ðɪ ˈɜːlɪɚ stˈoːɹiz ˈɔːlsoʊ ɹᵻtˈeɪnd ðə dˈɑːɹknəs ʌvðə nˈɑːvəlz ænd wɜː mˈoːɹ fˈeɪθfəl tə ðɪ ɚɹˈɪdʒɪnəl stˈoːɹilˌaɪnz, wˌaɪl lˈɔŋɡɚ ɹˈʌnɪŋ tˈaɪmz mˈɛnt ðæt ˈiːtʃ stˈoːɹi kʊd biː lˈɛs ɹˈuːθləs wɪð ɹˈæŋkɪnz mˈɛni ɐsˈaɪdz ænd sˈʌbplˈɑːts.
The earlier stories also retained the darkness of the novels and were more faithful to the original storylines, while longer running times meant that each story could be less ruthless with Rankin's many asides and sub-plots.