Classic Detective Stories: Murder Mysteries | A Bitesized Audio Anthology (Vol 2)

Video Description

A compilation of seven classic detective stories with a shared theme of murder, by authors including R. Austin Freeman, Arthur Conan Doyle, M. McDonnell Bodkin and Baroness Orczy. See below for a list of stories and timestamps. Curated and narrated by Simon Stanhope for Bitesized Audio. Note: these stories are available individually on the channel if you prefer to listen that way, but I've taken the opportunity while compiling this anthology to re-edit and remaster the older recordings. This is volume 2 of 3. Volume 1 (Stories of Conspiracy & Intrigue) is available here: https://youtu.be/ESEONxXXtSc Volume 3 (Stories of Ingenious Thefts) will follow soon. Timestamps: 00:00:00 Introduction and list of contents 00:01:23 The Aluminium Dagger, by R. Austin Freeman 01:00:54 The Regent's Park Murder, by Baroness Emma Orczy 01:34:23 The Cardboard Box, by Arthur Conan Doyle 02:30:46 Murder by Proxy, by M. McDonnell Bodkin 03:22:07 The Man Who Disappeared, by L. T. Meade and Robert Eustace 04:21:45 The Actor and the Alibi, by G. K. Chesterton 05:08:41 The Problem of Thor Bridge, by Arthur Conan Doyle 06:11:43 Credits, thanks and further listening If you enjoy this content and would like to help me keep creating, there are a few ways you can support me: * Occasional/one-off support via Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/bitesizedaudio * Monthly support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bitesizedaudio * Donate via PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=HMMUWZ7URN26A * Visit my Bandcamp page to hear more of my performances of classic stories, and you can purchase and download high quality audio files to listen offline: https://bitesizedaudio.bandcamp.com/ * Become a Bitesized Audio Classics member on YouTube, from $1 / £1 / €1 per month: https://www.youtube.com/c/BitesizedAudioClassics/join About the stories: 00:01:23 The Aluminium Dagger, by R. Austin Freeman Edwardian forensic scientist Dr. John Thorndyke investigates the baffling murder of a man found in a locked room, stabbed in the back by a most unusual weapon... First published in the 1909 volume 'John Thorndyke's Cases'; subsequently reprinted in the July 1910 edition of McClure's Magazine. 01:00:54 The Regent's Park Murder, by Emma Orczy The residents of Park Square are woken at 3am by cries of "murder". Police soon identify a likely suspect with a strong motive, only to find the case falls apart when it becomes apparent he couldn't possibly have done it... This story is listed as having appeared in the Royal Magazine in September 1901. However, references in the text to events taking place in 1907 indicate that it was re-written, presumably for the publication in book form as part of the 1909 collection 'The Old Man in the Corner'. The text read here is from that 1909 publication; I've not been able to locate the earlier version. 01:34:23 The Cardboard Box, by Arthur Conan Doyle A quiet, unassuming single lady receives an unexpected parcel in the post, which turns out to enclose rather grisly contents. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson rouse themselves from the lethargy of a sweltering heatwave to investigate a dark crime... First published in The Strand Magazine, January 1893. 02:30:46 Murder by Proxy, by M. McDonnell Bodkin Squire Neville is found shot dead in his study on a sultry August afternoon. Witnesses swear that no-one could have entered or left by the door or window, but the case is clearly murder. The victim's nephews, John and Eric, agree to call in the celebrated "rule of thumb detective" Paul Beck to investigate... First published in Pearson’s Weekly on 6 February 1897. 03:22:07 The Man Who Disappeared, by L. T. Meade and Robert Eustace Charles Pleydell receives an unexpected visit from his old friend Oscar Digby, an explorer, with news of an exciting discovery in South America. But it soon becomes clear that some devious villains are on Digby's track... First published in The Strand Magazine, December 1901. 04:21:45 The Actor and the Alibi, by G. K. Chesterton Father Brown investigates a murder which takes place backstage at a theatre. All the possible suspects are either taking part in a rehearsal in front of multiple witnesses, or in a locked dressing room at the other end of the corridor... First published in Cassell's Magazine, March 1926, in the UK, and in Harper's Magazine (USA) in the same month. 05:08:41 The Problem of Thor Bridge, by Arthur Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes investigates a murder on a lonely bridge in the centre of a great English estate – but the victim's husband seems more concerned about the beautiful young woman accused of the crime than in avenging his wife's death. First published in The Strand Magazine in two parts, in February and March 1922. Original recordings © Bitesized Audio 2021–25; this compilation © Bitesized Audio 2025