Book Description
What's the truth behind the legend of the hound of the Baskervilles? Is it really a devil-beast that's haunting the lonely moors? Enter Sherlock Holmes to find the answer, in this, the only full-length novel ever written by the creator of one of the most popular and enduring detective series ever written.

ANNOTATION

When a second member of the Baskerville family dies, Sherlock Holmes investigates and finds murderous greed behind the supposed curse.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Could the sudden death of Sir Charles Baskerville have been caused by the gigantic ghostly hound which is said to have haunted his family for generations? Arch-rationalist Sherlock Holmes characteristically dismisses the theory as nonsense. Claiming to be immersed in another case, he sends Watson to Devon to protect the Baskerville heir and to observe the suspects at close hand.

SYNOPSIS

Could the sudden death of Sir Charles Baskerville have been caused by the gigantic ghostly hound which is said to have haunted his family for generations? Arch-rationalist Sherlock Holmes characteristically dismisses the theory as nonsense. Claiming to be immersed in another case, he sends Watson to Devon to protect the Baskerville heir and to observe the suspects at close hand.

FROM THE CRITICS

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-In what is arguably both the best Sherlock Holmes story in the canon and one of the classic all-time mystery novels, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle parlays his interest in the occult with keen scientific detection in a story that prominently showcases Dr. Watson. Upon hearing Dr. James Mortimer's saga of the haunted Baskerville family and the recent death of family head Sir Charles Baskerville, apparently from the hound of the legend, Holmes and Watson begin their investigation. When the estate's heir, Sir Henry Baskerville, arrives in London from Canada strange things immediately occur and Holmes dispatches Watson to accompany Sir Henry to Baskerville Hall. Situated in Dartmoor in Devonshire, the estate borders a tremendous moor that includes Grimpen Mire, the deadly quicksand-like bog, and provides the Gothic atmosphere that so beautifully saturates the story--the oppressive manor and nightly sounds of a wailing woman, Neolithic ruins and monoliths throughout the moor, a mysterious butler and his agitated wife, an escaped killer at-large on the moor, and the spectral and murderous hound. This expurgated version is wonderfully conceived and executed in every aspect, but particularly in the dexterous delivery of veteran British actor, Tony Britton. His diverse and distinctive portrayal of over a dozen characters is singularly commanding. This literary masterwork that has found its simpatico audio incarnation should be an obligatory purchase for all audio collections.-Barry X. Miller, Austin Public Library, TX Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

AudioFile