Play Audiobook Sample
The Sign of Four: A Sherlock Holmes Novel Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(3.00) - 21,762 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
As a dense yellow fog swirls through the streets of London, a deep melancholy has descended on Sherlock Holmes, who sits in a cocaine-induced haze at 221B Baker Street. His mood is only lifted by a visit from a beautiful but distressed young woman—Mary Morstan, whose father vanished ten years before. Four years later she began to receive an exquisite gift every year: a large, lustrous pearl. Now she has had an intriguing invitation to meet her unknown benefactor and urges Holmes and Watson to accompany her. In the ensuing investigation—which involves a wronged woman, a stolen hoard of Indian treasure, a wooden-legged ruffian, a helpful dog, and a love affair—even the jaded Holmes is moved to exclaim, "Isn't it gorgeous!"
This audiobook includes the bonus Sherlock Holmes story "The Red-Headed League."
Download and start listening now!
"I love reading Sherlock Holmes. I just think it is so interesting to see how he solves the mysteries, and I just love his personality. My favorite part of this book was probably Watson meeting Mary. I loved the feelings that were described. It was a great story."
— Jen (4 out of 5 stars)
The Sign of Four Listener Reviews
-
" Rather boring to be quite frank. Like the first Holmes I read, starts off great, then kind of fizzles out. I am hopeful that his future adventures will be more captivating. "
— Eric, 1/31/2014 -
" I don't know why but I liked more the first book (Study in Scarlata). Maybe I feel this book a little more predectable. I also have to say that now Sir Arthur connected much better the case with the criminal exposition (cause in the first book it was told in a different chapter, like it was another story). I enjoy everyone of the multiples Holmes deductions , and is nice when I make my conjetures and these are corrects. "
— Cristopher, 1/26/2014 -
" Not quite as much fun as the first book although the first scene does revolve around Sherlock being bored because there isn't enough work. When this happens he goes on cocaine binges which is fairly shocking to this modern reader but entertaining in its own right. In this instance, the change in times is charming although later parts of the book also show this change in times in a less humorous light. This is particularly true with regard to race relations, as portions of the story deal with other countries and nationalities and the characterizations of other ethnicities is quite offensive although certainly normal for the time in which the novel was written. At any rate, the plot is not so clever as to make up for the dated language. "
— Maria, 1/25/2014 -
" Buku yang endingnya tidak disangka-sangka (bagi saya). Dan disinilah Dr.Watson bertemu dengan Mary Morstan. "
— Dhani, 1/4/2014 -
" This is considerably better than the first one, however it falls into the same fault of overextending the culprits story. Seriously, that last 15% was painful to read. I like this one but it doesn't live up to my expectations of a solid Sherlock Holmes mystery. Again, like the first book, it feels like they took one out of "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" and just made the plot stretched and less satisfying. "
— Alf, 12/29/2013 -
" tells the story of Watson meeting his wife "
— Janene, 12/20/2013 -
" I have to say, I wasn't a huge fan of the second Sherlock Holmes story. Although the story had enough to keep me interested, I felt that it lacked some suspense. Slightly disappointing after 'A Study in Scarlet'. "
— David, 12/11/2013 -
" Not as strong as A Study in Scarlet if only because the background leading up to the crime wasn't as well done. Also, had forgot that Sherlock Holmes is kindof a douche-bag. I did enjoy the romantic subplot with Watson though. "
— Mike, 12/2/2013 -
" The Sign of Four : detective stories :: Gang of Four : alt rock "
— Tim, 11/3/2013 -
" A good read, but where were the twists and turns? No suprises here, which is all that disappointed me. Clearly Conan-Doyle is getting his practice up for better books to come though. "
— Lyndon, 10/30/2013 -
" I thought I would enjoy the Sherlock Holmes stories more than I did. "
— Chris, 8/22/2013 -
" First Sherlock Holmes book, probably not the last that I'll read. Good stuff. "
— Kelly, 8/19/2013 -
" I totally forgot that I read this. A year and a half later, yes! Mary Morston! You go marry that nice John Watson, will you? "
— Kristin, 4/23/2013 -
" John Small reminds me of Captain Hector Barbossa, and Tonga as one of the quirky Oompa-Loompas. Sorry for the senseless thoughts. Sherlock Holmes prevails, as usual. With a twist of cocaine here and there. "
— Angelo, 2/22/2013 -
" Pretty good, who knew Sherlock was a coke fiend? "
— Abasi, 4/9/2012 -
" Not bad. The final telling of the tale still seemed a bit long winded, but it was still interesting. "
— Cole, 1/9/2012 -
" Great mystery and explained how Watson met his wife. :) "
— Alexx, 1/7/2012 -
" Not as compelling as his other stories, but still well written and clever. "
— Callan, 12/2/2011 -
" Classic & interesting Holmes mystery, but I feel Holmes suits short 'casebook' stories better than the novels "
— Nick, 10/2/2011 -
" this was a very good mystery. i enjoyed it allot. "
— Keenan, 6/28/2011 -
" Quite interesting and enjoyable. A good, solid second book. "
— Kadja, 6/28/2011 -
" Sherlock is cool, especially in The Sign of Four. "
— Andre, 6/14/2011 -
" this book is full of the fail that comes from historical fiction written over a hundred years ago, and it made me a little squirmy. THAT BEING SAID, HELLO MARY MORSTAN, BE MINE FOREVER. "
— keri., 5/30/2011 -
" The art is astounding but I'd forgotten the plot hinged on a "hideous native." "
— Laura, 5/20/2011 -
" Liked this one quite alot, I thought it was better than A Study in Scarlet. "
— Georgesear, 5/12/2011
About Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930) was born of Irish parentage in Scotland. He studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh, but he also had a passion for storytelling. His first book introduced that prototype of the modern detective in fiction, Sherlock Holmes. Despite the immense popularity Holmes gained throughout the world, Doyle was not overly fond of the character and preferred to write other stories. Eventually popular demand won out and he continued to satisfy readers with the adventures of the legendary sleuth. He also wrote historical romances and made two essays into pseudoscientific fantasy: The Lost World and The Poison Belt.
About Simon Prebble
Simon Prebble, a British-born performer, is a stage and television actor and veteran narrator of some three hundred audiobooks. As one of AudioFile’s Golden Voices, he has received thirty-seven Earphones Awards and won the prestigious Audie in 2010. He lives in New York.