Sherlock Holmes Audio Review: Episode 2.2. - "The Reification of Hans Gerber"

By Chris Swanson / November 30, 2011

rating: 4.5

Fresh off his adventure against Colonel Moran in the previous episode, Sherlock Holmes (Nicholas Briggs), finds himself in something of a funk. He hasn€™t left his rooms at Baker Street in a very long time, and everyone, especially his friend, Doctor Watson (Richard Earl), are getting worried. Watson goes to visit Holmes and arrives just in time for a visit by a young man distraught over the accidental death of his uncle (Terry Molloy), and just about as distraught by the fact that the uncle€™s will has disappeared. This is something of an issue because he and his three cousins have survived on their uncle€™s wealth for several years. Holmes takes the case and first visits the body of the uncle. He€™s unsurprised to find that the man appears to have been thrown down a staircase after being drugged, rather than simply falling in the night as everyone had assumed. He and Watson then pay a visit to the various cousins, trying to piece together what happened that night, and also pay a visit to the uncle€™s solicitor (Andrew Havill), to confirm that the will is indeed missing. Holmes seems at first to have no suspects. He€™s got plenty of clues (broken glass, bruises on the body, the missing will), and four people who appear to at least possibly have motive (except that they were all supposed to get a cut of the money), but he€™s still not able to really get a handle on what€™s going on. Things get much more complicated when the mysterious Hans Gerber turns up. Gerber is a long-lost elder cousin, who stands to inherit everything. He haunts the uncle€™s funeral and pays a sinister visit to the lone female cousin. Then he begins sending threatening notes, and things start to look grim for all€ I really enjoyed this story, much more than I did €œThe Final Problem€. This was everything I€™d come to expect of an audio work by Big Finish. The pacing was good, the story itself was excellent, and I get to feel vaguely smug about the fact that I managed to at least partially figure out what was going on. I will also say that I was very pleased that this story addressed one of the slight problems I€™ve had with the Holmes style in what little exposure I€™ve had to it. Without giving too much away, there€™s a clue discovered by Holmes that appears to lead to a certain suspect, but then doesn€™t. It€™s a great example of how clues and sometimes get in the way of solving a crime and a reminder that, if you€™ll forgive this phrase once you hear the audio, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. Special recognition must go out to Briggs and Earl who both showed what great assets they are to Big Finish. The entire Holmes series turns on their ability to be convincing in the roles and they manage that in spades, as does the entire supporting cast, especially Molloy (known to the Who world as one of the best actors to play Davros), who is exemplary in a small role. There€™s two more episodes to go in this season of Holmes audios. Next up is €œThe Hound of the Baskervilles€ and you€™d best believe I€™m looking forward to that!