Select language, opens an overlay

Comment

Feb 13, 2020Liber_vermis rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
The Preface to this collection of five short crime stories notes that the forensic investigator, Dr. John Evelyn Thorndyke, created by R. Austin Freeman, was more than a successor to Sherlock Holmes: "Whereas Holmes spoke of science more often than he used it, Thorndyke relies on laboratory analysis. ... The microscope and the camera are his standbys." Four of the stories in this book present the plot innovation by Freeman - the "inverted" detective story. "The daring idea of telling a detective story ... twice over, first as the facts of the crime occur, and again as the detective goes to work on the clues ...". Beyond the main character and plot invention, Freeman is a master at developing psychological suspense and the chilling anticipation of evil.