Sherlock Holmes The Deadly Cleric

A Sherlock Holmes Resurgent Mystery

By: J. B. Varney

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

A young ship’s officer stands in the sitting room at 221B Baker Street, begging Sherlock Holmes, the great detective, to help recover his sister. “It’s desperation that drove me to your door, Sir. You may not know it but…if you won’t help us, then I fear my sister will die in the hands of this fiend.” Harry Bellamy, Ships Purser on the White Star Line’s passenger ship, SS Cymric, tells the story of a malevolent nobleman who is also the Church Rector of the Parish, Sir Algernon Benedict of Saxlingham Nethergate. “He is the author of innumerable evils upon our poor folk, a veritable plague upon the people of Buckinghamshire.” “He has all the power Mr. Holmes, and all the wealth, he and his, and they protect him. Though I say so myself, they do.”
Benedict, The Deadly Cleric, is a self-confessed assassin and murderer, a kidnapper, blackmailer, and malignant force upon the earth. From the high Himalayas to the Arabian Deserts, from the County of Buckinghamshire to the Highlands of Scotland, the legacy of his evil lives on and now he is joined by his illegitimate son, Captain Treymont Gordon of Scone, a veteran of the Zulu Wars and the Matabele Massacres. Can anyone stop them? And how do you bring down a man who is protected by the system?

Virtual voice is a failed experiment.

In mis-pronunciation of words, the repeated lack of human meaning in the words, all contribute to t an inhuman performance. I’m sure that virtual voice is cheaper than hiring a real narrator, but I’m quite certain that it is not a good solution to the problem.

No feeling

AI lacked the feeling and accent of live pro formers . There was a feeling of sterility.

A good read

Varney’s rendition of Holmes is closest to the Conan Doyl original that I’ve come across in my chase for Holmes stories. The temptation for an author is to tag on new character traits to Holmes and Watson to “develop” and flesh out the story. Well, I want Holmes to be just as Conan Doyle made him. If you’re like me, you will enjoy these adventures. And the robot voice is fine. Short of Cumberbatch doing the narration, a robot is far better than a third grade narrator.

“Virtual Voice” Ruins an Otherwise Passable Story

Be wary of paying full price for any audible book recorded with virtual voice. The lack of inflection and emotion makes for a lackluster, hard-to-follow story.