Four Short Stories

by Arthur Conan Doyle, Carl Rigg (Narrator), Lesley Young (Notes)

Book by Doyle, Arthur Conan

Genres: Mystery, Audiobook, Classics, Fiction, Short Stories, Horror, Historical Fiction

6 pages, Audio CD

First published March 1, 1988

About the author

Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was a Scottish writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for A Study in Scarlet, the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Holmes and Dr. Watson. The Sherlock Holmes stories are milestones in the field of crime fiction.

Doyle was a prolific writer. In addition to the Holmes stories, his works include fantasy and science fiction stories about Professor Challenger, and humorous stories about the Napoleonic soldier Brigadier Gerard, as well as plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction, and historical novels. One of Doyle's early short stories, "J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement" (1884), helped to popularise the mystery of the brigantine Mary Celeste, found drifting at sea with no crew member aboard.

Reviews

[Susy · Rating 2 out of 5]

RTC

[Ivy-Mabel Fling · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not for you if you want to read a Sherlock Holmes story - he does not appear in any of these tales. They are quite entertaining and easy reading (or listening) but reading them shows you how the world has changed since Sir Arthur was around. What was considered horrific in those days is definitely tame now. But sometimes a tame story gives the reader a rest from our relatively horrific world.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess you expect maybe some kind of detective mystery or something that doesn't involve Sherlock Holmes. And these do not involve Sherlock Holmes. There may be a sort of attempt. Even at horror. They weren't necessarily horrific. They weren't even necessarily good. There's definitely something interesting to some of them. Mike, the mummy one was a little interesting.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up (on audio) as part of the YA summer program from audioboksync.com. It's a decent collection - short and fun - of "scary" stories by Doyle. They weren't particularly scary, but they were well-constructed and interesting. 3 solid stars

[Michael Delaware · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good collection of stories. My favorite was The Terror of Blue John Gap. Nothing more scary than going into a wet cave with a candle and matches. and a monster.

[Leila · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was actually my first time reading Arthur Conan Doyle and I really enjoyed it! Nothing like some spooky gothic short stories.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

The narrator is excellent and I enjoyed the music with the stories.

[Terri Floccare · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Sherlock Holmes, but these are definitely not Holmes stories. They are clearly horror in the style of Poe - which makes sense. Well written, but not my cup of tea.

[Toni FGMAMTC · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you like old suspenseful stories this is for you.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. In theory "scary" stories from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle... I didn't find them particularly scary or even that interesting. Not a waste of time, but also not something to run out and read.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked "The Horror of the Heights" -- airplane fiction from early in the era of flight. The other short stories were maybe more shocking in another time period.

[Faith Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read before Halloween

[Kristel · Rating 3 out of 5]

4 short stories of horror so this is not the detective story. I liked the last story the best. This was a free audio that I finally get it of the tar pile.

[Nethra Ram · Rating 1 out of 5]

The most boring "stories" I've read. Good god.

[Cathy Langille · Rating 3 out of 5]

AudioSync 2022

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd never read anything by Arthur Conan Doyle so it was interesting to listen to this collection of stories.  They were dark and twisty, and not quite what I expected.  I'm glad that I read them.

[Megan Coleman · Rating 2 out of 5]

"I have seen the beauty and I have seen the horror of the heights—and greater beauty or greater horror than that is not within the ken of man. And now it is my plan to go once again before I give my results to the world."

"Forty-three thousand feet. I shall never see earth again. They are beneath me, three of them. God help me; it is a dreadful death to die!”

"The darkness was opaque and horrible. It was so utter, one put one’s hand up to one’s face as if to press off something solid."

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received audio through audio sync summer program.

[Frances · Rating 4 out of 5]

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