Sherlock Holmes: The Greek Interpreter

Arthur Conan Doyle's The Greek Interpreter brings Sherlock Holmes his most surprising case yet: one that starts with his own long-hidden brother.

Watson has never heard Holmes mention any family, so he's startled to learn of Mycroft, an older brother who is, by Holmes's own account, even sharper than he is. Mycroft has no interest in detective work, though. He spends his days at the quiet, rule-bound Diogenes Club and a government office, content to reason from his armchair rather than chase clues through London's streets. It's Mycroft who brings the case to Holmes, by way of a neighbor named Mr. Melas.

Melas works as a translator, and he has a strange story to tell. He was collected from home one night, driven with the curtains drawn to a house he couldn't place, and asked to interpret between two men. One of them, a thin, frightened Greek stranger, had his face crossed with strips of plaster, as if to keep him from speaking freely. The little Melas can piece together points to a man being held against his will, and a young woman connected to him who may be in danger too. Holmes and Watson take up the trail before it goes cold, working backward from a handful of small details to find the house and the people who never meant to be found.

This is classic Holmes and Watson detective work, an armchair-and-legwork mystery built on close reasoning rather than chases, with a glimpse of Holmes's private life rarely shown elsewhere in the stories. It's a good pick for listeners who enjoy Agatha Christie, cozy Victorian mysteries, or any tale where a detective works out the truth from a few overlooked clues.

Built for winding down, not for solving the case yourself, the telling leaves room between the lines to let your mind settle. Let Holmes do the work while you slip away.