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Dr. Thorndyke Mysteries #22
Dr Thorndyke Intervenes
What would you do if you opened a package to find a man's head? What would you do if the headless corpse had been swapped for a case of bullion? What would you do if you knew a brutal murderer was out there, somewhere, and waiting for you? Some people would run. Dr Thorndyke intervenes.
- GenresMystery
432 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1933
13 people are currently reading
56 people want to read
About the author
R. Austin Freeman
602 books86 followersRichard 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
January 28, 2015
I love Thorndyke, Inspector Miller, Brodribb, Jervis, and especially Polton, so this has to have four stars - it misses out on the fifth because I found the plot unusually muddled, what happened to Mr Buffham? Come to that, what happened to the real Josiah? I think we should be told.....
January 19, 2024
Dr Thorndyke Intervenes (Dr. Thorndyke Mysteries #22) by R. Austin Freeman
First published in 1933. I read the latest Kindle edition.
The author -
Richard Freeman was born in Soho, London on 11 April 1862.
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.
Brief Intro -
What would you do if you opened a package to find a man's head? What would you do if the headless corpse had been swapped for a case of bullion? What would you do if you knew a brutal murderer was out there, somewhere, and waiting for you? Some people would run. Dr Thorndyke intervenes.
My thoughts -
I started this mystery with very low expectations but what a pleasant surprise it turned out to be. Written in 1933, long before the advancement of forensic science that we are familiar with today, the Holmesian analytics demonstrated by Dr. Thorndyke were a pure joy to consider. Added in are some enjoyable twists and turns and a satisfying ending that pretty well wrapped things up in a satisfying manner. My only difficulties with this book were my own inadequacies related to meaning of the near century old Britishisms sprinkled throughout. Highly recommended and I wouldn't hesitate to undertake another.
First published in 1933. I read the latest Kindle edition.
The author -
Richard Freeman was born in Soho, London on 11 April 1862.
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.
Brief Intro -
What would you do if you opened a package to find a man's head? What would you do if the headless corpse had been swapped for a case of bullion? What would you do if you knew a brutal murderer was out there, somewhere, and waiting for you? Some people would run. Dr Thorndyke intervenes.
My thoughts -
I started this mystery with very low expectations but what a pleasant surprise it turned out to be. Written in 1933, long before the advancement of forensic science that we are familiar with today, the Holmesian analytics demonstrated by Dr. Thorndyke were a pure joy to consider. Added in are some enjoyable twists and turns and a satisfying ending that pretty well wrapped things up in a satisfying manner. My only difficulties with this book were my own inadequacies related to meaning of the near century old Britishisms sprinkled throughout. Highly recommended and I wouldn't hesitate to undertake another.
September 12, 2025
This is a most incredible book. The plot is extremely intricate and Freeman's attention to detail is fantastic. Many readers, I'm sure, will find the mass of detail boring but I really enjoyed it.
April 19, 2017
Pretty disappointed with this one. Going into it, I was actually quite intrigued. This is one of the most gruesome Thorndyke novels I've encountered so far (in terms of the type of crime committed and how it was committed) and I was very interested to see how it would pan out. But not only is one of the two mysteries left to drop unsatisfactorily, the novel is narrated by Jervis and he has no active role in the story. It would have been just as good, if not better, written in third person, for the amount of actual involvement Jervis had. Which is quite unusual in most of the books I've read so far. It was very different from Freeman's usual, and not in the good way.
August 8, 2019
An interesting story that motored through from start to finish without flagging, even though it has simple characters and - having been written by a nasty bigot - has lots of horrible social class snobbery.
March 15, 2011
One of Freeman's best Thorndyke mysteries. Some great red herrings. Likable characters.
September 21, 2017
Clearly sets the archetype for modern police crime mysteries like Law & Order, which is interesting, but the novel is heavy on details and slow moving.
July 4, 2019
A more gruesome murder than usual but really well put together. A satisfying conclusion.
November 16, 2019
Several interconnected threads in this, and while the main line was fairly predictable, there were still a few surprises.
October 5, 2025
I very much enjoy reading Freeman, but this one was so convoluted and disjointed it really was no pleasure, and I'm still confused as to what happened to some of the characters despite the silly wrap up at the end, possibly because I no longer cared.
June 20, 2021
سخيفة لأبعد حد
مش كل محقق شيرلوك هولمز !
مش كل محقق شيرلوك هولمز !
July 5, 2024
This was my second Dr. Thorndyke novel. I enjoyed it , but it was a little slow in the middle. The pay-off was worth it. Once it got going again all was forgiven. This series is terribly underrated.
April 25, 2021
When Mr Dobson went to the Fenchurch Street station lost property office to retrieve his case and found a head instead he quickly left. Leaving two confused witnesses. Meanwhile some Americans called Pippets have come to claim the Earldom of Winsborough. 'Helped' by a Mr Buffham and solicitor Gimbler.
An entertaining mystery
An entertaining mystery
August 8, 2023
While ostensibly the most gruesome of Thorndyke’s cases, getting off to a a gripping start with a head in a suitcase, this turns out to be oddly full of anticlimax and is ultimately a bit of a letdown.
There are lots of good ideas but the parts are better than the whole. The inveterate reader of Freeman expects the double format -so we know that the Winsborough Peerage Case and the platinum robbery are somehow connected- but here it does not quite work and, most unusually there are some loose ends with Buffham simply disappearing and Gimbler just fading out. The Peerage case involves a huge amount of genealogy and family history but the crux is quite simple of solution without a court case and Thorndyke does much of the necessary off-page.
3.5 stars for an interesting disappointment and for this insight:-
“Now, in the criminal department of my practice, I have been in the habit, from the first, of using what I may call a synthetic method. In investigating a known or suspected crime, my custom has been to put myself in the criminal’s place and ask myself what are the possible methods of committing that crime, and, of the possible methods, which would be the best; how, in fact, I should go about committing that crime, myself. Having worked out in detail the most suitable procedure, I then change over from the synthetic to the analytic method and consider all the inherent weaknesses and defects of the method, and the means by which it would be possible to detect the crime.”
There are lots of good ideas but the parts are better than the whole. The inveterate reader of Freeman expects the double format -so we know that the Winsborough Peerage Case and the platinum robbery are somehow connected- but here it does not quite work and, most unusually there are some loose ends with Buffham simply disappearing and Gimbler just fading out. The Peerage case involves a huge amount of genealogy and family history but the crux is quite simple of solution without a court case and Thorndyke does much of the necessary off-page.
3.5 stars for an interesting disappointment and for this insight:-
“Now, in the criminal department of my practice, I have been in the habit, from the first, of using what I may call a synthetic method. In investigating a known or suspected crime, my custom has been to put myself in the criminal’s place and ask myself what are the possible methods of committing that crime, and, of the possible methods, which would be the best; how, in fact, I should go about committing that crime, myself. Having worked out in detail the most suitable procedure, I then change over from the synthetic to the analytic method and consider all the inherent weaknesses and defects of the method, and the means by which it would be possible to detect the crime.”
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January 21, 2017(Not really this edition; I'm reading an ebook probably made from the same transcription as this edition.)
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews