The title alone of this BBC audio book is enough to make you quiver with thrilling anticipation. Just imagine it. “Benedict Cumberbatch reads Sherlock Holmes’ Rediscovered Railway Mysteries.” And repeat it. Do you feel the lovely shivers running up and down your spine? To be totally honest, for me it would’ve been enough to see “Benedict Cumberbatch reads…”. No matter what it is, it ought to be excellent. The voice, the British accent, there are only a few fine people out there who would make me buy an audio book just because of the narrator.

Let’s cut right to the chase, here are the details:

Titel: Benedict Cumberbatch reads Sherlock Holmes’ Rediscovered Railway Mysteries
(Four original stories)
<inserting a pause for a deep sigh>
Author: John Taylor
ISBN-10: 1785291572
available e.g. at Amazon
Duration: 2 hours (2 CD)

Based on the known characters by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle author John Taylor takes us back to the end of the 19th century with four new stories:

  • An Inscrutable Masquerade
  • The Conundrum of Coach 13
  • The Trinity Vicarage Larceny
  • The 10:59 Assasin

Living at the famous address of 221b Baker Street in Central London Dr John Watson reflects once again on the adventures he and his companion Sherlock Holmes experienced over the time. Whether it is a mystery of a missing coach of gold, a theft at an old vicarage, or the puzzling events of a murder investigation, all four stories keep the promise of old-fashioned detective stories, full of deductions and surprising twists and turns. Quite the contrary to today’s bloody murder novels, these tales convince with cleverness and a peaceful but deceiving tranquility. Set-up in a time frame that is so different from today’s busy world, the motives now and then, however, remain the same. It’s all about greed, hate and jealousy.

The stories are intriguing and entertaining, bearing a fine RP. This –  coupled with the intoxicating voice of Benedict Cumberbatch – is a two-hour pleasure for ears. Descriptions like “the fireplace battled the chills” envelops you in a comfortable coat of linguistic beauty. As the brilliant narrator that he is, Benedict Cumberbatch breathes life into each and every character of the story. May it be the ordinary publican or the educated American sales man, everybody is fine-tuned with different accents and pitch of voice. As I said, a pleasure for ears.

Now, go and start listening. After all, Benedict Cumberbatch reads Sherlock Holmes’ Rediscovered Railway Mysteries…