamiliar beasts. They combined speed and danger with an uncanny ability to break down at unexpected moments, catapulting the unhappy traveller into new adventures, or thusting mystery strangers onto the inhabitants of remote houses.

Early motor cars were sometimes awarded the same personal qualities which had previously been attributed to horses...and crashed cars might come back as ghosts to haunt the road where they "died".

Red Door Audiobooks presents six short classic stories in which the automobile takes centre stage.

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Title: Sherlock Holmes: Season Tickets to a Crime Carnival

Author: Pennie Mae Cartawick

Narrator: Peter Baker

Format: Unabridged

Length: 26 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-16-14

Publisher: Catherine Kimball

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

The 21st crime mystery in this Sherlock Holmes series. Travel alongside a carnival where murder is on the agenda. Narrated by Peter Baker, a well-known British television personality on the BBC, commercial radio, and TV.

A woman's scream pierced the silence, and the tent erupted into chaos. I grabbed Watson's coat to steady myself as the audience swarmed down the platform and towards the exits. I could scarcely believe the reaction.

Check out other Sherlock Holmes short story mysteries in this series:

1. A Strange Affair with the Woman on the Tracks

2. The Mystery of the Faceless Bride

3. The Case of the Cracked Mirror

4. The Mystery of the Poisoned Tomb

5. The Curse of a Native

6. The Game of Cat and Mouse

7. The Sphinx Collection (Three Holmes' stories in one book)

8. The Phoenix Collection (Three Holmes' stories in one book)

9. The Case of the missing Mayan Codices

10. Murders on the Voyage to India

11. The Heist

12. The Satyr Collection. Volume 1. (10 Holmes mysteries in one book)

13. The Flight Collection (three Holmes stories in one book)

14. Death in the Tropics of a English Explorer

15. Dirty Laundry in Paradise

16. Not so merry in good ol' Scotland

And many more...

Twenty-first in a string of new short stories set in the late 19th century. No fictional character is more renowned for his powers of thought and observation than Sherlock Holmes.

Members Reviews:

awful

What a terrible short story. Poor Holmes, the creation of one of the most talented authors, is dragged to the filth of mercenary opportunists.

Very enjoyable

This is the third Sherlock Holmes short story I have read by Ms. Cartawick, each as different and exciting as the one before.

In this particular installment, the two erstwhile companions Holmes and Watson find themselves the witnesses of an unfortunate accident, an incident too perilous to be written off as mere bad luck. Working against short time and with an entire carnival cast of suspects, the two must make determine what happened before the crowd disperses and the culprit escapes forever.

This work was a rare treat in that the narrator was Holmes, not the usual Watson. It gave a wonderful insight into the titular character as well as allowing the reader to see a more at-ease view of Watson. A quick and easy read, worthy of inclusion in the canon.

A new favourite author

I just discovered this author and am so glad I did. A friend recommended her work to me and now I'm addicted! As an amateur writer myself I can see the mastery of her craft and the result is an enjoyable and just downright fun read. The story and characters are well constructed which makes the book literally 'un-put-downable'. I'm so pleased to have found a new author who deserves to be followed closely.