The Red Thumb Mark

'The Red Thumb Mark' is the first in the absorbing and original Dr. Thorndyke series. Thorndyke is a Sherlock Holmes inspired forensic detective employed as a proactive expert witness. He uses the available science and technology of his era to determine and demonstrate how and when certain crimes were perpetrated. Thorndyke is called to the scene when the nephew of a jeweller is accused of stealing diamonds from his uncle's safe. His bloody thumbprint was found on a slip of paper inside the empty safe. But Thorndyke is convinced of the man's innocence. He resolves to compile a case for the defense based on his scientific investigation. But Thorndyke may have waded into unexpectedly deep waters when attempts are made on his life. A compelling and fascinating detective novel with a decidedly steampunk atmosphere for the present-day reader. Highly recommended for enthusiasts of Conan Doyle's 'Sherlock Holmes' novels as well as the popular 2010 TV series 'Sherlock' starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. Fans of the 'CSI: Crime Scene Investigation' series will also be intrigued by the life and ways of literature's first forensic detective. R Austin Freeman (1862-1943) was an English doctor. He created the first and best-known forensic scientist, Dr John Thorndyke. Freeman was born in London, the son of a tailor. He took a medical degree from Middlesex Hospital Medical College. He married Annie Elizabeth Edwards in 1887 and had two sons. He travelled to the Gold Coast of Africa for work, but after seven years was invalided out. He returned to England unable to work in medicine and began writing fiction in 1902. There followed a long series of Dr Thorndyke mysteries, including some of the first 'inverted' mystery stories, where the identity of the criminal is revealed at the outset and the interest of the story lies in seeing how the detection is done.

Richard Austin Freeman (1862-1943) was a British writer of detective stories, mostly featuring the medicolegal forensic investigator Dr Thorndyke. He invented the inverted detective story and 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 kn ...more

"The Red Thumb Mark" by R. Austin Freeman. Published by Good Press. Good Press publishes a wide range of titles that encompasses every genre. From well-known classics & literary fiction and non-fiction to forgotten−or yet undiscovered gems−of world literature, we issue the books that need to be read. Each Good Press edition has been meticulously edited and formatted to boost readability for all e-readers and devices. Our goal is to produce eBooks that are user-friendly and accessible to everyone in a high-quality digital format.

Before Kathy Reichs’s Temperance Brennan and Patricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta, there was Dr. Thorndyke, the first ever fictional forensic scientist. The only evidence against young Reuben Hornby in a jewel theft is his thumb print smeared in blood. It is enough to convict him of the crime until physician Dr. John Thorndyke dares to ask—and answer—the question, “Can a fingerprint be forged?” The first detective novel to engage in scientific technology, The Red Thumb Mark has become a classic for its use of real science and its introduction to the genre’s very first and greatest forensic scientist, Dr. Thorndyke. Described by Otto Penzler as “the greatest medico-legal detective of all time,” the tall, athletic, and handsome Dr. Thorndyke approaches crime solving firmly grounded in the disciplines and logic of medical science, making inferences from data collected at the scene of the crime instead of basing the investigation on the suspects’ motivations. First published in 1907, R. Austin Freeman’s tale set the stage for the forensic science detective novel we are so familiar with today, and it remains one of the greatest and most memorable of the genre. Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade, Yucca, and Good Books imprints, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in fiction—novels, novellas, political and medical thrillers, comedy, satire, historical fiction, romance, erotic and love stories, mystery, classic literature, folklore and mythology, literary classics including Shakespeare, Dumas, Wilde, Cather, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

In writing the following story, the author has had in view no purpose other than that of affording entertainment to such readers as are interested in problems of crime and their solutions; and the story itself differs in no respect from others of its class, excepting in that an effort has been made to keep within the probabilities of ordinary life, both in the characters and in the incidents. Nevertheless it may happen that the book may serve a useful purpose in drawing attention to certain popular misapprehensions on the subject of finger-prints and their evidential value; misapprehensions the extent of which may be judged when we learn from the newspapers that several Continental commercial houses have actually substituted finger-prints for signed initials. The facts and figures contained in Mr. Singleton's evidence, including the very liberal estimate of the population of the globe, are, of course, taken from Mr. Galton's great and important work on finger-prints; to which the reader who is interested in the subject is referred for much curious and valuable information. In conclusion, the author desires to express his thanks to his friend Mr. Bernard E. Bishop for the assistance rendered to him in certain photographic experiments, and to those officers of the Central Criminal Court who very kindly furnished him with details of the procedure in criminal trials.

The facts and figures contained in Mr. Singleton's evidence, including the very liberal estimate of the population of the globe, are, of course, taken from Mr. Galton's great and important work on fingerprints; to which the reader who is interested in the subject is referred for much curious and valuable information.

Richard Austin Freeman (1862-1943) was a British writer of detective stories, mostly featuring the medico-legal forensic investigator Dr. Thorndyke. He invented the inverted detective story and 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. His first stories were written in collaboration with Dr. John James Pitcairn (1860-1936), medical officer at Holloway Prison, and published under the nom de plume "Clifford Ashdown." His first Thorndyke story, The Red Thumb Mark, was published in 1907, and shortly afterward he pioneered the inverted detective story, in which the identity of the criminal is shown from the beginning: some short stories with this feature were collected in The Singing Bone in 1912. His other works include John Thorndyke's Cases (1909), The Eye of Osiris (1911), The Vanishing Man (1911), The Mystery of 31 New Inn (1912), The Uttermost Farthing: A Savant's Vendetta (1913), and The Cat's Eye (1923).

The Red Thumb MarkFreeman, R. Austin