R. Austin Freeman
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Before Kathy Reichs's Temperance Brennan and Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta, there was Dr. Thorndyke, the first ever fictional forensic scientist. The only evidence against young Reuben Hornby in a jewel theft is his thumb print smeared in blood. It is enough to convict him of the crime until physician Dr. John Thorndyke dares to ask-and answer-the question, "Can a fingerprint be forged?" The first detective novel to engage in scientific technology,...
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A fascinating installment in R. Austin Freeman's classic mystery series featuring forensic detective Dr. John Thorndyke A man falls gravely ill, but is reluctant to call a doctor. As his condition worsens, he is eventually forced to seek medical aid-but he does so only under the condition that the physician does not learn his identity or address. Dr. Jervis is therefore transported to the man's home in a 4-wheeled cab with tightly closed shutters....
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Visiting a lonely hamlet perched on a cliff above the English coast, forensic detective Dr. John Thorndyke goes for a walk on the long, deserted beach. In the sand he finds two sets of footprints, made some hours apart. They lead to a crime scene. A man has been found stabbed through the heart, his body thrown from the cliffs above. The local police are on the hunt for clues, but Thorndyke is certain the killer's identity can be determined from the...
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To find a missing archaeologist, Dr. Thorndyke digs for a body After the great success of his latest expedition, the brilliant archaeologist John Bellingham returns from the sandy tombs of Egypt with enough ancient treasures to fill a wing at the British Museum. He visits a friend for dinner and is told to wait in the study. When the friend arrives, he finds the study empty; Bellingham has vanished into thin air. When Bellingham does not reappear,...
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Two men of science collaborate to solve a mystifying crime in this thrilling installment in the first mystery series to feature a forensic detective Late one evening, Dr. Humphrey Jardine is strolling along Millfield Lane in Hampstead Heath, London, when he is shocked to find a corpse lying in the middle of the road. Jardine hurries off to find a police officer, but by the time he returns, the body is gone. Jardine is sure of what he saw, but the...
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This early work by Richard Austin Freeman was originally published in 1928 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introduction. 'As a Thief in the Night' is one of Freeman's novels of crime and mystery. The first story featuring his well-known protagonist Dr. Thorndyke – a medico-legal forensic investigator – was published in 1907, and although Freeman's early works were seen as simple homages to his contemporary, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle,...
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This early work by Richard Austin Freeman was originally published in 1926 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introduction. 'The D'Arblay Mystery' is one of Freeman's novels of crime and mystery. The first story featuring his well-known protagonist Dr. Thorndyke – a medico-legal forensic investigator – was published in 1907, and although Freeman's early works were seen as simple homages to his contemporary, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle,...
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A remarkable collection of mysteries starring the brilliant Dr. Thorndyke Silas has diamonds in the heel of his shoe. He is a thief, but until the night he meets Oscar Brodski on the footpath near his house, he has never considered murder. A diamond dealer, Brodski's pockets bulge with more precious stones than Silas has ever dreamed of, and they will be his with one swift, violent act. Silas does the deed and arranges the diamond dealer's body to...
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This early work by Richard Austin Freeman was originally published in 1933 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introduction. 'Dr. Thorndyke Intervenes' is one of Freeman's novels of crime and mystery. The first story featuring his well-known protagonist Dr. Thorndyke – a medico-legal forensic investigator – was published in 1907, and although Freeman's early works were seen as simple homages to his contemporary, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle,...
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Helen Vardon finds herself in a predicament after overhearing her father and a man named Otway arguing about funds that have gone missing from a trust. Believing that it's the only way to save her father from going to prison, Helen agrees to marry Otway, who's many years her senior. But their matrimony precipitates a series of events that culminates with Helen being suspected of murder. The only man who can crack this quandary is Dr. John Thorndyke-expert...
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"Austin Freeman is a wonderful performer," declared Raymond Chandler of the writer who created Dr. Thorndyke. Known as the father of the scientific detective story, Freeman was a physician who tested his fictional ploys through microscopic and chemical analysis. His tales not only challenged the wits of his readers but also inspired many modern detection methods. This collection presents eight of the most compelling Dr. Thorndyke stories. "The Case...
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This early work by Richard Austin Freeman was originally published in 1914 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introduction. The first story featuring his well-known protagonist Dr. Thorndyke – a medico-legal forensic investigator – was published in 1907, and although Freeman's early works were seen as simple homages to his contemporary, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, he quickly developed his own style: The 'inverted detective story', in...
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A winding adventure that begins in an exotic, teasing location. Richard Austin Freeman introduces the reader to the delights of an extraordinary jewel heist. Hollis is a retired soap manufacturer, richer than Croesus and some say mad. Obsessed with amassing precious stones and bullion, Hollis chooses a strong room to deposit his dazzling hoard. But, when he discovers that he's the victim of an elaborate and enigmatic robbery, even though the room...
14) The Cat's Eye
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This early work by Richard Austin Freeman was originally published in 1923 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introduction. 'The Cat's Eye' is one of Freeman's novels of crime and mystery. The first story featuring his well-known protagonist Dr. Thorndyke – a medico-legal forensic investigator – was published in 1907, and although Freeman's early works were seen as simple homages to his contemporary, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, he quickly...
15) Death at the Inn
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John Gillum arrives in London from Australia apparently a wealthy man and then proceeds to cheerfully gamble his entire fortune away. During this period he cultivates the friendship of Mortimer, the bank official after meeting him at the scene of a murder near the bank. He mentions in conversation that he felt suicide was a very understandable option to someone who had lost everything. When Gillum's body is found, the inquest duly returns a verdict...
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The Adventures of Dr Thorndyke features five short stories, each divided into two halves. In the first half of each, we get an inverted mystery set up, showing how some soul was led down a dark path to murder, and their subsequent steps to avoid detection. In the second half, the story completely shifts perspective, and we watch as series detective Dr Thorndyke applies scientific principles to uncover the truth.
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This early work by Richard Austin Freeman was originally published in 1911 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introduction. 'The Vanishing Man' is one of Freeman's novels of crime and mystery. The first story featuring his well-known protagonist Dr. Thorndyke – a medico-legal forensic investigator – was published in 1907, and although Freeman's early works were seen as simple homages to his contemporary, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, he...
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'"When Rogues Fall Out" incorporates some wonderful conundrums to hoodwink and hinder the cleverest of crime readers. This book contains three interconnected stories. In the first, a respectable collector of antiques falls victim to temptation. In the second a police inspector is found dead in suspicious circumstances in a railway tunnel. This section includes an interesting „essay" on the early use of fingerprint evidence. The third is a classic...
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"The First R. Austin Freeman Megapack" collects 27 mystery tales featuring the forensic sleuth Dr. Thorndyke (and others). Included in this volume are:
THE RED THUMB MARK (1907)
THE MAN WITH THE NAILED SHOES (1909)
THE STRANGER'S LATCHKEY (1909)
THE ANTHROPOLOGIST AT LARGE (1909)
THE BLUE SEQUIN (1909)
THE MOABITE CIPHER (1909)
THE MANDARIN'S PEARL (1909)
THE ALUMINIUM DAGGER (1909)
A MESSAGE FROM THE DEEP SEA (1909)
THE EYE OF OSIRIS (1911)
THE...
20) For The Defence
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Dr. Thorndyke is the CSI of his day. Most of the book is taken up with the account of how an innocent man gets himself thoroughly entangled in what looks like the certainty that he will be hanged, either for the death of a man he saw only once, or amazingly, for his own death! But, of course, Dr. Thorndyke is able to extricate him from this awful situation and triumph yet again. This is the amazing story of a polite, artistic gentleman who, by a series...