The Complete Dr.Thorndyke - Volume 1: The Red Thumb Mark, The Eye of Osiris and The Mystery of 31 New Inn

by R. Austin Freeman, David Marcum (Editor)

Volume I contains the first three Thorndyke novels, published in 1907, 1911, and 1912, respectively. Set in London during the time that Sherlock Holmes was still in practice, these introduce us to Thorndyke and his world, as well as painting a vivid picture of the London of that era. The Red Thumb Mark – In which Dr. Jervis encounters his old friend, Dr. Thorndyke. Soon after, they’re drawn into a mystery where a man is accused of murder, and his own bloody thumbprint, evidence that cannot be denied, places him absolutely at the scene of the crime. As Thorndyke investigates, it becomes apparent that he is too much of a threat and must be removed. The Eye of Osiris – Wherein a man vanishes and is presumed dead. But from where and when exactly did he disappear? That is the initial question, but by the end it’s much more complex, with one of the most unique solutions in mystery history! The Mystery of 31 New Inn – Dr. Jervis is summoned at night by closed carriage to treat a gravely ill patient – but is he simply sick or being murdered? His suspicions continue to grow, and Thorndyke provides a unique solution. But that’s only half, as the two also become involved in an unusual death related to a young man’s inheritance. When Sherlock Holmes began his practice as a “Consulting Detective”, his ideas of scientific criminal investigations caused the London police to look upon him as a mere “theorist”. And yet, through his work, the science behind catching criminals became so important that it’s hard to now imagine the world without them. Many famous Great Detectives followed in Holmes’s footsteps – Nero Wolfe and Ellery Queen, Hercule Poirot and Solar Pons – but before they began their careers, and while Holmes was still in practice in Baker Street, another London consultant – Dr. John Thorndyke – opened his doors, using the scientific methods developed and perfected by Holmes and taking them to a whole new level of brilliance. Between 1905, with his first appearance in a nearly forgotten novella (see below), to 1942, and through the course of twenty-one novels and over forty short stories, Dr. Thorndyke, often with the assistance of his friend Dr. Christopher Jervis, unraveled some incredibly complex puzzles. Besides providing very satisfying mysteries – some of which turned the literary form inside out – these adventures present vivid pictures of England in the late Victorian and early Edwardian eras, ranging from the doctor’s own vividly drawn chambers at 5A Kings Bench Walk in the Temple to the surrounding London streets, and beyond into the villages and towns of the countryside. Many of the Thorndyke volumes have been difficult to obtain for decades. MX Publishing is proud to announce the return of Dr. Thorndyke in a collection of omnibus editions, bringing these masterful adventures of one of the world’s greatest detectives together in an easily available format for modern readers. “Thorndyke will cheerfully show you all the facts. You will be none the wiser . . . .” – Dorothy L. Sayers, Chronicler of Lord Peter Wimsey “Introduction” – Great Stories of Detection, Mystery, and Horror (1928) Over the next few years, MX will publish the entire Dr. Thorndyke series. First up are these two books . . . .

640 pages, Hardcover

Published March 12, 2019

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

[Jay Rothermel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Red Thumb Mark (1907) by R. Austin Freeman


"....threading my way amongst the litter of small tables and miscellaneous furniture by which ladies nowadays convert their special domain into the semblance of a broker’s shop...."


Readers unfamiliar with The Red Thumb Mark may wish read my note only after reading the collection.





Novels like The Red Thumb Mark, The Eye of Osiris, and The Mystery of Catherine Frood overflow with droll and concentrated harmonies. New friends become friendlier, and by the final curtain young women and men are united in love and the prospect of contented marriages.


In The Red Thumb Mark, young Dr. Jervis is reunited with his old teacher, the flawlessly handsome and accomplished Dr. Thorndyke. Jervis has been making his way as a temp for more accomplished and settled doctors who hunger for vacations. 


Thorndyke takes him on as a detective dogsbody to assist in defending Reuben Hornby from a charge of theft.


[....] “Gentlemen of the jury, the prisoner at the bar stands indicted by the name of Reuben Hornby, for that he, on the ninth or tenth of March, feloniously did steal, take, and carry away a parcel of diamonds of the goods of John Hornby. To this indictment he has pleaded that he is not guilty, and your charge is to inquire whether he be guilty or not and to hearken to the evidence.”


[....] “Now, on the evening of the ninth of March there was delivered to Mr. Hornby a parcel of rough diamonds of which one of his clients asked him to take charge pending their transfer to the brokers. I need not burden you with irrelevant details concerning this transaction. It will suffice to say that the diamonds, which were of the aggregate value of about thirty thousand pounds, were delivered to him, and the unopened package deposited by him in his safe, together with a slip of paper on which he had written in pencil a memorandum of the circumstances. This was on the evening of the ninth of March, as I have said. Having deposited the parcel, Mr. Hornby locked the safe, and shortly afterward left the premises and went home, taking the keys with him.

  “On the following morning, when he unlocked the safe, he perceived with astonishment and dismay that the parcel of diamonds had vanished. The slip of paper, however, lay at the bottom of the safe, and on picking it up, Mr. Hornby perceived that it bore a smear of blood, and in addition, the distinct impression of a human thumb. On this he closed and locked the safe and sent a note to the police station, in response to which a very intelligent officer—Inspector Sanderson—came and made a preliminary examination. I need not follow the case further, since the details will appear in the evidence, but I may tell you that, in effect, it has been made clear, beyond all doubt, that the thumb-print on that paper was the thumb-print of the prisoner, Reuben Hornby.”


*   *   *


As part of his detective errand-running for Thorndyke, Jervis falls in love with Juliet Gibson, adopted by the ersatz Hornby clan.


Meanwhile, once his role in Reuben Hornby's defense becomes known, Thorndyke becomes the target of an assassin. This leads to several chapters where he evades ingenious murder methods and gets to show his expertise in (theoretical) death-dealing.


The Red Thumb Mark, like the other Thorndyke novels I've been reading (mentioned above), surpasses novel-length works of Agatha Christie and fellow Golden Agers. Because of the way Thorndyke approaches cases, there is none of the plodding, getting-to-know-you wandering checklists through suspects: banal gatherings, dispersals, and regroupements.


And the climax and resolution of The Red Thumb Mark is a breathtaking example of authorial confidence. No closet melodrama, no unnecessary revisiting of old material made superfluous by verdict.


Jay

17 December 2024