Full Cast Audiobooks

Watch on YouTube Subscribe to Driving Audiobooks Play the Sherlock Holmes series on YouTube

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes full cast audiobook

by Arthur Conan Doyle · Sherlock Holmes, Book 4

Released · Updated · 8h 35m · 57 voices

The story (no spoilers)

Dr. Watson follows Sherlock Holmes into the most baffling cases of their years together at Baker Street, where the consulting detective reads strangers from a worn cuff or a misplaced footprint. The collection opens on Dartmoor, where a famous racehorse, the favourite for the Wessex Cup, has vanished from its stable and its trainer lies dead on the moor. Colonel Ross, the horse's owner, and Inspector Gregory summon Holmes, while a young man sits under arrest and the newspapers pile up theories. Holmes boards the Exeter train with Watson at his side, determined to strip the rumour from the fact. From there the cases range across England: a client whose career is threatened by a stolen government paper, a physician's strange visitor, a bank clerk offered an oddly generous post, a husband troubled by his wife's secret, and an old family ritual with a riddle at its heart. Each puzzle tests Holmes's powers of observation and Watson's loyalty to the end.

The cast

44 speaking roles are listed; walk-on parts are not. Each voice was designed, or chosen from our library of designed voices, to fit how the book describes the character, and it stays with them from the first chapter to the last. Portraits are illustrated impressions of each character.

  • Illustrated portrait of Holmes: about 35, black, slicked back, receding slightly at temples, mouse-grey ulster with a deep claret scarf

    Holmes

    Male, about forty years old, an Englishman living in London in the 1890s, a middle-class consulting detective, speaking in a crisp educated received pronunciation accent. A lean, dry, medium-high tenor with a clear, slightly hawkish edge. Speaks quickly and exactly, enumerating points in precise phrases. Keen, aloof, decisive and quietly amused.

  • Illustrated portrait of Watson: about 38, sandy-brown, short, neatly parted, navy frock coat with a buff waistcoat

    Watson

    Male, about thirty-eight years old, an Englishman living in London in the 1890s, a middle-class retired army surgeon and family doctor, speaking in a warm middle-class received pronunciation accent. A steady, rounded, medium-low baritone, sturdy and friendly. Speaks at a measured, courteous pace with open, sincere inflection. Loyal, curious, good-natured and easily astonished.

  • Illustrated portrait of Percy Phelps: about 28, pale flaxen, limp, falling over forehead, teal paisley dressing-gown over a white shirt

    Percy Phelps

    Male, about twenty-eight years old, an Englishman working in London in the 1890s, an upper-middle-class Foreign Office clerk, speaking in a cultured received pronunciation accent. A light, slightly breathy tenor of rather high pitch, fragile after illness. Speaks fast and anxiously in long runs of detail. Cordial, nervous and excitable.

  • Illustrated portrait of Hall Pycroft: about 24, curly copper-red, cut short, tan checked jacket with a sky-blue tie

    Hall Pycroft

    Male, about twenty-five years old, a Londoner in the 1890s, a lower-middle-class stockbroker's clerk, speaking with a light, casual south London accent. A bright, open, medium-high tenor, youthful and energetic. Speaks in a chatty, tumbling rush with slangy phrasing. Cheery, self-mocking and easily excited.

  • Illustrated portrait of Grant Munro: about 33, thick chestnut-brown, short, olive-green tweed jacket with a rust-orange tie

    Grant Munro

    Male, about thirty-three years old, a Scottish-descended Englishman living in Norbury in 1888, a prosperous middle-class hop merchant, speaking in educated English with a faint Scottish lilt. A deep, rough baritone, broad-chested. Speaks slowly, haltingly and bluntly, with a stiff, earnest tone. Proud, impatient and troubled.

  • Illustrated portrait of Dr. Trevelyan: about 30, wavy mid-brown, thinning, side-parted, charcoal frock coat with a dove-grey waistcoat and plum tie

    Dr. Trevelyan

    Male, about twenty-eight years old, an Englishman in London in 1889, a courteous middle-class physician, speaking in a gentle, soft educated accent with a light West Country tinge. A smooth, mid-range, soft-edged baritone. Speaks in careful, orderly sentences at a measured pace, tone formal and polite. Precise, conscientious and easily flustered.

  • Illustrated portrait of Mr. Melas: about 45, black, curly, worn long over the collar, burgundy velvet waistcoat under a brown coat

    Mr. Melas

    Male, about forty-five years old, a Greek-born interpreter living in London in 1888, a modest middle-class professional, speaking English with a clear Greek accent. A thin, reedy, nasal tenor. Speaks politely and rather plaintively, rolling his consonants, tone aggrieved and slightly wailing. Anxious, formal and earnest.

  • Illustrated portrait of Mr. Pinner: about 40, sleek oiled black, centre-parted, mustard-yellow waistcoat under a black coat

    Mr. Pinner

    Male, about forty years old, an Englishman in London in 1888, a smooth middle-class business agent, speaking in a polished London commercial accent. A rich, hearty, mid-low baritone with an oily warmth. Speaks briskly and fluently in confident, flattering phrases, tone hearty and persuasive. Smooth, brisk and calculating.

  • Illustrated portrait of Mr. Trevor: about 68, thick iron-grey, tousled, russet tweed jacket with a cream silk stock

    Mr. Trevor

    Male, about sixty-eight years old, an English landowner in Norfolk in the 1880s who made his fortune abroad, a wealthy retired gold-field miner and magistrate, speaking with a mild Norfolk accent. A deep, gravelly bass-baritone, heavy and weathered. Speaks slowly with a good-humoured chuckle. Hearty, genial and jesting.

  • Illustrated portrait of Reginald Musgrave: about 27, chestnut-brown, wavy, soft side-sweep, navy hunting jacket with a saffron waistcoat

    Reginald Musgrave

    Male, about thirty years old, an English country squire and member of parliament in Sussex in the 1880s, a wealthy landowner, speaking in a languid upper-class received pronunciation accent. A soft, low baritone, slim and refined. Speaks slowly and evenly, with formal, measured phrasing. Reserved, careful and a little stiff.

  • Illustrated portrait of Mycroft Holmes: about 50, thinning mouse-brown, brushed flat, plum waistcoat under a black frock coat

    Mycroft Holmes

    Male, about forty-seven years old, an Englishman living in London in the 1890s, a middle-class senior government official, speaking in a cultured received pronunciation accent. A heavy, deep, resonant bass-baritone from a large, stout frame. Speaks slowly and languidly with dry, courteous remarks. Observant, teasing and unhurried.

  • Illustrated portrait of Effie: about 28, chestnut, pinned in a chignon, rose-pink morning gown with lace trim

    Effie

    Female, about twenty-eight years old, an American-born woman living in a London suburb in the 1890s, a middle-class wife and mother, speaking with a soft Southern American accent. A warm, light mezzo-soprano with a musical lilt. Speaks lightly and playfully, with a nervous catch now and then. Affectionate, teasing and secretive.

  • Illustrated portrait of Inspector Gregory: about 34, tawny-blond lion-like mane swept back, russet Norfolk jacket with a cream scarf

    Inspector Gregory

    Male, about thirty-eight years old, an Englishman working in Devon in the 1890s, a middle-class police inspector, speaking in a plain, brisk Midlands accent. A strong, clear, medium baritone from a tall, vigorous frame. Speaks fluently, pouring out remarks in an eager stream. Earnest, formal and full of his case.

  • Illustrated portrait of Victor Trevor: about 25, unruly dark curls, navy blazer with a striped scarf

    Victor Trevor

    Male, about twenty-eight years old, an English landowner's son in Norfolk in the 1880s, an upper-class gentleman, speaking in a warm received pronunciation with a faint Norfolk burr. A bright, warm, medium-high tenor. Speaks hurriedly and earnestly, words tumbling out. Open-hearted, trusting and distressed.

  • Illustrated portrait of Colonel Ross: about 58, crisp white, brushed close, bottle-green frock-coat with a buff waistcoat

    Colonel Ross

    Male, about fifty-five years old, an English sportsman living in Devon in the 1890s, a wealthy racehorse-owning colonel, speaking in a clipped upper-class received pronunciation accent. A small man's dry, rather high, sharp baritone with a nasal edge. Speaks in quick, formal, curt phrases. Dapper, testy and impatient.

  • Illustrated portrait of Wood: about 50, matted lank grey, falling over the eyes, patched brown coat with a faded tartan muffler

    Wood

    Male, about fifty years old, an Englishman living in a garrison town in the 1880s, a working-class former soldier, speaking with a plain, rough northern English accent. A hoarse, low, gravelly baritone from a worn, stooped frame. Speaks slowly and bluntly, in plain colloquial phrases. Proud, guarded and candid.

  • Illustrated portrait of Blessington: about 52, sparse pale-yellow, combed over, buttercup-yellow waistcoat under a brown coat

    Blessington

    Male, about fifty-five years old, a Londoner in the 1880s, a wealthy self-made financier, speaking with a fussy, nouveau-riche London accent. A soft, wheezy, medium-high baritone from a flabby, heavy frame. Speaks fast in bustling, blunt bursts, the voice thinning when nervous. Fussy, frank and anxious.

  • Illustrated portrait of Colonel Hayter: about 56, grizzled sandy-ginger, cropped, tan Norfolk jacket with a maroon tie

    Colonel Hayter

    Male, about fifty years old, an English country gentleman in Surrey in the 1880s, a well-off retired army colonel, speaking in a bluff, hearty Surrey gentry accent. A full, ringing, medium baritone, robust and ruddy. Speaks fast and chattily, laughing as he goes. Hospitable, cheerful and talkative.

  • Illustrated portrait of Inspector Forrester: about 27, jet-black, razor-parted, charcoal suit with a cobalt-blue tie

    Inspector Forrester

    Male, about twenty-seven years old, an Englishman serving in Surrey in the 1880s, a middle-class police inspector, speaking in a brisk, plain Home Counties accent. A bright, light, medium-high tenor. Speaks quickly with sharp, official phrasing. Keen, theorising and eager to act.

  • Illustrated portrait of Mr. Cunningham: about 68, bald crown with a thin grey fringe over the ears, snuff-brown frock coat with a mulberry cravat

    Mr. Cunningham

    Male, about sixty-eight years old, an English country magnate in Surrey in the 1880s, a wealthy elderly landowner, speaking in a gentle old-fashioned received pronunciation accent. A thin, light, slightly quavering baritone, frail with age. Speaks slowly and politely, with courteous, exact phrasing. Generous, composed and precise.

  • Illustrated portrait of Lord Holdhurst: about 62, silver, swept back from a high forehead, black frock coat with a slate-blue waistcoat

    Lord Holdhurst

    Male, about sixty years old, an English nobleman living in London in the 1890s, an upper-class Foreign Office minister, speaking in a patrician upper-class received pronunciation accent. A thin, dry, quiet baritone of medium-low pitch. Speaks slowly and coolly in formal, clipped phrases. Reserved, guarded and dignified.

  • Illustrated portrait of Lestrade: about 42, sleek mouse-brown, plastered flat with widow's peak, fawn overcoat with a green tie

    Lestrade

    Male, about forty-two years old, an Englishman working in London in the 1890s, a lower-middle-class Scotland Yard detective, speaking in a flat, matter-of-fact Home Counties accent. A dry, medium-pitched, slightly nasal baritone from a wiry frame. Speaks evenly and practically, a touch sceptical. Dapper, businesslike and dry.

  • Illustrated portrait of Forbes: about 45, thin ginger, brushed forward, ginger-brown tweed suit with a mustard scarf

    Forbes

    Male, about forty-four years old, an Englishman working in London in the 1890s, a lower-middle-class police detective, speaking with a sharp, nasal Essex accent. A thin, high-ish, clipped tenor from a small, wiry frame. Speaks bluntly in short, resentful phrases. Sharp, sour and grudging.

  • Illustrated portrait of Lanner: about 40, thick iron-grey, cropped, steel-blue overcoat with a rust cravat

    Lanner

    Male, about forty-eight years old, a Londoner in the 1890s, a working-class police inspector, speaking with a brisk Cockney accent. A bright, medium-high, crisp tenor, fit and quick. Speaks rapidly in factual bursts. Cheerful, businesslike and welcoming.

  • Illustrated portrait of Miss Cushing: about 56, silver-white with old-fashioned side-ringlets, lavender shawl over a dove-grey dress

    Miss Cushing

    Female, about fifty-five years old, an Englishwoman living in a London suburb in the 1880s, a retired middle-class spinster, speaking in a thin, fussy suburban received pronunciation accent. A high, reedy, slightly sharp soprano. Speaks in quick, impatient, complaining phrases. Prim, weary and irritable.

  • Illustrated portrait of Miss Harrison: about 24, glossy black in a braided coil, sage-green gown with a white collar

    Miss Harrison

    Female, about twenty-six years old, an Englishwoman living in Woking in the 1880s, a middle-class gentlewoman engaged to be married, speaking in a clear, refined received pronunciation accent. A warm, steady, medium mezzo-soprano. Speaks calmly and firmly, with a touch of crispness. Hopeful, composed and devoted.

  • Illustrated portrait of Alec Cunningham: about 30, oiled auburn-brown, swept in a high wave, tobacco-brown jacket with a cream silk tie

    Alec Cunningham

    Male, about thirty years old, an English gentleman's son in Surrey in the 1880s, an upper-class idle squire, speaking in a lazy Surrey gentry drawl. A nasal, medium tenor, slim. Speaks slowly with a mocking, sing-song lilt and easy laughter. Smug, sarcastic and dismissive.

  • Illustrated portrait of Prendergast: close-cropped carroty-red prison crop, mustard-yellow prison jacket with broad arrows

    Prendergast

    Male, about forty-five years old, an Irishman in the 1850s, a rough working man and ex-sailor, speaking with a broad Dublin Irish accent. A loud, booming, rough baritone from a big, hearty frame. Speaks fast and boastfully in slangy, jovial bursts. Domineering, hearty and proud.

  • Illustrated portrait of Moriarty: about 60, thin black, receding from a domed forehead, black frock coat with a crimson silk cravat

    Moriarty

    Male, about fifty-five years old, an Englishman living in London in the 1890s, an upper-middle-class retired mathematics professor, speaking in a cold, scholarly received pronunciation accent. A low, hard, dry baritone, thin and stooped. Speaks softly, slowly and curtly, in even, measured phrases. Cold, composed and precise.

  • Illustrated portrait of Silas Brown: about 50, tousled chestnut-brown flecked grey, brown corduroy jacket

    Silas Brown

    Male, about fifty years old, a Devon countryman on Dartmoor in the 1890s, a working-class racehorse trainer, speaking with a gruff Devon accent. A hoarse, harsh, medium-low baritone from a thickset frame. Speaks in short gruff phrases, loud at first. Gruff, wary and brusque.

  • Illustrated portrait of Mr. Joseph Harrison: about 36, thick wiry black, swept up, olive velvet smoking jacket

    Mr. Joseph Harrison

    Male, about thirty years old, an Englishman living in Woking in the 1880s, a middle-class businessman, speaking in a genial Home Counties accent. A warm, full, medium baritone, hearty and friendly. Speaks easily and kindly at a moderate pace. Welcoming, warm and sympathetic.

  • Illustrated portrait of Inspector Gregson: about 44, fine flaxen, receding, brushed straight back, slate-blue overcoat with a ginger scarf

    Inspector Gregson

    Male, about fifty years old, a Scotsman working in London in the 1890s, a middle-class police inspector, speaking with a dry Edinburgh Scottish accent. A low, level, measured baritone from a lean frame. Speaks slowly and deliberately with plain, dry phrasing. Observant, practical and wry.

  • Illustrated portrait of Tangey: about 55, short bristly iron-grey, navy tunic with medal ribbons and a scarlet collar facing

    Tangey

    Male, about fifty years old, a Yorkshireman working in London in the 1880s, a working-class ex-soldier and commissionaire, speaking with a plain Yorkshire accent. A gruff, medium-low baritone from a stocky, upright frame. Speaks in urgent, blunt phrases. Dutiful, flustered and insistent.

  • Illustrated portrait of Hudson: about 55, matted black-grey, ragged, salt-stained blue jersey

    Hudson

    Male, about fifty-five years old, an English seaman in Norfolk in the 1850s, a working-class sailor, speaking with a thick Bristol sailor's accent. A low, loose, rasping baritone, salt-worn and heavy. Speaks slowly and sulkily, in a merry, unsteady drawl. Flat, blunt and sly.

  • Illustrated portrait of Mr. Acton: about 72, thin white, wispy, dove-grey frock coat with a violet cravat

    Mr. Acton

    Male, about seventy years old, an English country magnate in Surrey in the 1880s, a wealthy elderly landowner, speaking in an old-fashioned Surrey gentry accent. A high, cracked, reedy tenor, frail but lively. Speaks quickly and excitably in bursts. Fussy, delighted and vigorous.

  • Illustrated portrait of Mrs. Straker: about 40, dark auburn in a tight bun, navy bombazine dress with a white collar

    Mrs. Straker

    Female, about thirty-eight years old, a Devon countrywoman on Dartmoor in the 1890s, a working-class servant's wife, speaking with a broad Devon accent. A tight, medium-pitched mezzo, slightly breathless. Speaks in short, tense, urgent phrases. Anxious, guarded and proud.

  • Illustrated portrait of Rachel Howells: about 23, auburn, in a thick plait, royal-blue print dress with a white apron

    Rachel Howells

    Female, about twenty-four years old, a Welsh housemaid at a Sussex manor in 1880, a working-class servant, speaking in a lilting Welsh accent. A husky, intense, mid-pitched voice, passionate and dark. Speaks quickly with rising and falling musical cadence, tone fervent and strained. Spirited, emotional and proud.

  • Illustrated portrait of Major Murphy: about 48, wiry red going grey, tweed jacket with a red-striped regimental tie

    Major Murphy

    Male, about fifty years old, an Anglo-Irish officer in Surrey in the 1880s, an upper-class army major, speaking with a casual Anglo-Irish gentry accent. A light, easy, medium-high baritone. Speaks lazily and conversationally at a relaxed pace. Offhand, genial and unconcerned.

  • Illustrated portrait of Mrs. Tangey: about 55, wispy ginger-grey, escaping under a headscarf, faded blue print dress with a white apron

    Mrs. Tangey

    Female, about fifty years old, a Londoner in the 1880s, a working-class charwoman, speaking with a broad Cockney accent. A hearty, medium-pitched, slightly cracked mezzo. Speaks quickly and chattily, with warm exclamatory rises. Cheerful, flustered and homely.

  • Illustrated portrait of Brunton: about 45, thinning chestnut, high forehead, centre-parted, black tailcoat with a dove-grey waistcoat

    Brunton

    Male, about forty-two years old, an Englishman serving in Sussex in the 1880s, a respectable butler and former schoolmaster, speaking in a polished, genteel servant's received pronunciation accent. A hoarse, medium-low baritone, stately and tight with feeling. Speaks slowly and respectfully, with a deferential cadence. Proud, formal and despairing.

  • Illustrated portrait of Steiler: about 70, bushy white, standing up, forest-green waistcoat with a leather apron

    Steiler

    Male, about sixty-five years old, a Swiss hotelkeeper in Meiringen in the 1890s, a respectable middle-class innkeeper, speaking English with a Swiss German accent. A big, booming, rounded baritone, stout and ruddy. Speaks loudly and eagerly with rolling consonants. Hospitable, bustling and excitable.

  • Illustrated portrait of Dawson: about 32, close-cropped mousy-brown, mustard corduroy waistcoat over a collarless shirt

    Dawson

    Male, about forty years old, a countryman on Dartmoor in the 1890s, a working-class stable worker, speaking with a broad Wiltshire rustic accent. A gruff, flat, medium-low baritone, burly. Speaks slowly, in short, wary phrases. Dutiful, careful and honest.

  • Illustrated portrait of Simpson: about 10, shaggy mousy-brown, sticking out, ragged patched jacket with a faded orange neckerchief

    Simpson

    An eleven-year-old English boy, a street messenger in the 1890s, with a Cockney accent. His voice is high and unbroken, light, high-voiced, with breathless, bright energy. He is eager, quick.

  • Dr. Fordham

    Male, about forty-five years old, an English doctor in London in 1890, a respectable middle-class physician, speaking in calm, plain received pronunciation. A steady, medium baritone, soft and unremarkable. Speaks slowly and carefully with professional restraint, tone quiet and factual. Composed, grave and exact.

Chapters

12 chapter markers; each link opens the video on YouTube at that point.

  1. Chapter 1: Silver Blaze
  2. Chapter 2: The Adventure of the Cardboard Box
  3. Chapter 3: The Yellow Face
  4. Chapter 4: The Stockbroker’s Clerk
  5. Chapter 5: The “Gloria Scott”
  6. Chapter 6: The Musgrave Ritual
  7. Chapter 7: The Reigate Squires
  8. Chapter 8: The Crooked Man
  9. Chapter 9: The Resident Patient
  10. Chapter 10: The Greek Interpreter
  11. Chapter 11: The Naval Treaty
  12. Chapter 12: The Final Problem

Series

Book 4 of 10 in Sherlock Holmes. 4 released so far.

About this recording

Narrator
Told in Watson's own character voice
Runtime
8h 35m (complete and unabridged)
Voices
57
Channel
Driving Audiobooks on YouTube
Released
Updated
Author
Arthur Conan Doyle
First published
1894
Kind
collection
Source edition
Project Gutenberg eBook #834
Public domain (US)
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle is in the public domain in the United States; text from Project Gutenberg.