The Red Thumb Mark [Hardcover]

R. Austin Freeman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 8, 2005

At the turn of the 20th century, Richard Austin Freeman (1862-1943) emerged as an author to be reckoned with in the world of detective fiction, introducing the highly memorable scientific detective Dr. Thorndyke, an early forensic sleuth. Armed with his little green case full of scientific detection aids, Thorndyke unravelled murders and mysteries using logic and material evidence. Freeman's most important pre-World War I novels include: The Mystery of 31 New Inn (1911), The Eye of Osiris (1911), and A Silent Witness (1914), artistically written and memorably characterized. Later major works include The Red Thumb Mark, When Rogues Fall Out, and The Jacob Street Mystery.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'This man Austin Freeman is a wonderful performer'- -- Raymond Chandler --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Wildside Press (November 8, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557424675
• ISBN-13: 978-1557424679
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic By Any Standards, August 21, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Red Thumb Mark (Dover Mystery Classics) (Paperback)

The Red Thumb Mark is the novel that introduces to the world one of the greatest "scientific" detectives in all literature: Dr. John Thorndyke. It is rightly regarded as one of the all-time classics in mystery fiction. Raymond Chandler, for example, who typically hated British detective fiction for its consistent implausibilities, found Austin Freeman's work and The Red Thumb Mark highly entertaining and readable.

The novel concerns Thorndyke's attempts to clear the name of a young man accused of stealing diamonds from a safe. A thumb mark (finger print) near the scene of the crime is the only evidence against the young man, but it is decidedly damning. Add a little romance, a sinister villian lurking in the background, and you have the ingredients that make up this story.

I found the work to be wonderfully exciting. Watching Thorndyke break down the evidence against the young man is a fascinating expereince. Though a person could argue that too much detail is given to the "science" aspect, you have to understand that these scenes are the backbone of this type of detective story.

In a day and age of corporate villiany, brutal crime bosses and hideous serial killers, The Red Thumb Mark might seem to some readers as painfully old-fashioned. Freeman's writing is similar (and often compared with) Conan Doyle, and there's little doubt that Freeman found inspiration from the Holmes canon. However, the novel's old-fashioned flavor is the very reason to recommend it. It's fun to walk the streets of Edwardian England, to see the sights, to hear the gentlemanly discussions, to share the thought processes of one of the great detective minds. This is the real magic of the novel.

Sadly, most of Freeman's work has long, long been out of print. I would recommend hunting among the used book stores for his other great mysteries, especially The Silent Partner, The Eye of Osiris, and my all-time favorite Mr. Pottermack's Oversight. These great novels are as highly recommended as The Red Thumb Mark. Someday, I hope the world rediscovers this highly talented writer and that he is placed along side with the other great names where he belongs.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Raciocinative Classic, February 16, 2000

By 

Christina P. Branson "Strixaluco" (Fort Collins) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Red Thumb Mark (Dover Mystery Classics) (Paperback)

Freeman's Dr. Thorndyke is frequently compared to Sherlock Holmes, and I like to think the two characters would appreciate each other. I personally have a slight preference for Thorndyke because he has more conscious respect for logic and the scientific method and is a warmer person.

In this tale, Dr. Thorndyke, who is primarily employed as a medical expert witness, is asked to mount the defense for a young man accused of the theft of diamonds from his uncle's safe. The evidence against Mr. Reuben Hornby--his bloody thumbprint inside the safe--is so compelling that even his own solicitor is convinced of his guilt. Thorndyke, however, is equally confident that the thumbprint is a forgery and, with the assistance of Dr. Jervis and Thorndyke's resourceful servant Polton, sets out to prove it. He makes quick progress, too, because he soon finds himself the target of several cleverly engineered assassination attempts.

While I was quite certain early in the book as to who was responsible for the theft, I liked how Freeman made the point that it is one matter to know who did or did not do a thing, but it is yet another matter entirley to prove your knowledge in a court that is not only not ready to believe you but is governed by policies in direct conflict with your methods.

Dr. Jervis played an interesting role in the case, at once keeping the reader apprised of key facts and insights and distancing the reader from Thorndyke's speculations. He also had an internal conflict regarding his interest in the lovely Miss Gibson that provided even more confusion for the reader. Freeman did an admirable job of making me wonder till the very end about Miss Gibson's level of involvement in the crime.

I had sought this book out after enjoying one of Freeman's short stories, and I was not disappointed. Freeman introduces interesting characters and an intriguing puzzle against the backdrop of turn-of-the-century London to great effect. I'd think any fan of Sherlock Holmes would be delighted to discover Dr. Thorndyke.

(adapted from a "Skullduggery" review)

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Watch Your Evidence Closely, October 20, 2010

By 

Anne Wingate (Salt Lake City) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Red Thumb Mark (Kindle Edition)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002RKRE5U/ref=cm_cr_rev_prod_img

One of R. Austin Freeman's favorite topics is the use of fingerprint evidence in crime solving. His opinion is that it isn't worth much. I'm a fingerprint expert from way back (I was a CSI before it was fashionable), and I think it's worth a lot. But he's right in this: Fingerprints can be forged, and have been forged. The specific device he used in this fascinating book would no longer work because of DNA evidence, but during the entire time I was involved in fingerprint examination it could have worked. His method of proving that it did not prove what it purported to prove was very similar to what I would use to make the same discovery. It was this: If you have two fingerprints that are EXACT duplicates of one another, at least one of them was forged.

But when Freeman wrote this novel, nobody knew that axiom. So his originality is such that I was extremely impressed. In fact, after reading all of Freeman's works as I have done, I would say that he would have made an extremely good CSI himself, using no more scientific methods than those he used, up until the late 1970s. That puts him way ahead of the game, in the same way that Arthur Conan Doyle's late 19th century Sherlock Holmes novels were ahead of the game.

This is a very impressive novel, and I cannot imagine anyone with any interest in either crime fiction or criminalistics of any type who would not want to read everything s/he could find by this brilliant author.