The DArblay Mystery

R. Austin Freeman

In this novel, Dr. Thorndyke builds a card house of wild speculations to solve a perplexing murder case, astonishing all observers, including the police. The victim is Julius D Arblay, an artist highly skilled at the rare French art of making wax-work figures and portrait masks. DArblay has a beautiful daughter, which leads to a romance with a young Dr. Grey who discovers the fathers body and brings the case to Dr. Thorndykes attention. Before the end of the story, the young doctor and his love will each have survived two murder attempts by an increasingly frantic killer. There are lots of great scenes: stalking scenes, vicious attacks on Dr. Gray and Marion with various weapons, a sinister scene in a dense yellow London fog, a humorous exhumation of a dead man of dubious identity, and very funny vignettes with a tippler of an old doctor advising Gray on how to handle troublesome patients. Thorndykes lovable lab assistant Polton has a starring role in this novel.

The Exploits of Danby Croker

R. Austin Freeman

What would you do if your doppelganger were committing crimes and making the police believe you were the perpetrator? In Danby Crokers case, he decides to retaliate! But that is only one of the problems besetting him in this set of interlinked stories. Given a job as an antique dealer, can he resist the temptations of earning some easy money through a bit of fencing and counterfeiting? And what on earth is he doing going round London dressed as a suffragette?! R. Austin Freemans The Exploits of Danby Croker involves mistaken identities, art forgery, antique swindles, and even a little cross-dressing. There is a price to be paid for breaking the law, but whos going to pay it? Originally written in 1911 by the great author of detective stories R. Austin Freeman, this is a comic novel that may surprise those who know Freemans work only through the Dr. Thorndyke stories! This rare collection of stories is an enjoyable romp through crime and romance.

The Eye of Osiris

R. Austin Freeman

The Eye of Osiris, published in 1911, was the second of R. Austin Freemans many Dr. Thorndyke mystery novels. Here the great expert in medical jurisprudence will encounter the mysteries of ancient Egypt without ever leaving London. The cast of characters is rich in Egyptologists. A wealthy old man, John Bellingham, collector of Egyptian antiquities, has disappeared without a trace. His brother is also an Egyptologist, as is his niece and the lawyer who executed his will. Circumstances strongly suggest that the old man is dead, and innocent people may be accused of murder. Happily Dr. Thorndyke gets involved quite by chance. The plot is tremendously clever, and the denouement a total surprise. The great strength of the novel lies in the plotting which is ingenious enough and complicated enough to satisfy any fan of the puzzle-style of mystery story.

The Golden Pool. A Story of a Forgotten Mine

R. Austin Freeman

This novel begins with Robert Englefield, a young Englishman, taking on a job with a vessel sailing for northern Africa. Once there, Englefield is placed in the position of running the store through which the captain sells and trades his goods. As Englefield spends more and more time at this outpost on the African coast, he hears stories a legendary mine in the interior of Africa where the priests capture unwary travelers and blind them to prevent escape. Purely out of curiousity, Englefield finally decides to go looking for this mine in spite of the obvious dangers presented to a white man traveling in the rural African interior. Once Englefield departs and inevitably runs into trouble, the story finally takes on some suspense and unpredictability.

The Great Portrait Mystery and Other Stories

R. Austin Freeman

A daring daylight art theft from a crowded museum, a secret document centuries old, and a hidden treasure, these are the elements of the title story in this collection of tales by R. Austin Freeman. Though best known for his famous forensic sleuth, Dr. John Thorndyke, Freeman also on occasion wrote stories featuring other characters. In addition to The Great Portrait Mystery, this collection features four more of these tales which show a more whimsical and humorous side of the author, dealing in turn with a bewitched curate, thieves whose clever plans go adrift, a haunted lawyer, and a poor bricklayer on whom fortune smiles in a strange fashion. This collection of seven short stories includes two featuring Dr. John Evelyn Thorndyke, a fictional detective in a long series of novels and short stories by British author R. Austin Freeman (1862-1943).

The Jacob Street Mystery

R. Austin Freeman

R. Austin Freemans mysteries are often divided into two parts, the first dealing with events leading up to a murder, followed by Dr. Thorndykes investigation. In this case, the first part, about a beautiful woman who poses as a serious artist, then disappears, is delightful. It details the friendship between Thomas Pedley and Loretta Schiller. The second part is written in the first person with Jervis, Thorndykes assistant, being the narrator as usual. A peaceful, pleasant afternoon in the woodland scene of Linton Green is disturbed when a brutal murder takes place. But thanks to an unseen witness, the killer may be caught, and the witness turns out to be a blessing in disguise. This is the story of Thomas Pedley, a gifted artist who paints what he sees from memory.

The Magic Casket

R. Austin Freeman

The Magic Casket Thorndike solves the mystery of the box in order to locate a jewel stolen from a client and get rid of the dastardly Japanese who are after them in every way.

The Mystery of 31 New Inn

R. Austin Freeman

Second in the Dr. Thorndyke mystery series set in London around 1900. Thorndyke is a lawyer and medical doctor who reasons out mysteries. This involves a young doctor friend who Thorndyke hires as his assistant whose strange case involving a mysteries man and couple who are caring for him and an inheritance case brought to Thorndyke. A classic English mystery with the detective, Dr. Thorndyke, solving what appears to be two disparate mysteries. One is an apparent suicide with a disputed will; the other is one of his sidekicks (Dr. Jervis) odd case of an apparent poisoning. Despite the twists and turns, the mysteries are solved.

The Mystery of Angelina Frood

R. Austin Freeman

Angelina Frood, a striking young ex-actress, has gone missing and her new friend Dr. Strangeways, a good-hearted young doctor and the narrator of the story, is determined to find out what has happened and along the way enlists the assistance of Dr. Thorndyke. The local police Sergeant is hot on the trail, as items of clothing and jewellery belonging to Angelina are discovered. Theres serious trouble ahead, but fortunately Dr. Thorndyke, the great medico-legal expert, will take a keen interest in the young womans troubles, through the championship of Dr. Strangeways. This novel deals with some very modern themes: domestic violence, gender inequalities, drug addiction and advanced methods of forensic science as practiced by Dr. Thorndyke.

The Penrose Mystery

R. Austin Freeman

The Penrose Mystery, fist published in 1936, is definitely up to the high standard of the wonderful Dr. Thorndyke series. Penrose is an eccentric old man in possession of some dazzling gems, which he wont insure. When Dr. Thorndyke is alerted to a burglary at his house, a scrap of paper is found with the word lobster on it along with two Latin words. Meanwhile, Penrose has fled in panic after a car accident. The police believe hes gone into hiding to avoid a manslaughter charge after a hit-and-run accident. Finding him is a forlorn hope, theres so little to go on. But Thorndyke has a way of seeing significance in the merest bits of dirt inside a tire or oddments in a pocket... Polton, Dr. Thorndykes lovable lab assistant, has an important presence in the plot, less this time for his remarkable technical skills than for his fondness for fixing antique clocks.

The Puzzle Lock

R. Austin Freeman

A gang of jewel thieves has come to the attention of the police. Will Dr. Thorndike be able to find the leader and the jewels? It would seem that the jewel merchant has a strong room with a puzzle lock where there are too many combinations to solve. But can it be done.

The Red Thumb Mark

R. Austin Freeman

Originally written in 1907, The Red Thumb Mark opens the series by R. Austin Freeman featuring Dr. Thorndyke, who is a sort of Sherlock-Holmes type character. A single fingerprint is found at the scene of a crime. When the police are able to identify that fingerprint, the case seems closed. But Dr. Thorndyke, the detective/barrister/medical doctor who takes on defense of this suspect, thinks he can disprove the prosecutions case, based on that same fingerprint. It does not take Dr. Thorndyke to figure out who the criminal is. It is up to Dr. John Thorndyke, and his new assistant Dr. Jervis to prove the young mans innocence before hes found guilty and hanged. The mystery in this wonderful detective tale is who the lovely heroine is in love with. The answer may surprise you.

The Shadow of the Wolf

R. Austin Freeman

This novel is an excellent example of the inverted detective story, a modern form that R. Austin Freeman is credited with inventing. You know from the beginning who the guilty party is, but watching Dr. Thorndyke figure it out is amazing. And watching the perpetrator think that he is getting away with his crime, while watching Dr. Thorndyke close in on him is well-done literary irony. The fun comes not from being baffled, but from watching Thorndykes mind at work and observing his scientific methods which include, in this case, geology, petrology, psychology, marine biology, handwriting analysis, and chemical analysis. The crime takes place in a yacht off the coast of Penzance in Cornwall, where a circle of friends are vacationing. The victim is a boorish, overbearing, dishonest brute with money. The murderer is a likable, gentlemanly, talented artist of modest means. Every one likes the murderer, including Dr. Thorndyke.

The Singing Bone

R. Austin Freeman

In this collection of short stories, the reader learns the killers identity long before the brilliant medical detective takes the stage. These are brilliant early examples of open secrets where the question is not who, but how will they be caught?

The Stoneware Monkey

R. Austin Freeman

First, there are two seemingly unrelated events: the murder of a constable in pursuit of a diamond thief and the attempt to poison a potter by using arsenic. The connection lies in the presence of Dr. Oldfield, a Dr. Thorndykes former student, who happened to find the constable body and served as the consulting physician of the potter. Dr. Oldfield once again found a trace of murder: ashes of cremated human human body in the dustbin at the potters studio. The police tries to chase the supposedly real villain, but end up in vain. Facing with these puzzling events, Dr. Thorndyke has his own hypotheses. His inquiries results in the discovery of the real felon while the secret is concealed in the hideous figurine of a stoneware monkey. The Stoneware Monkey has everything that weve come to expect from a Thorndyke novel a highly complex and creative murder, a damsel in distress, telltale fingerprints, chemical analysis, brilliant theorizing by Thorndyke, faulty thinking by everyone else, and a dramatic surprise ending.

The Surprising Experiences of Mr. Shuttlebury Cobb

R. Austin Freeman

Richard Austin Freeman, the doyen of the scientific division of detective writing is best known for his character Dr. John Thorndyke. A close and careful investigator and the outstanding medical authority in the field of detective fiction, R. Austin Freeman not only tested the wits of the reader but also inspired many modern detective forensic methods. Shuttlebury Cobb is a completely different sort of book. In it Freeman demonstrates his sense of humor and whimsy as he follows the strange and always comic adventures of the hero of the title who finds himself caught up by chance in the quest for a mysterious treasure. Charting a series of adventures set in many strange scenarios, Mr. Shuttlebury Cobb is led through the dark and twisted streets of London where he meets a highly gifted stranger, enters secret chambers, and finds a magic mirror. Cobb engages with a secret code and a castaway in a delightful collection designed to while away the hours.