Mystery Reads

Apart from the ubiquitous presence of the authors who work in the short story tradition, the Second Season introduces poems and novellas. The romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge is here with his haunting and supernatural sea adventure "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner", while Rudyard Kipling tests the human condition with his famous poem "If". Perhaps the most potent addition in this second part is Joseph Conrad’s timeless novella "The Heart of Darkness", exploring the darkest recesses of the human soul. B. J.

A kaleidoscope of genres, themes, topics, and motifs await the listener here. From comedy and mystery, to horror and children’s stories, Season Four abounds in fairy tales adventures, challenges to the listener’s imagination, and joyrides through the unknown realms of the psyche. One of the most famous short stories in horror fiction, "The Call of Cthulhu" sits next to the funny characters of "Right Ho, Jeeves" by Wodehouse, while the eponymous sleepyhead from "Rip Van Winkle" is very much awake, facing H. G. Wells’ "The Door in the Wall".

Season Three comes with serious firepower. The genre of adventure, science fiction, fantasy, horror, romance, melodrama, and the psychological are all present, turning the collection into a kaleidoscope of characters, plot twists, emotions, and revelations. Magicians hurl lightnings at each other, talking rabbits and vanishing cats talk to a little girl, while mad scientists try to create life from dead body parts. One of the most prominent names in this season is the American master of horror H. P.

The "League of the Scarlet Pimpernel" is a secret society made up of twenty English aristocrats. The commander is the so-called "Scarlet Pimpernel" but almost nobody knows his real identity. The society aims to defy the French revolutionaries. The main goal is to rescue innocents from the deadly guillotine.

Allan Quatermain is a hunter who lives in South Africa. One day, after he returns home from an unsuccessful elephant hunt, he meets Sir Henry Curtis and Captain John Good. The two men are looking for Curtis’ brother, who disappeared whilst trying to find King Solomon’s Mines. Quatermain owns a map that show the way to the mines, so he decides to help Curtis and Good. Allan organizes an expedition that will take them to the edge of the desert.

Rachel Innes is a rich lady who has been taking care of her niece and nephew since their father died. The three of them decide to rent a house in the country and although everything seems to be alright in the beginning, strange events soon begin to occur. Her niece disappears then reappears a few days later. There is a murder they are involved in. They hear strange noises. Things fall down the stairs in the middle of the night. Will Rachel solve the mysteries and how will their summer end? Find out in "The Circular Staircase". B. J.

Huck is a young boy who embarks on a long and adventurous journey along the Mississippi River together with the runaway slave Jim. Their trip is marked by many obstacles, the different people they meet from various social classes, and the beautifully idyllic scenary of the riverfront and the surrounding forest. "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" will take you on a journey that will grab your attention and keep you entertained until the very last page. B. J.

Edward Malone is a young journalist at the "Daily Gazette", who is eager to impress his girlfriend Gladys. To do so, he requests a dangerous and complex task. After a few days, he is assigned to an expedition leaded by the notorious Professor Challenger. The the expedition is headed toward what Challenger’s claim is a new and isolated area of the Amazon jungle. He believes that thousands of years ago dinosaurs, pterodactyls and other exotic creatures were inhabitants of the area.

"The Christmas Stories of Charles Dickens" is a precious collection of Christmas tales. Christmas spirit, joy, excitement, cheer and Christmas trees against low classes living in despair and poverty. There are two sides to the story but the holiday and its meaning come from the heart no matter what the social status is. "The Christmas Stories of Charles Dickens" is a collection which makes the reader immerse in a parallel universe, so complex in its nature that it almost seems unreal.

"The Colour Out of Space", "The Call of Cthulhu" and 15 more stories are combined in the collection "The Dunwich Horror and Other Tales". Horror, supernatural occurrences, science fiction and fantasy intertwine in order to give you goosebumps and send shivers up and down your spine. B. J. Harrison started his Classic Tales Podcast back in 2007, wanting to breathe new life into classic stories. He masterfully plays with a wide array of voices and accents and has since then produced over 500 audiobooks.

In my family, I wear a lot of different hats all centered around the same role. Comedian. Life of the party. The jokester. Everyone's favorite fool when I wasn't getting on their last nerve. But without me, my family wouldn't be the empire we are today. As one of the best hackers in the country, I'm the one that uncovers any secrets our enemies are hiding, no matter how big or small. My entire life, I've been able to hack my way ahead of any situation. Yet, somehow I didn't see her coming.

Jason dinAlt is a professional gambler who travels between different worlds in the universe. Right now, he is gambling on the planet Cassylia. One day, he meets the ambassador of Pyrrus the most hostile world in the universe. Kerk, the ambassador, offers dinAlt money to run a stake up for him. After Jason finally wins the needed amount, he tries to escape with the money, but gets captured.

DCI Morgan confronts a personal crisis when retirement looms. Meanwhile, crime doesn’t stop. The discovery of a body, found with a fish in his mouth, sparks a murder hunt. In this, the fourth of J. J. Kennard’s short murder mysteries, Morgan feels he should be on the case, but his chief has other ideas.

Detective Inspector Ken "Chunky" Mason finds himself trapped between a rock and a hard place when history and current events conspire against him. A dead body, blackmail, conflicts of interest. He’s almost at the end of his tether, when events take an unexpected twist.

Jim Hawkins is a young boy who lives at his parents’ inn, near Bristol. After Billy Bones, an old sea captain, mysteriously dies at the inn, Hawkins unlocks his sea chest and finds a treasure map. The mysterious treasure map arouses Jim’s curiosity and sparks a wild and adventurous treasure hunt. Before long, Jim has gathered a crew of untrustworthy pirates and sails off to Treasure Island. Long John Silver with his missing leg and his parrot is part of the voyage.

When four unconnected serial killers simultaneously commit identical murders across four different US cities, FBI Special Agent Shannon Wallace faces an unprecedented threat—a cooperative of killers working in unison. Each homicide is witnessed by a survivor, and now these lucky ones need to decide how to tell their stories to the world. Their posts about the horrific murders create a media storm and a new term is soon coined for the killers: The Alliance.

In 1990, within the deceptively peaceful woods of her Sussex neighborhood, Mia witnesses the brutal murder of her mother and wakes up in a shallow grave. A man confesses to the murder and later dies in prison, but Mia never comes to terms with her mother's death. After another brush with tragedy in 2021, Mia and her boyfriend Rich move from London to a small Spanish village where they can begin a new life. At first, Val Verde seems to be everything they could wish for. But when a body is found in the olive grove outside of town, they realize that their would-be safe haven harbors a secret.

When Abbie Coleman is asked to host a relaxing wellbeing retreat at the Hummingbird Hotel after a stressful photoshoot on board celebrity fashion designer Pierre Fontaine's luxury yacht, she knows it's the perfect opportunity to showcase the peace and tranquility on offer. But when a member of the local goat fraternity is discovered in a guest's room munching on a pair of his paisley boxer shorts, and a delicious avocado and kale smoothie has unexpected soporific properties, Abbie must once again join forces with local vineyard owner to unravel the mystery and save the hotel.

Twenty years ago, in the seaside town of Galveston, Texas, Annie Randall took her dog for a walk. The dog returned. Annie did not. When her body was found, cruelly broken and posed like a runner, there was only ever one suspect: Annie’s husband, Frank. Now he’s served his time and come home–but the locals won’t let him forget. Especially when there’s a new ‘running girl’ murder…

"There was but a single forlorn hope, and I took it." After being unwillingly transported back to Earth, John Carter finally finds a way back to Mars, exited to be reunited with his beloved wife Dejah Thoris after a ten-year separation. Unfortunately, John Carter arrives at the one place on Mars you can never leave: the Barsoomian afterlife. Heroric, cheesy and imaginative, 'The Gods of Mars' is even more entertaining than 'A Princess of Mars'. When it comes to these Martian adventures, there is no such thing as a small taste.