Benedict Cumberbatch Reads Thrilling Stories of the Railway

By: Victor Whitechurch

Narrated by: Benedict Cumberbatch

Length: 1 hr and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

Benedict Cumberbatch reads five stories featuring the famous vegetarian railway detective Thorpe Hazell, as heard on BBC Radio 4.

In "The Affair of the German Dispatch-Box", Hazell hatches a daring plan to retrieve a highly sensitive government document before it reaches the German Ambassador. In "Sir Gilbert Murrell's Picture", when an entire wagon containing valuable paintings disappears from a goods train, Hazell's skill is needed. In "The Affair of the Corridor Express", a multimillionaire's son disappears from a moving train. Hazell must find the kidnappers before the boy is lost forever. In "The Stolen Necklace" a lady begs Hazell to help when the diamond necklace that she borrowed is stolen from her suitcase. In "The Affair of the Birmingham Bank", customers keep drawing money from a Midlands bank, so gold reserves are sent by train. Hazell must guard against train robbery.

©2014 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2014 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Enjoyable and entertaining

The narrator is very entertaining and probably could make listening to a narration of the phone book interesting.

Although the first story is the best one (The Affair to of the German Dispatch Case), the other stories are enjoyable. My kids like the stories too, and now we are fans of the detective, Mr. Thorpe Hazell. We enjoyed the last story too, but we can listen to all of the stories endlessly.

the goofiest thing i've ever LOVED!

What other book might you compare Benedict Cumberbatch Reads Thrilling Stories of the Railway to and why?

there is no other book, ever, in the world, in any language, to which you could compare this title. (ok, that's quite a bold statement, but go with me, ok?)

yesssss... thorpe hazel and his adventures are clearly patterned on the sherlock-holmes-style detective story... (i'm honestly not sure if whitechurch intended a tribute or a parody) ...set in an england that not only no longer exists; it NEVER existed, except in fiction. meanwhile, the intricate details of railway operations-- and the timetables thereof (!)-- take the entire thing into a completely different realm. then we add in benedict cumberbatch's performance, which (like everything he does) is perfectly matched to the material. oh and there's a great piano theme tune... with engine whistles! :)

this is delighfully goofy, and i feel confident that whether you like it or not, you'll not have heard anything similar!

content and context

enjoyed every syllable. The stories captivated, and the delivery was suspenseful and captivating. Mr. Cumberbatch posses the voice In my head when I read Whitechurch.

knock off of the the one and only SH

narrartor saved the story! Two thumbs up for BC otherwise a poor compare to SH

Fun mystery stories

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I was not sure what this book was about when I bought it. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that they were mystery stories about crimes committed on the railway.
The narration was great, as would be expected form Benedict.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

I thought the first story was the best of the collection