A Scandal in Bohemia
Holmes is hired by the King of Bohemia to recover a compromising photograph held by the brilliant and resourceful Irene Adler — the only woman to ever outwit the great detective.
The story that proves Holmes is beatable, and the best possible place to start. Almost all of it is talk: a masked king who cannot keep his own secret, Watson being told things he is not quite quick enough to notice, and Irene Adler, who works out exactly what is happening to her and leaves before anyone can stop her. Read by one narrator, the King's bluster and Holmes's dryness have to be signalled. Cast separately, the King simply sounds like a man used to being obeyed, and Adler's last letter lands as her own voice rather than an impression of it.
The voices that carry it
Irene Adler is the one to listen for. She speaks little and wins anyway, so her voice had to carry composure rather than force — the opposite of the King of Bohemia, who is loud and outmatched throughout.
Chapter one plays without an account. Start listening to A Scandal in Bohemia.
Voice cast
4 characters plus the narrator, each with their own voice. All the voices of A Scandal in Bohemia.
- Sherlock Holmes — The world's only consulting detective. Razor-sharp analytical mind, cold precision, theatrical wit. Alternates between lethargy and explosive energy. Speaks in crisp, certain pronouncements.
- Dr. Watson — Holmes's loyal friend and biographer. A former army surgeon, warm, practical, earnest. Speaks with admiration for Holmes and genuine concern for clients.
- Irene Adler — The Woman — a celebrated opera contralto and adventuress. The only person to outwit Holmes. Resolute, intelligent, and entirely unafraid of Holmes.
- King of Bohemia — Wilhelm Gottsreich Sigismond von Ormstein, hereditary King of Bohemia. Pompous, self-important, and anxious about a compromising photograph held by Irene Adler.
Chapters
- Chapter I: A Scandal in Bohemia
About this recording
Is this a good first Sherlock Holmes story?
It is the usual recommendation and it holds up. A Scandal in Bohemia is the first short story Doyle wrote about Holmes, it needs no prior reading, and it shows both the method and its limits in under an hour.
Who reads Irene Adler?
Irene Adler has her own voice, distinct from every other character in the story, as does the King of Bohemia. In a single-narrator recording both would be performed by the same reader shifting register.