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The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes
The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes
Nov 16, 2025 3:01 AM

Author:Arthur Conan Doyle,Clive Merrison,Michael Williams

The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes

Clive Merrison stars as Holmes with Michael Williams as Watson in these twelve adventures from the unique, fully dramatised BBC canon of Conan Doyle's short stories and novels.

The twelve dramatisations are The Illustrious Client; The Blanched Soldier; The Mazarin Stone; The Three Gables; The Sussex Vampire; The Three Garridebs; The Problem of Thor Bridge; The Creeping Man; The Lion's Mane; The Veiled Lodger; Shoscombe Old Place; The Retired Colourman.

These short stories are the very last ones written by Arthur Conan Doyle about his much-loved fictional detective. Holmes and Watson are faced with cases that range from the suspicious to the seemingly supernatural, and encounter characters as diverse as an evil Austrian adventurer, a formidable female criminal, a distinguished professor who is acting oddly and a mysterious tenant who refuses to show her face.

Gripping, suspenseful and hugely entertaining, these acclaimed dramatisations were adapted by Bert Coules from the original short stories. Among the guest cast are Hannah Gordon, Robert Glenister, Michael Troughton, Alexandra Bastedo, Harriet Walter, Douglas Henshall and George Cole.

Reviews

Following Star Wars: Aftermath and Star Wars: Life Debt, Chuck Wendig delivers the exhilarating conclusion to the bestselling trilogy set in the years between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens.

—— from Publisher's Description

The best book in the trilogy…perfect

—— Starburst

If you don’t read Empire’s End you will be missing out on Star Wars gold

—— Partisan Cantina

One of the best writers in the English language... His work embeds itself in one's consciousness and refuses to be dislodged

—— Sunday Times

A powerful and nuanced portrait of one of England's most dynamic and fascinating cities...a must-read.

—— I Love MCR

[A] wonderful historical novel, filled with fear and violence, starvation and romance.

—— The Bookwitch

There are thrills and surprises along the way, and the invented characters mingle with those taken from the historical record. The novel is a very good way to introduce young adults to these extraordinary people.

—— The History Girls

I absolutely loved The Rasputin Dagger. [I] completely fell in love with the writing in The Rasputin Dagger, and I will definitely be diving into more stories by [Breslin]. Breslin really is an expert storyteller; she reeled me into her world of revolutionary Russia, and I was very sad to leave it at the end of the book.

—— Delightful Book Reviews

Theresa has woven her magic again! Everything felt so real (probably because some of it was). Be sure to add this to your book collection - its now on [my] reread shelf!

—— Nayu's Reading Corner

The Rasputin Dagger was my first historical YA in a while, and I was really craving a good one. Luckily it
delivered! I found it totally immersive . . . I adored the way politics was woven in, something which is often neglected or glossed over in YA books.

—— Bookish at Heart

Each of Nicola Barker’s books is a world unto itself; with H(A)PPY, winner of the Goldsmiths prize, she pushed the novel towards objet d’art, using colour and madcap typography to conjure a visionary dystopia of surveillance and control in which creativity and individuality refuse to be constrained.

—— Justine Jordan , Guardian, Books of the Year

Nicola Barker’s extravagant, rambling, joyous and more-than-slightly insane novels always present a certain challenge to the reader … No one else writes like Barker does…a reason to cherish her extraordinary work … [H(A)PPY is] an info-shamanic freakout. It’s a work of print art … You don’t read this novel; you let it pour over you … Once again: no one else writes like Barker, and no one else could have written this book.

—— Daily Telegraph

Exquisite and unpredictable prose … fluidity is without a doubt the most prominent feature of this novel, which dips into poetry as abruptly as it springs up a diagram.

—— Independent

[A] timely, invigorating novel.

—— Spectator

As a physical object this book itself is a work of art; a mind-bending adventure in typography and consciousness to be looked at as much as read.

—— Guardian, Readers' Books of the Year

As unconventional as its narrator … Mira A is out of kilter, and her rebellious thoughts and emotions cascade across the pages of this visually starting, hugely original tale in a burst of colour as she desperately struggles for freedom and independence over authoritarian control.

—— Mail on Sunday

Profoundly different from anything I’ve read previously … I will keep coming back to the story for months to come.

—— i news

Mira, the heroine of Nicola Barker’s hugely original book, strives to step outside the confines of the story that she has been told to keep, in a desperate struggle for freedom. A startling read.

—— Psychologies

Science fiction-meets-satire piece that mediates on the true meaning of life ... a must-read.

—— Irish Tatler

[A] visually starting, hugely original tale.

—— Mail Online

An essential story to read….Barker, whose previous novels have been longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, continues to dazzle with H(A)PPY.

—— Oxford Student

Hag-Seed is funny and poignant, and offers much to amuse and delight.

—— Anne Sexton , Hot Press

Great fun, full of wit and invention and incident

—— Irish Independent

Inspired and witty

—— Woman & Home

Genuinely moving ... The tender way in which Atwood handles [Felix's] story really gives Hag-Seed its power

—— Samantha Ellis , Literary Review

Atwood on mischievous form

—— Red

Witty and clever

—— Good Housekeeping

Stella Loves: Taking on a re-write of Shakespeare's The Tempest is a tall order. But Margaret Atwood is well up to the task with her new novel Hag-Seed

—— Stella Magazine

Blows layers of dust off the play while asking clever questions about the relationship between power, delusion and creativity

—— Metro

A delight... not only an unputdownable tale of revenge, it is also a masterclass in how to teach Shakespeare to those who think they won't like it

—— Alice O'Keefe , Bookseller

Atwood’s canny remix offers multiple pleasures: seeing the inmates’ takes on their characters, watching Felix make use of the limited resources the prison affords (legal and less so), and marveling at the ways she changes, updates, and parallels the play’s magic, grief, vengeance, and showmanship

—— Publishers Weekly

So inventive, heartfelt, and swiftly rendered... Highly recommended.

—— Library Journal

Fellow fans, I am thrilled to report: Atwood is just as brilliant as ever. I would suggest scheduling some cozy armchair time with her book in the weeks to come

—— Yahoo, Top Reads this Autumn

The new novels promise an intriguing opportunity to revisit the tales we know so well and see them in a new light.

—— The Culture Trip

Atwood joins the roll call of literary stars retelling Shakespeare's plays... masterful... My favourite retelling so far

—— Bookseller

An ingenious construction.

—— Metro , Claire Allfree

She merely understands that fiction can be a powerful weapon of
persuasion… A woman with inexhaustible talents

—— Sara Keating , Irish Times

[A] triumphant reworking of The Tempest.

—— Sunday Times

Atwood’s take on The Tempest is intense and extravagant… Atwood beautifully reimagine Shakespeare’s The Tempest… She writes with gusto and brilliance.

—— UK Press Syndication

Hag-Seed enchants, endears and empowers. Seeing The Tempest through the cast of characters Atwood creates and the author's own overarching narrative gives the original play new life.

—— Morning Star

Atwood beautifully reimagines Shakespeare's The Tempest as Felix's personal and professional stories so aptly mirror the plot of the mystical and magical play. She writes with gusto and brilliance, making her the dream author to be part of the Shakespeare series.

—— Irish News

The most successful 'retelling' of Shakespeare yet in Hogarth's anniversary series [...] us a thrilling revenge drama ... [It] rattles along with Atwood nimbly reworking the classic

—— Donal O'Donoghue , RTE

[Atwood's] unique take on vengeance, enchantment and second chances is sure to delight old and new fans alike

—— Image Magazine

A novel of great humour and creativity

—— Socialist Review

A fitting tribute to a play built on magic and illusion. It’s a celebration of theatre, yes, but just as much a celebration of learning and teaching. Atwood’s spellbinding adaptation is a testament to Shakespeare’s lasting relevance.

—— Grace Beard , Culture Trip

Atwood’s novel reflects the play’s multifaceted nature… A fun and imaginative novel.

—— Brad Davies , i, Book of the Year

Atwood unrolls a dazzling remake of The Tempest… Ebullient comedy and keen perceptiveness combine in a bravura fictional tribute to Shakespeare.

—— Peter Kemp , Sunday Times, Book of the Year

A passionately original, heady, often musical modern remix.

—— A.M. Holmes , Observer, Book of the Year

I’d love to wake up on Christmas morning with Margaret Atwood’s Hag-Seed nestled in my stocking.

—— Rohan Silva , Observer, Book of the Year

[A] highlight.

—— Justine Jordan , Guardian, Book of the Year

[Hag-Seed is] particularly clever and witty, with layer upon layer of correspondences with the original text waiting to be teased out by readers.

—— Suzi Feay , Tablet

What’s impressive here is not just 77-year-old Atwood’s undimmed brilliance but the sheer effort she puts into the project… An absorbing read but also an erudite examination and explanation of the play’s themes. Not to be missed.

—— John Harding , Daily Mail, Book of the Year

[It] would make an amazing Christmas present.

—— Starburst, Book of the Year

Atwood brings forth a cast of characters that comfortably inhabit their own world but often burst out of the page in song and rhyme. It is a playful piece of writing, tempered by grief and revenge and the bitterness that can consume, but ultimately this is a book full of the joys of redemption and hope. Wonderful.

—— Carina Buckley , Times Higher Education

Cleverly done… Very complex, like a set of Russian dolls. But it works amazingly well.

—— William Leith , Evening Standard

Delightfully crazy.

—— Daily Telegraph

Rich and inventive… The play-within-a-play tripe is audaciously Shakespearean, and so is Atwood’s free-ranging imagination and witty way with language.

—— Simon Shaw , Mail on Sunday

Masterful… Clever, funny and tender

—— Woman & Home

She casts The Tempest adrift in a prison and makes a magisterial case for the timeless, classless relevance of Shakespeare’s plays.

—— Jim Crace , New Statesman

I am in awe of Atwood

—— AM Homes , Guardian

A real must read

—— Elizabeth Mansfield , Yorkshire Post
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