Classic Detective Stories
John Anthony Walker
79 episodes
Step into the shadows with Tony Walker in the captivating podcast, "Classic Detective Stories." From the intricate puzzles of the Golden Age to the gritty streets of the Hardboiled era, this podcast traverses the thrilling landscape of crime fiction. Each week, delve into timeless tales penned by masters like Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, Raymond Chandler, Edgar Allan Poe, and Dashiell Hammett. Starting from Edgar Allan Poe’s groundbreaking "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," the series spans decades up to the 1950s, exploring the rich heritage of detective literature. Alongside a host of guest narrators, and occasional visits from the legendary Sherlock Holmes himself, "Classic Detective Stories" revives the intrigue and suspense of classic whodunits. Tune in for a weekly dose of mystery, where each story promises a twist that will keep you guessing until the very end.
Episodes page 1 of 2
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The Great Valdez Sapphire by Ellen Mary Clerke
Not by Mary Agnes Clerke but her sister Ellen Mary Clerke... A country‑house dinner, a proud gem‑collector, and a bishop who turns suddenly pale at the sight of a certain blue stone. The menu is flawless, the…
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The Story of the Czarina's Diamonds by Richard Harding Davis
Following on from The Story of the Naval Attaché last week, we move onto part 2 of Richard Harding Davis's novella: In The Fog, in which a Queen's Messenger has an encounter with the seductive, charming, ruthless,…
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The Story of the Naval Attache by Richard Harding Davis
On a winter night when London has quite forgotten the idea of light, an American naval attaché loses his way in the yellow murk near Knightsbridge. The streets are gone, the landmarks drowned; only an occasional scrap…
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The Adventure of the Copper Beeches by Arthur Conan Doyle
Miss Violet Hunter has been offered a post as governess at a salary so far above the ordinary. The conditions attached are small, and each on its own might be put down to an employer's eccentricity. She goes a handsome…
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The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet by Arthur Conan Doyle
On a bitter winter morning in London, a respected banker arrives at Baker Street half‑mad with terror. In his keeping was one of the most precious ornaments of the British Empire; now it lies twisted and mutilated, and…
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The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor (Sherlock Holmes) by Arthur Conan Doyle
A bride vanishes from her own wedding breakfast. Her clothes are found floating in the Serpentine. A jealous woman is taken away by the police. Every sign points toward something dark, something final — and yet…
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The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb by Arthur Conan Doyle
A young hydraulic engineer is offered an unusually generous fee for a small, secret piece of work. The commission requires absolute discretion; the journey must be made at night; and the house to which he is taken…
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The Man With The Twisted Lip (Sherlock Holmes) by A. Conan Doyle
In a reeking opium den on the riverside, Dr Watson is looking for a lost soul when he stumbles on something stranger than any drugged vision: an old man who isn’t what he seems, and a disappearance that may not be a…
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The Five Orange Pips (Sherlock Holmes) by Arthur Conan Doyle
Five dried orange pips, sent through the post with no letter, no explanation, only three initials scrawled beneath them. Twice before, the same type of letter arrived at an English door. Twice, within weeks, a man was…
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A Case of Identity by Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes)
A woman comes to Baker Street with a hundred pounds a year, a typewriter, and a fiancé who has vanished into thin air as if he had never existed at all. Sherlock Holmes never leaves his chair but deduces its solution…
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Dancing Dan's Christmas by Damon Runyon
On Christmas Eve during Prohibition, a burglar named Dancing Dan drinks hot Tom and Jerrys at Good Time Charley's speakeasy with the narrator and the proprietor. Dan has been courting Miss Muriel O'Neill, a nightclub…
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The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle by Arthur Conan Doyle
A battered hat. A Christmas goose. A puzzle that begins in jest. On a winter evening in Baker Street, what starts as idle curiosity leads Sherlock Holmes into the heart of London's markets and back alleys, where…
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Rear WIndow by Cornell Woolrich
Read by Brendan Sullivan A man, stuck inside with time on his hands, watches the small theatre of neighbouring lives through a single window. Patterns harden into questions; silences feel heavier than noise. An…
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The Inoffensive Captain by E C Bentley
A dangerous prisoner has escaped from Dartmoor, and the police are certain he will return to where he stashed the stolen jewels whose whereabouts remain maddeningly obscure. When Inspector Muirhead comes to Philip…
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The Mystery of the Child's Toy by Leslie Charteris
wo men are out late for dinner in a swanky hotel: one is a detective, the other writes detective stories. They notice three Wall Street tycoons at a nearby table. Before the night ends, one of those men is found dead.…
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The Adventure of the Speckled Band by Arthur Conan Doyle
A young woman arrives at Baker Street with a story of barred shutters, a locked room, and a low whistle in the small hours. Holmes and Watson travel to a crumbling country house where money, menace, and family…
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Death on the Air by Ngaio Marsh
Was it accident, or murder? On a frosty Christmas morning, the household of Septimus Tonks awakens to a grim discovery: their patriarch lies lifeless beside his wireless set, seemingly electrocuted. Chief…
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The Red-Headed League by Arthur Conan Doyle
Can a hair colour be sinister, Holmes? A London pawnbroker, lured by the absurd Red-Headed League, unwittingly becomes a pawn in a far grander scheme. As Jabez Wilson carries out his bizarre task, Sherlock Holmes…
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Abraham Lincoln's Clue by Ellery Queen
This story by two American cousins, Frederic Dannay and Manfred B. Lee, writing under the name Ellery Queen, is a classic of Golden Age American detective fiction, narrated for us by the accomplished Brendan Sullivan…
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Cheating the Gallows by Israel Zwangill
Two men share a room, yet live separate lives. One vanishes with a fortune, the other consoles the abandoned bride. But the evidence stacks up, a man is condemned, justice is served. Or is it? In the fog-shrouded…
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Wrong Pigeon by Raymond Chandler
How far does corruption reach? A single pencil, sharpened to a point, sends a shiver down Marlowe's spine. The message is clear: stay out. But for a man with a code, some lines can't be crossed. Dive into a world where…
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The Footprint in the Sky by John Dickson Carr (1940)
A woman is found beaten, her home ransacked. Outside, the fresh snow holds only one set of footprints—leading straight to the scene and back again. They belong to a young woman known for sleepwalking. She has no…
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The Mystery of the Sleeping-Car Express by Freeman Wills Crofts
"The Mystery of the Sleeping Car Express" plunges readers into an intricate railway puzzle where a seemingly impossible crime unfolds within the confines of a sleeping car. The story, set against the backdrop of early…
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We Know You're Busy Writing... by Edmund Crispin
In "We Know You're Busy Writing, But We Thought You Wouldn't Mind If We Just Dropped in for a Minute", Edmund Crispin crafts a darkly humorous tale of a writer's frustration. Mr Bradley, a detective story author,…
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A Scandal in Bohemia by Arthur Conan Doyle
In the shadowy streets of Victorian London, Sherlock Holmes faces a challenge unlike any other. A monarch's past threatens to shatter the delicate balance of European politics. A single photograph holds the power to…
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Light Fingers by Francis Durbridge
A quiet New Year's drive takes an unexpected turn for Paul Temple, when a speeding car nearly tosses him and his wife, Steve, into darkness. Yet, beneath the chill of the winter night, a hidden pursuit beckons—more…
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Rumpole and The Hanging Judge by John Mortimer
In "Rumpole and the Hanging Judge," the echoes of an unresolved past reverberate as Horace Rumpole meets Lord Justice Truscott, a formidable hanging judge. Their paths cross once more, reigniting old tensions and…
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The Woman In The Big Hat (1910) by Baroness Orczy
In a Regent Street tea room in the heart of Edwardian London, a man lies dead. The only clue: a woman wearing an enormous hat. As Scotland Yard's finest struggle to unravel the mystery, Lady Molly Robertson-Kirk steps…
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The Boscombe Valley Mystery by Arthur Conan Doyle
In the tranquil countryside of Boscombe Valley, a shocking murder shatters the peace, and all evidence points to an obvious suspect. But Sherlock Holmes, with his keen eye and brilliant mind, senses a deeper mystery…
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The Necklace of Pearls by Dorothy L Sayers
"Tinsel, trinkets, and... treachery? At Sir Septimus Shale's grand country house, where Christmas cheer blankets every nook and cranny, a string of precious pearls has vanished faster than a mince pie in a hungry…
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Murder at Pentecost by Dorothy L Sayers
Whose hand strikes the fatal blow? Within the ancient walls of Pentecost College a murder shatters the scholarly peace. Montague Egg, a sharp-eyed wine salesman, steps into a web of whispered secrets and hidden…
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The Oxford Way of Death by Robert Barnard
Would you kill for a glass of port? Join us in The Oxford Way of Death, where the hallowed halls of St. Pothinus’s are alive with more than just dusty books. The Fellows, entangled in their routines and rituals, find…
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A Dangerous Thing by H R F Keating
In the hushed halls of the British Library Reading Room, a sanctuary of knowledge hides a chilling secret. When an elderly professor is found murdered amidst at his desk, the scholarly calm of the Reading Room is…
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The Killing of Michael Finnegan
Is patriotism worth the cost? In the volatile landscape of 1980s Britain, this question haunts every counter-terrorism operative. Michael Gilbert's "The Killing of Michael Finnegan" draws you into a high-stakes game…
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Hunted Down by Charles Dickens
Can perfect manners mask a murderer? In Victorian London, Charles Dickens crafted a tale of calculated evil lurking behind a respectable smile. A gentleman whose perfectly groomed appearance and cultured conversation…
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A Trap to Catch a Cracksman by E. W. Hornung
In the glittering world of Edwardian London, where wealth flaunts itself shamelessly, a brash American boxer throws down an irresistible gauntlet. Barney Maguire, flush with prize money and sporting gaudy trophies,…
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The Case of the Purloined Letter by Edgar Allan Poe
In the dark streets of 1840s Paris C. Auguste Dupin confronts his most perplexing case yet: a missing letter, a cunning thief, and a hidden agenda that could shake the very foundations of the French elite. The stakes?…
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The Mystery at Number Seven by Mrs Henry Wood
In "The Mystery at Number Seven," the tranquil facade of a Victorian seaside town conceals a web of dark secrets. When an unexplained death occurs in a seemingly ordinary household, suspicion falls on various…
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The Final Problem by Arthur Conan Doyle
Thank you to Gavin Critchley for sponsoring this episode. In the shadowy streets of Victorian London, Sherlock Holmes faces his greatest challenge yet. As the detective's brilliant career reaches its zenith, a…
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Murder! by Arnold Bennett - 1927
Arnold Bennett's "Murder!" is a thought-provoking subversion of the classic detective story. Set against the backdrop of early 20th-century Britain, this tale delves into the murky waters of morality and justice,…
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The Adventure of the Three Students by Arthur Conan Doyle
In a quiet university town, Sherlock Holmes confronts a crime that threatens to destroy more than just academic reputations. As he investigates the theft of crucial examination papers, Holmes uncovers a web of…
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The Murder of Roger Ackroyd Chapters 19-22
The. Murder or Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie. The penultimate episode! Things are hotting up and you can almost guess whodunnit. Only Poirot knows! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Chap 14-18)
The Murder of Roger Acrkoyd, Chapters 14-18. A slightly longer one this week as I'm trying to finish the serialisation. Even so, I reckon we have 2 weeks left after this. In any case, Chapter 16 the Mah Jong game is…
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The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
In the heart of the eerie moors, a sinister legend lurks, shrouded in mystery and fear. Join the brilliant Sherlock Holmes and his trusty companion Dr. Watson on a treacherous journey to unravel the chilling secrets of…
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The Murder of Roger Ackroyd Chapters 8-10
This is the third episode of our serialisation of the classic Agatha Christie story: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. I don't want to say too much about it, other than it will make more sense to listen to part 1 first,…
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The Monkey Murder by Stuart Palmer
Prepare to be entangled in a web of mystery and deception with Stuart Palmer's "The Monkey Murder"! When Janet Wayland is found dead in a locked room, bizarrely bound by the tail of a monkey statue, even the seasoned…
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The Mysterious Visitor by R. Austin Freeman
Step into the world of razor-sharp deduction and ingenious crime-solving with the brilliant detective Thorndyke and his trusty companion Jardine. In this gripping tale of murder and mystery, nothing is as it seems. As…
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The House in Gobiin Wood by Carter Dickson
Welcome to my narration of 'The House in Goblin Wood' by Carter Dickson (John Dickson Carr), where engaging characters and enigmatic disappearances unfold in a captivating tale. Join Sir Henry Merrivale and a cast of…
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Three Is A Lucky Number by Margery Allingham
Imagine the chilling precision of a man who has successfully carried out two murders, now meticulously planning his third. In "Three is a Lucky Number" by Margery Allingham, step into the mind of Ronald Frederick…
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The Eye of Apollo by G. K Chesteron
In the bustling heart of Westminster, beneath the towering shadows of Parliament and the Abbey, a new and enigmatic symbol rises—a giant, golden eye, blazing from a modern skyscraper. This is the temple of the…
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