Five new audio titles from Jim French Productions

Reviewed by Narayan Radhakrishnan for New Mystery Reader

I had a pleasant experience yesterday.  For the first time I read, or rather listened to, a selection of classic noir type mysteries from the past now artfully presented in audio book format by Jim French Productions, and all were absolutely wonderful.   I never imagined that listening to mystery would be of such pleasant an experience.

The Five audio book collection includes: Raffles: The Gentleman Thief, The Adventures Of Harry Nile, The Further Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes, Mr. Darnborough Investigates and The Hilary Caine Mystery Series.

Raffles: The Gentleman Thief- 
A. J. Raffles, the enigmatic, sauvé, and gentleman cricketer is also a ‘gentleman thief’.  Created by EW Hornung in the late nineteenth century, Raffles was a likable protagonist.  EW Hornung was the brother-in-law of Arthur Conan Doyle, and Raffles it seems is the greatest criminal mind of England (but not dangerous),  while Holmes was the greatest detective of England.  He also had his sidekick in Bunny Manders- a has-been journalist who acts as Raffle’s biographer.  He is to Raffles what Watson was to Holmes. The present audio book in review includes three Raffle works THE IDES OF MARCH (his debut outing), A COSTUME PIECE, and  A GIFT FROM THE GODS.

The second among the collection is The Hilary Caine Mysteries.  Let me confess, I had not heard about the Hilary Caine mystery series nor about the author  M.J. Elliott, but after listening to this audio book, I was quick to realize what I had missed.  Years back I enjoyed the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew series by Carolyn Keene and Franklin W. Dixon respectively, and this series was reminiscent of the two.    Employed as a crime reporter to a tabloid,  Caine not only reports crimes, but solves them as well.  Included in the collection are  A REPUTATION FOR MURDER, BLOOD WILL HAVE BLOOD and THE MOTTO OF THE SEAHAWK.

The next CD is Mr. Darnborough Investigates- consisting of IN THE TEA LEAVES and THE CURSE OF OZYMANDIAS. Freddie Darnborough is another famous noir detective of the Twenties created by John Hall. An aristocrat Englishman, Darnborough has his own butler…rather valet Cecil… and all the paraphernalia that goes along with being a Lord. IN THE TEA LEAVES is a thrilling chase story following a kidnapping; while in THE CURSE OF OZYMANDIAS- Darnborough investigates whether a mysterious death was a result of the curse of an Egyptian Pharaoh…or whether it was murder pure and simple….or was it that simple.

The 4^th in the collection is The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. I have read the complete Holmes collection….seen many a movie and also relished the television serial by BBC. And for the first time I heard Holmes in an audio drama. And one thing I can tell at the outset…the actor who played Holmes John Patrick Lowrie has a voice which really, really brings Holmes to life. Conan Doyle would sure have been proud of this audio drama presentation. Included in this collection are fresh stories including THE WIZARD OF BAKER STREET (about Holmes partaking in a play about himself); THE LIVING WEAPON and THE SCHOOL FOR SCOUNDRELS.

The final set in the lot is The Adventures of Harry Nile. This is the pride of the collection – and possibly the better one among the best in the collection. I have heard about Harry Nile series of PI investigative series by Jim French…but it is for the first time I am reading the same…..oops I again committed the mistake…I am hearing the same. A former cop, Nile resigned from the police after his wife was killed in a nightclub shooting.  He starts his own PI agency and is soon a success there. Included in the present collection are the JUDGE FROM WHISKEY DICK- a good murder mystery and THE MYSTERY OF THE GALENA, an exciting drama set in the background of a gruesome car wreck. 

You might have read the books back, and some of you might be having in possession the complete collection of the works- say Sherlock Holmes or Raffles collection. But the volumes of CD’s in review are unique. These books….rather CD’s adds glitz and voice to the characters....and they truly speak to you- both literally and figuratively. Be it the strong voice of Armstrong as Raffles or the heavenly voice of Karen Heaven as Hilary Caine…all actors have done justice to their roles. The books, the story and the characters come alive in the hands of the cast. I guess it is time for me to start a new collection- of audio books of my favorite novels. Would you like to join me?

About Jim French Productions:

Jim French has provided the world with mystery, suspense, thrills and chills for over thirty years, all through the magic of audio theater. His flagship series: The History of Harry Nile is the longest running audio private detective series (new episodes are produced monthly) in the history of radio drama in the United States. In the 1990's Jim was authorized by the estate of Dame Jean Conan Doyle to produce new audio dramas based on her father's famous consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes.

Since he began to write and produce new Sherlock dramas Jim has affiliated with writers in England, Canada and Scotland. Several of our series are UK based: "Raffles, The Gentleman Thief", "The Hilary Caine Mysteries" and "Mr. Darnborough Investigates." A new series: "The Anthony Rathe Chronicles" is not yet in CD form.

With the interest in podcasts and more and more people producing their own shows radio drama (especially radio mystery) has seen a huge upswing in growth.

For more information:  www.jimfrenchproductions.com

 

New Mystery Reader Magazine  editor@newmysteryreader.com