Short Stories – Audible Channels

I’ve been enjoying the new Audible Channels and have listened to several short stories recently. Most of them come from the Mystery Channel, of course.

“The Sign of the Broken Sword” by G. K. Chesterton –  Features his famous characters Father Brown and former criminal Flambeau. In the center of the story is the mysterious death of General Sir Arthur St. Clare, who was hanged on a tree with his broken sword hung round his neck. The descriptions are excellent and Father Brown does a good job about telling us how he reaches his conclusion.

“Too Many Have Lived” by Dashiell Hammet – One of only three Sam Spade short stories, this one involves a blackmailing poet, a seductive chanteuse, her rough-hewn stage-door-johnny, and, of course, murder. The story was interesting but I found the full cast performance a bit distracting.

“If You Can’t Stand the Heat” by Lawrence Block – Story about a dangerous woman. It’s the first of the Kit Tolliver series and has a great ending.

“The Garden Party” by Katherine Mansfield – Laura, a vibrant young woman, is the central character. The story also depicts a worldly older woman, a sophisticated social gathering, some moderately dense males, and a disturbing event to which they all react differently. This is the first Mansfield I’ve read. I liked it. It was a quiet story but said more than I at first thought it was going to.

Three Sherlock Holmes stories were re-reads for me. I enjoyed them, but when you already know the ending, they’re not quite as good.

“The Adventure of the Empty House” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – This is one of my favorite Holmes stories. It brings Holmes back to life, and explain his apparently miraculous survival of a deadly struggle with Professor Moriarty.

“The Adventure of the Dancing Men” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – A gentleman is baffled when the childish drawings of little dancing men terrify his American wife. Interestingly enough, this is one of only two Sherlock Holmes short stories where Holmes’ client dies after seeking his help. The other is “The Five Orange Pips,” which I also listened to.

“The Five Orange Pips” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – John Openshaw visits Baker Street to consult Sherlock Holmes as to the mysterious deaths of both his uncle and father upon the arrival of letters containing five dried orange pips and bearing the mark “K.K.K.”

Have you listened to any of the Channels? Do you have a favorite?