Actor, TV presenter, author and all-around good egg Stephen Fry has lent his vocal talents to two classic detective stories that Audible is giving away as an exclusive Christmas gift to its members. The Coin of Dionysius and The Game Played in the Dark feature the blind detective Max Carrados. In the Edwardian era, Ernest Bramah’s Carrados stories sometimes outsold Sherlock Holmes, so you could well say that Fry is narrating some lost classics.

“I love reading stories aloud,” said Stephen Fry. “If I had my way, I think I would do it more often. I just find it so pleasurable”

According to Stephen Fry, people love detective stories because they help us escape the very real puzzles of everyday life. “We love them, we want to hug them: whether a little old lady knitting like Miss Marple, or an egg-headed Belgian, or the great Sherlock Holmes, or the blind Max Carrados – they help us feel like life is going to be OK,” he said.

The Coin of Dionysius is a short story penned in 1914 and it begins with the detective Mr Carlyle presenting a rare object to the coin dealer, Mr Baxter. If you don’t have Audible, you can read the story online here. Meanwhile, The Game Played in the Dark is also available to read free online here, and it too involves rare coins and criminality! The stories are slightly antiquated when you read them, but we don’t doubt that Stephen Fry’s voice will give them just the right intonation.

If you’re an Audible member and have received your free tracks featuring Stephen Fry, do let us know what you think in the comments below.