5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Early D'Arblay, July 13, 2003
This fourth exploit of Dr. Thorndyke, the last until 1922, is steadfastly entertaining in its account of the doings of a mutton-headed and impetuous young medico, very much a template for John Dickson Carr's heroes, who stumbles upon disappearing corpses on Hampstead Heath and patients who die under suspicious circumstances in Jacob Street, and is nearly murdered for his troubles. Despite the excess of melodrama typical of the period and the extraordinary coincidences, many of the scenes are excellent, with just the right touch of the picturesque to suggest the "Baghdad-on-Thames" common to Stevenson, Carr and Freeman. Where the book suffers is by comparison to the later D'Arblay Mystery (1926), which reuses the plot to much greater effect. There are two surprising errors, the first on mirrors (p. 147 of the Stratus edition); the second, it does not stand to reason that only a professional criminal would wear gloves.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
another case for Dr. Thorndyke, December 31, 2009
I am a huge fan of this series of mysteries, all written during the Golden Age of Mystery writing.
A Silent Witness is Freeman's fourth full-length novel featuring Dr. Thorndyke, a barrister, doctor, and all-around solver of intriguing mysteries. In this installment, the action centers on one Dr Humphrey Jardine, who is the narrator of the story, and who himself is the focus of several strange events that happen to him just after he has finished medical school and begins his career as a physician. Jardine's troubles begin with a casual walk in Hampstead Heath (London), where he comes across the body of a man and runs to fetch the police, only to come back and find that the dead man has disappeared. The police can find no trace that the man was ever there, so Jardine takes it upon himself to examine the scene for clues. His findings lead him into a very strange adventure which can only be solved with the technical expertise of Dr. Thorndyke, but not before Jardine finds his life in danger, and not just once.
There is a lot going on in this novel, but the strands all come together quite nicely and offer a mystery that will have you scratching your head. Nothing is as it seems here, so the mystery element starts off strong and continues to keep the reader scratching his or her head throughout the book.
If you like old-fashioned mystery stories, the Dr. Thorndyke series is a good one. The verbiage is somewhat archaic for modern readers, but character and plot development are both nicely done. You could read this one as a stand alone, but it's better if you start with the first book and read them in order to better understand the thinking process of Dr. Thorndyke.
Overall, nicely done; recommended for fans of golden-age mystery stories.
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