mystery – Page 19

Sherlock Holmes pastiche: Sebastian Thorne

Aural Noir: Online Audio

No doubt recalling my fondness for August Derleth’s Solar Pons, my friend Julie D. dropped me a line saying:

“the Sebastian Thorn stories paint a nice ‘modern’ Holmesian figure.”

Who? Thorn? Never heard of the fellow.

So, curious, I followed the link that Julie provided and saw that a young gentleman named Andrew Evelyn has been self-publishing his own present day Sherlock Holmes pastiche stories (starring a character named Sebastian Thorn).

Here is the series description:

Consulting detective Sebastian Thorn follows in the footsteps of Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot in solving baffling crimes and mysteries accompanied by his friend and partner James Ashton.

And most importantly there are audio versions! Andrew Evelyn has posted his stories into an iTunes podcast feed…

iTunes 1-Click |SUBSCRIBE|

But, a little detective work also turns up the regular podcast feed too:

http://sebastianthorn.podbean.com/feed

[Thanks Julie!]

Posted by Jesse Willis

CBC + RR.cc: Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe EXCELLENT RADIO DRAMA from 1982

Aural Noir: Online Audio

In 1982 the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation aired a fantastic 13-episode radio series:

Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe

It stared Mavor Moore (as Nero Wolfe), Don Francks (as Archie Goodwin), Cec Linder (as Inspector Cramer), Frank Perry (as Fritz), and Alfie Scott (as Saul Panzer).

“It took [Toronto actor and producer] Ron Hartmann two years to adapt, direct and produce the 13 episodes for radio,” reported the Globe and Mail. “Ron and I are ardent Nero Wolfe fans, and we’re out to convert the listener,” Moore said.

The series was released on cassette by Durkin Hayes Audio (aka DH Audio) in the late 1990s. But DH is out of business, the cassettes out of print, and the CBC hasn’t licensed any replacements.

What’s a serious Wolfe fan to do?

Well, he can do do a search on RadioArchive.cc! It’s the premier place to find publicly funded programming, and it just now happens to have a new collection of old-off air recordings!

CBC Radio - Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe

Episodes:

Episode 01 – Disguise For Murder
Based on a story by Rex Stout; Adapted by Ron Hartman; Performed by a full cast
1 Broadcast – Approx. 55 Minutes [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcaster: CBC Radio
Broadcast: January 16, 1982
When Wolfe hosts a flower showing, a women is killed by someone she recognizes — but who?
Stars: Mavor Moore, Don Francks, Cec Linder, Frank Perry, Alfie Scott
Special Guest Stars: Layly Cado, Jack Krely, Neil Monroe, Eric Peterson, Fiona Reed
Music by: Don Gillis

Episode 02 – Before I Die
Based on a story by Rex Stout; Adapted by Ron Hartman; Performed by a full cast
1 Broadcast – Approx. 55 Minutes [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcaster: CBC Radio
Broadcast: January 23, 1982
A mob boss wants Wolfe to stop a blackmailer, and protect his daughter — who then dies.
Stars: Mavor Moore, Don Francks, Cec Linder, Frank Perry, Alfie Scott
Special Guest Stars: Jane Eastwood, August Shellenburg, Maria Loma
Music by: Don Gillis

Episode 03 – Counterfeit for Murder
Based on a story by Rex Stout; Adapted by Ron Hartman; Performed by a full cast
1 Broadcast – Approx. 55 Minutes [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcaster: CBC Radio
Broadcast: January 30, 1982
An old woman gives Archie a package — containing lots of counterfeit bucks.
Stars: Mavor Moore, Don Francks, Cec Linder, Frank Perry, Alfie Scott
Special Guest Stars: Joy Coghill, Brent Craver, Gilly Fenic, Lynn Griffin, Sandy Webster
Music by: Don Gillis

Episode 04 – The Cop Killer
Based on a story by Rex Stout; Adapted by Ron Hartman; Performed by a full cast
1 Broadcast – Approx. 55 Minutes [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcaster: CBC Radio
Broadcast: February 6, 1982
Wolfe’s barber is on the run for murder — and Archie hides them in the front room!
Stars: Mavor Moore, Don Francks, Cec Linder, Frank Perry, Alfie Scott
Special Guest Stars: Jackie Buroughs, Brian George, Arch MacDonald
Music by: Don Gillis

Episode 05 – Christmas Party
Based on a story by Rex Stout; Adapted by Ron Hartman; Performed by a full cast
1 Broadcast – Approx. 55 Minutes [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcaster: CBC Radio
Broadcast: February 13, 1982
Archie, Wolfe and Santa are all under suspicion when a man dies at a Christmas party!
Stars: Mavor Moore, Don Francks, Cec Linder, Frank Perry, Alfie Scott
Special Guest Stars: Marty Meriden, Linda Sorenson, Patricia Hamilton
Music by: Don Gillis

Episode 06 – Cordially Invited To Meet Death
Based on a story by Rex Stout; Adapted by Ron Hartman; Performed by a full cast
1 Broadcast – Approx. 55 Minutes [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcaster: CBC Radio
Broadcast: February 20, 1982
A prominent woman is blackmailed — then murdered — while Archie is standing beside her!
Stars: Mavor Moore, Don Francks, Cec Linder, Frank Perry, Alfie Scott
Special Guest Stars: Barbra Hamilton, Terry Tweed, Lynn Deigon, Ken James, Tom Harvey
Music by: Don Gillis

Episode 07 – Man Alive
Based on a story by Rex Stout; Adapted by Ron Hartman; Performed by a full cast
1 Broadcast – Approx. 55 Minutes [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcaster: CBC Radio
Broadcast: February 27, 1982
An heiress’s uncle returns to life — and then dies at her office!
Stars: Mavor Moore, Don Francks, Cec Linder, Frank Perry, Alfie Scott
Special Guest Stars: Lynn Griffin, Neil Monroe, Sandy Webster, August Shellenburg
Music by: Don Gillis

Episode 08 – Instead of Evidence
Based on a story by Rex Stout; Adapted by Ron Hartman; Performed by a full cast
1 Broadcast – Approx. 55 Minutes [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcaster: CBC Radio
Broadcast: March 6, 1982
A man hires Wolfe to provide evidence if he is murdered — and then he is!
Stars: Mavor Moore, Don Francks, Cec Linder, Frank Perry, Alfie Scott
Special Guest Stars: Laly Cadoe, Sean Sullivan, Eric Peterson, Martha Gibson

Episode 09 – Eney Meeny Murder Mo
Based on a story by Rex Stout; Adapted by Ron Hartman; Performed by a full cast
1 Broadcast – Approx. 55 Minutes [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcaster: CBC Radio
Broadcast: March 13, 1982
When Wolfe’s necktie is used to kill a potential client visiting his home, he is outraged!
Stars: Mavor Moore, Don Francks, Cec Linder, Frank Perry, Alfie Scott
Special Guest Stars: Charmin King, Bud Knapp, Aileen Seaton, Neil Monroe
Music by: Don Gillis

Episode 10 – The Squirt And The Monkey
Based on a story by Rex Stout; Adapted by Ron Hartman; Performed by a full cast
1 Broadcast – Approx. 55 Minutes [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcaster: CBC Radio
Broadcast: March 20, 1982
A comic artist hires Wolfe to find his stolen gun – but who uses it to kill his assistant — or is it Archie’s gun?
Stars: Mavor Moore, Don Francks, Cec Linder, Frank Perry, Alfie Scott
Special Guest Stars: Jack Krealy, Patricia Collins, Sheri Flet, David Hemlin
Music by: Don Gillis

Episode 11 – The Next Witness
Based on a story by Rex Stout; Adapted by Ron Hartman; Performed by a full cast
1 Broadcast – Approx. 55 Minutes [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcaster: CBC Radio
Broadcast: March 27, 1982
Wolfe can’t stand waiting at a trial — so he leaves to solve the murder!
Stars: Mavor Moore, Don Francks, Cec Linder, Frank Perry, Alfie Scott
Special Guest Stars: Dixie Settle, Terry Tweed, Michael Christy
Music by: Don Gillis

Episode 12 – Death Of A Demon
Based on a story by Rex Stout; Adapted by Ron Hartman; Performed by a full cast
1 Broadcast – Approx. 55 Minutes [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcaster: CBC Radio
Broadcast: April 3, 1982
A women confesses a would-be murder plot, then finds out her husband — the would-be target is dead!
Stars: Mavor Moore, Don Francks, Cec Linder, Frank Perry, Alfie Scott
Special Guest Stars: Mary Peery, Bud Knapp, Patricia Hamilton, Meana E. Meana, Helen Hughs
Music by: Don Gillis

Episode 13 – Murder is No Joke
Based on a story by Rex Stout; Adapted by Ron Hartman; Performed by a full cast
1 Broadcast – Approx. 55 Minutes [RADIO DRAMA]
Broadcaster: CBC Radio
Broadcast: April 10, 1982
Wolfe and Archie hear a murder on the phone — but if it’s real, can they solve it?
Stars: Mavor Moore, Don Francks, Cec Linder, Frank Perry, Alfie Scott
Special Guest Stars: Joy Coghill, Vivian Reese, Noni Griffin, Richard Monet, Murry Westgate
Music by: Don Gillis

[with props to the Wikipedia entry]

Posted by Jesse Willis

P.S. There’s another CBC radio drama that’s been languishing unlisted to, but there’s no chance anybody’s going to get to hear it ever as it HAS NEVER BEEN BROADCAST!

Aural Noir Review of The Adventures Of Sexton Blake

Aural Noir: Review

SFFaudio Essential The Adventures of Sexton Blake
Based on the character created by Harry Blyth; Performed by a full cast
2 CDs or MP3 Download – Approx. 2 Hours [RADIO DRAMA]
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks / Perfectly Normal Productions
Published: September 2009
ISBN: 1408410540
Themes: / Mystery / Adventure / Crime / Steampunk / Airships / London / Exmouth / Willesden /

Britain’s iconic and most prolifically chronicled sleuth explodes back into action in a brand new series of thrilling Adventures packed with incident and hilarity!

Back in 2006 we had a story about the new co-venture between Perfectly Normal productions and BBC Audiobooks. Audio drama legend Dirk Maggs was set to revive several “cult British comic characters.” This is the first of these. I hope there will be MANY MORE!

Sexton Blake, a renowned Baker Street detective, and his youthful assistant Tinker regularly face peril with deceptive disguises and flying fists. In between investigations they return to their Baker Street rooming house for endless lashings of tea and heaping plates of kippers. Their landlady, Mrs. Bardell, makes the food, debriefs the great detective, and commiserates with her neighbor, Mrs. H. (she’s also a landlady to another famous Baker street detective). The story begins aboard a runaway locomotive at the tail end of a kind of locked room mystery – after a few shootings by the various suspicious characters and a brief detour into the dining car’s wine cellar, the villain is revealed -only to escape by auto-gyro. When Blake returns to his Baker street residence he’s soon embroiled in a new investigation brought on by the arrival of a beautiful American actress. The investigation is both serpentine and ingenious, and it leads directly into the next – one in which an incredibly capable and amnesic woman saves Blake and Tinker from a false charge of burglary. Their investigation into her curious abilities and former profession lead Blake and Tinker into a house of deathtraps (or is that a deathtrap house). The action finally culminates in a thrilling saber duel atop a Zeppelin! At the beginning of each new episode there’s a mini-scene from an unrelated Sexton Blake adventure – each depicting Blake defeating either a rapscallious villain or a villainous rapscallion.

The Adventures Of Sexton Blake is jam packed with as much rib-tickling raillery as The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide To The Galaxy. The script is unbelievably clever and funny. It features a kind of endless stream-of-consciousness wordplay that clearly follows in the tradition of Douglas Adams, Monty Python, and The Goon Show. What sets it apart from it’s forebearers is a strict adherence to the medium. The only possible way to tell this tale is as an audio drama. Perhaps the most amazing aspect is vaguely amazing feeling I got while listening to it. There’s this kind of general consensus by all the characters to LARP their way through the adventure. No one character has the final word on anything, and every character in the scene is constantly throwing new nuance on the mental pictures being created in the listener. It’s not so much a mystery you can solve by following the clues, it’s more of an adventure you can ride with a flashing smirk.

These adventures are brilliantly envisioned by a terrific combination of skilled comedic acting, an engaging theme song and thousands of layered sound effects. I’m betting the script was at least twice as thick, per minute, as a typical (or ordinary, or normal) one. The outstanding cast and crew has made The Adventures Of Sexton Blake a play that can stand shoulder to shoulder, chin to chin, and eye to eye, with the finest audio dramatizations ever produced – and not feel even the slightest weak in the knees. This is very highly recommended listening!

Crew:
Written by Mil Millington and Jonathan Nash; Directed by Dirk Maggs
Sound Design and Music by Paul Weir
Produced by David Morley

Cast:
Simon Jones ….. Sexton Blake, Adventuring Detective
Wayne Forester …. Tinker, his Plucky Assistant
June Whitfield …. Mrs Bardell, their Doughty Housekeeper
Graham Hoadly …. Professor Kew, a Spindly Cackler
Lorelei King …. Miss Elizabeth Mary-Louise Tarabelle Beauchamp
Simon Treves …. Inspector Coutts Of Scotland Yard
Felicity Duncan …. Miss Terry, Window-Leaping Adventuress
Susan Sheridan …. Mrs Hudson, Housekeeper To A Neighbouring Detective
Malcolm Brown …. Count Ivor Carlac, a Villainous Juggernaut
Philip Glassborow …. Cyril, A Grim Assassin
Oscar Sharp …. The Frantic Caller
William Franklyn …. The Mysterious Waiter

Posted by Jesse Willis

New Releases: BBC Audiobooks America does SHERLOCK HOLMES

Aural Noir: New Releases

Here are two new releases from BBC Audiobooks America, read by the best Watson ever!

Three Tales of Avarice by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; Read by Edward Hardwicke

Includes:
•The Adventure of the Priory School
•The Red-Headed League
•The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle

Three Tales of Intrigue by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; Read by Edward Hardwicke

Includes:
•The Crooked Man
•The Greek Interpreter
•The Naval Treaty

Posted by Jesse Willis

Free @ Audible.com: The Case Of The Missing Will by Agatha Christie

Aural Noir: Online Audio

Here’s a FREE Agatha Christie short story from BBC Audiobooks America [via Audible.com]. I have at least one friend who’ll snap up this download within about two seconds of seeing this post. And check out the narrator!

The Case of the Missing Will
By Agatha Christie; Read by David Suchet
FREE Audible Download – Approx. 21 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America
Published: 2008
Provider: Audible.com
Poirot receives an unusual request for help from a Miss Violet Marsh, who was orphaned as a child and went to live with her peculiar Uncle Andrew. He died a month ago, leaving a will with a strange clause. Marsh has given instructions that his “clever” niece is allowed to live in his house for one month and in that time she has to “prove her wits” and find his second will. If at the end of that time she hasn’t, all his worldly goods go to charitable institutions and she will be left with nothing. Can Poirot help her?

Posted by Jesse Willis

Aural Noir Review of The Fabulous Clipjoint by Fredric Brown

Aural Noir: Review

[This audiobook was created by Wonder Audiobooks which is owned by SFFaudio contributor and a past reviews editior Rick Jackson]

SFFaudio Essential The Fabulous Clipjoint
By Fredric Brown; Read by William Coon
Audible Download – 5 Hours 36 Minutes [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Audible.com / Wonder Audio
Published: 2009
Themes: / Crime / Mystery / Murder / Alcoholism / Noir / Carny / Chicago / Janesville /

You’ll hear the soft, lazy voice of a dame who’s been around, and you’ll meet up with a beautiful heller. You’ll learn the lurid secrets of a man’s locked past, and you’ll prowl dark alleys with two men–two men turned hunters. And you’ll wonder–why Ed and his Uncle Am didn’t level with the cops; what business a gang would have with Ed’s dead father; and where the killer thought the hunters would go wrong. Here are your answers, in this fast-spinning, two-fisted mystery about thugs, molls, and carnival folks.

Ed Hunter is 18, an apprentice linotype operator in 1940s Chicago. He works with his father. One morning Ed gets up to work only to find his father missing, having not come home the night before. This can only mean one thing – MURDER! The cops aren’t too interested, his alcoholic stepmother and oversexed step sister aren’t up for it, so it’s up to Ed to get justice. But to get the job done he’ll need help so For he enlists his uncle, a carny with more brains and experience than any man Ed knows.

Rick Jackson, the man behind Wonder Audiobooks, is a good friend of mine. It’d be hard to say I’m 100% objective about reviewing his stuff. The problem mostly being that he and I have such similar tastes in audiobooks and fiction that to praise one of his audiobooks is very much like saying how cool I am! But he is cool damn it! And more importantly this is a truly awesome audiobook. I will stake my reputation on you loving it. If you’re twice as apt to like an old crime novel as a new one, then you’re three times as apt to love The Fabulous Clipjoint. The mystery is not hard to follow, the story is told in first person, but conversely it was devilishly hard to solve. I pride myself on being an excellent armchair detective, but I was happily baffled right up til the big reveal. That’s really saying something. William Coon sounds like a wise teenager. But then whenever he’s tasked with another character’s voice he switches: Falsetto, gruff, kindly, Coon does them all. Highly recommended.

Posted by Jesse Willis