Richard Austin Freeman presents an ingenious case in this remarkable detective saga. When a store of priceless jewels vanishes without a trace, the brilliant Dr Thorndyke and his skilled associate Mr Polton are called in to chase a thief who leaves no trace. A mysterious stranger, incendiary bombs and intrigue weave a magnificently enjoyable trail through a great read.
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'This man Austin Freeman is a wonderful performer' -- Raymond Chandler
About the Author
R. Austin Freeman is 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. Much of his long life was spent as a physician and surgeon at the Middlesex Hospital, London. He also held posts in West Africa and later was a medical officer at Holloway Prison. The most famous of the Edwardian detective writers, he rescued the detective story from "thrillerdom" and made it acceptable to a more discerning class of reader.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Classic Short Stories,
This review is from: The Puzzle Lock (A Dr Thorndyke mystery) (Paperback)
A good Thorndyke collection comprising nine stories, set either in London or on the Kentish coast. The best story is certainly "Rex v. Burnaby," which offers a method of poisoning (by belladonna) nearly as clever as John Rhode's Vegetable Duck. "Phyllis Annesley's Peril" is obvious but oh so ingenious in its description of how unbiased witnesses can, in all good faith, observe something which isn't there; interestingly, it is related to Sayers's "The Haunted Policeman" and John Dickson Carr's The Bride of Newgate. The title story is an entertaining account of professional crime (burglary) and a safe that opens to a chronogram, allowing Thorndyke to demonstrate his genius at code-breaking. In the same way, "A Mystery of the Sand-Hills" displays the sleuth's ability to reason from sand and sea; full of good Thorndykean detection, but the plot is rather obscure. Analysis of dust and sand found on "The Green Check Jacket" allows Thorndyke to discover two murders caused by a will; a will is also at the root of the problem in that other account of physical detection, "The Mysterious Visitor." The three remaining stories are much weaker. "A Sower of Pestilence" is too improbable and unmotivated a villain to carry conviction, and his plot is incredible, while the theft of "The Seal of Nebuchadnezzar" makes for a rather dull tale. The very worst, though, is "The Apparition of Burling Court," which is in almost every respect a reworking of "The Mandarin's Pearl," and hence not worth the bother.
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