The Uttermost Farthing: A Savant's Vendetta

by R. Austin Freeman

The Uttermost A Savant's Vendetta by R. Austin Freeman is a gripping mystery novel that delves into the intricate workings of justice and vengeance. Set in early 20th-century England, the story follows Dr. John Thorndyke as he becomes entangled in a complex legal battle surrounding the mysterious death of a wealthy businessman. When evidence emerges suggesting foul play, Dr. Thorndyke embarks on a relentless quest for the truth, determined to uncover the secrets hidden beneath layers of deceit and deception. As the investigation unfolds, alliances are tested, and old wounds resurface, leading to a dramatic confrontation that will change lives forever. Freeman's masterful storytelling and intricate plotting keep readers on the edge of their seats, with twists and turns that will leave them guessing until the very end. The Uttermost A Savant's Vendetta is a compelling exploration of morality, retribution, and the enduring power of justice.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Classics, Audiobook

122 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1914

About the author

Richard Freeman was born in Soho, London on 11 April 1862, the son of Ann Maria (nee Dunn) and Richard Freeman, a tailor. He was originally named Richard, and later added the Austin to his name.

He became a medical trainee at Middlesex Hospital Medical College, and was accepted as a member of the Royal College of Surgeons.

He married Annie Elizabeth Edwards in 1887; they had two sons. After a few weeks of married life, the couple found themselves in Accra on the Gold Coast, where he was assistant surgeon. His time in Africa produced plenty of hard work, very little money and ill health, so much so that after seven years he was invalided out of the service in 1891. He wrote his first book, 'Travels and Life in Ashanti and Jaman', which was published in 1898. It was critically acclaimed but made very little money.

On his return to England he set up an eye/ear/nose/throat practice, but in due course his health forced him to give up medicine, although he did have occasional temporary posts, and in World War I he was in the ambulance corps.

He became a writer of detective stories, mostly featuring the medico-legal forensic investigator Dr Thorndyke. The first of the books in the series was 'The Red Thumb Mark' (1907). His first published crime novel was 'The Adventures of Romney Pringle' (1902) and was a collaborative effort published under the pseudonym Clifford Ashdown. Within a few years he was devoting his time to full-time writing.

With the publication of 'The Singing Bone' (1912) he invented the inverted detective story (a crime fiction in which the commission of the crime is described at the beginning, usually including the identity of the perpetrator, with the story then describing the detective's attempt to solve the mystery). Thereafter he used some of his early experiences as a colonial surgeon in his novels.

A large proportion of the Dr Thorndyke stories involve genuine, but often quite arcane, points of scientific knowledge, from areas such as tropical medicine, metallurgy and toxicology.

He died in Gravesend on 28 September 1943.

Reviews

[Aby]

رواية مختلفة، تستطيع أن تطلق عليها صفة العادية و لكنها مشوقة بشكل غريب و غير متوقع ، تثير فضولك لمعرفة النهاية رغم أنها من البداية واضحة، و هي كما قرأت عن أسلوب الكاتب الذي يبدأ الرواية بالجريمة ثم ينتهي بالدافع، نعم، فأنت منذ البداية تعرف الجرائم و الجاني و المجني عليه، و رغم ذلك تجد نفسك مشدوداً نحو النهاية لمعرفة التفاصيل... إنها حقاً رواية مختلفة و غريبة و رغم بساطتها إلا أني استمتعت بقراءتها إلى حدٍ ما.

تقييمي 3.5⭐

[International Cat Lady]

This book was just.... odd. I've been enjoying reading R.A. Freeman's books (free on my Kindle) for the past few months - despite his tendency to blather on at times. While the other books of his that I have read were mysteries, this one wasn't. It was a narrative written by a man and left, after his death to his friend. The friend merely serves to introduce the story; the rest of what we read was written by the dead man - a seemingly normal fellow who turned to a life of vigilanti-ism after the murder of his wife. The book is full of racist and classist prejudices, which I'm sure were typical of the time, but which left rather a sour taste in my mouth. And, as true to Freeman's style, many scenes ran on far too long. As a free book, it was worth reading, although I won't keep it on my Kindle to read again in the future.

[Kathy]

This Freeman work is not a Dr. Thorndyke mystery. Instead, it is the disturbing account of how a man wreaks vengeance on the miscreant who murdered his wife in a bungled robbery attempt. It also poses the question of how a moral society should deal with criminals.

[L Y N N]

Wow. What a strange book. Definitely creepy. Gothic might be a good description.

I only became interested because this book was the major plot point for a Donna Andrews mystery. Now I want to know why she selected this book!

[Tim Robinson]

One man's vengeance against the criminal classes of Edwardian London. A psychopathic vigilante; cold, calculating, brave, clever and ghoulish; somewhere between Max Max and the Abominable Doctor Phibes.

Good clean fun.

[Latasha]

I really, really liked this story! this is the 1st thing I've read by this author. I didn't know very much about this story going in. we meet Humphrey Challoner. he's dying and handling it very well. he has a very well cataloged collection of skeletons which he leaves to his dear friend(forgot his name!) the story is the reading of the catalogs for these skeletons. we learn where they came from. Challoner is very, very funny and clever. there was so many times I laughed during the reading. the story was easy to follow. it was very good & creepy at times.
*spoilers*
the death of his wife was so sad. he sets out to capture her murderer. at first he's on track but by the 5th victim I feel he looses sight of why he's killing. he enjoys the challenge but he reigns back in. before he knows it, he's spent his whole life looking for this man. i'm not gonna spoil the ending. . .

[Scilla]

After Humphrey Challoner finds his wife killed by the bullet of a robber in his home, he vows to catch the man. Mr. Challoner is a wealthy savant, and he saved the fingerprints of the robber as well as some of the robber's strange hair which Challoner's wife had in her hand. He has a private museum with a collection of both animal and human skeletons and shrunken heads. He leaves the museum and the archives to his doctor, who reveals the Museum Archives - the stories of how the skeletons were acquired and how Mr. Challoner finally found his wife's murderer.

[Alia Makki]

A grieving osteologist engages in a lifelong manhunt for the murderer of his beloved wife while maintaining his public persona by incorporating ingenious methods to first attain, then dispose of his victims’ bodies.

Weird. Nerdy to the max. Surprisingly unputdownable.

[Ramona Honan]

A fantastic book but rather disturbing. A cross between Sweeney Todd and the Charles Bronson Death Wish movies.

[Dave L]

I found this a most enjoyable and, at times, disturbing read. Whilst the plot is very simple, the author keeps the attention of the reader as the grisly series of events unfolds.

The search for a man with "ringed" hair seems a little far fetched, especially as over 20 years, there is a likelihood all his hair would have turned grey or he would have become bald.

It would have been fascinating to know what the narrator did with his inherited collection of skeletons but, unfortunately, we will never know. . .

[Yibbie]

Well… that was weird. Past the first couple of chapters, there are no more surprises. I mean each chapter has its twist, but they all start to be the same after a bit. Still, there is a definite tension, mostly of the moral kind. But mostly, it just plods on through years and deaths. Strange...
With vengeance as the motive, and only the thinnest veneer of justice, Freeman has created a story of vigilante justice verging on mass murder.
I wouldn’t recommend wasting your time with this one.

[Naticia]

This is a hard one to review. It's more of a modern thriller, but without much actual suspense as the ending is set up in the first chapter. As well-written and detailed as I'd expect for a story by R. A. Freeman, but definitely in a different tone than his Dr Thorndyke series. I found myself enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would, considering how uncomfortable I was in the first few chapters.

[Jay Rothermel]

An outstanding revenge thriller: a husband spends twenty years hunting his wife's killer in London.

[Susan Standley]

Written in the vernacular of the Era, so it contains a few degragatory cultural names. If you can get past that, it's excellent and I highly recommend it.

[Hydrangea ⁦ʕ⁠ ⁠ꈍ⁠ᴥ⁠ꈍ⁠ʔ⁩]

إستمتعت بقرائته ، كنت أغبط صديق العالم لحصوله على كنز مثري كهذا وشيء مثير للإهتمام كتلك المجلدات ثم أتتني لحظة إدراك بأنني حاليًّا أطلع عليها كما يفعل البطل😅😅😅

[Elaine]

Very unusual and mostly interesting
The bulk of the novel is taken up by the journals of the dead man

[Ellen Hamilton]

A truly intriguing story; I've never read one like it before. But I warn you, it is not for the faint-hearted or one who has rigid views about justice/the judicial system. If you are willing to understand a fellow human's different point of view and are not frightened by mere skeletons, give it a try.

I assure you, you will appreciate the cunning and interesting methods used by the main character to accomplish his goal of I won't tell you!, grim as it is.

[for-much-deliberation ...]

This tale isn't much of a mystery but the related events are a tad bit disturbing. Actually Mr. Humphrey Challoner is so angered by his wife's murder, that he vows to catch the person who did it and dedicates his life to this. However, Challoner ends up becoming a murderer himself and has a worrying hobby of 'preserving' his victims and carefully journaling his activities.

[Julia]

Disturbing, grisly, and one of the creepiest books I've read, this is the story of a man's 20 year obsession with finding and disposing of his beloved wife's murderer. I listened to this as a free download from Librivox.org.

[JoAnn]

Disturbing!

[Karen]

Not so much of a mystery, but definitely disturbing.

[alibrivoxfan]

There's a public domain audiobook version available here from LibriVox.

[Linda]

This is more of a forensic horror story than Freeman's "Dr. Thorndyke" detective stories. Still enjoyable, but extremely weird.