10 separate mystery stories by American author Jacques Futrelle, who perished in the Titanic.

This irascible genius, this diminutive egghead scientist, known to the world as “The Thinking Machine,” is no less than the newly rediscovered literary link between Sherlock Holmes and Nero Wolfe: Professor Augustus S. F. X. Van Dusen, who—with only the power of ratiocination—unravels problems of outrageous criminous activity in dazzlingly impossible settings. He can escape from the inescapable death-row “Cell 13.” He can fathom why the young woman chopped off her own finger. He can solve the anomaly of the phone that could not speak. These twenty-three Edwardian-era adventures prove (as The Thinking Machine reiterates) that “two and two make four, not sometimes, but all the time.”

The Thinking Machine (1907) is a short story collection by Jacques Futrelle. Published at the height of his career as a leading popular detective and science fiction writer, The Thinking Machine collects stories that originally appeared in such publications as The Saturday Evening Post and the Boston American. Celebrated for his brisk storytelling and mastery of suspense, Jacques Futrelle was lost at sea on April 15, 1912 while returning from Europe on the HMS Titanic. His wife, who survived the disaster, had his last book dedicated to “the heroes of the Titanic.” Professor Augustus S. F. X Van Dusen, Ph.D., LL.D., F.R.S., M.D., M.D.S is a man whose intellect is as exhaustive as his name. Having learned the game of chess just hours before, he defeated grandmaster Tchaichowsky using logic and reason alone, earning himself the nickname “The Thinking Machine.” Ever since that fateful day, Van Dusen, with the help of his trusted companion Hutchinson Hatch, is called to solve crimes, complete puzzles, and face challenges no normal man could possibly endure. In “The Problem of Cell 13,” Van Dusen argues that no feat is impossible when the human mind is involved. To prove his theory, he endeavors to escape from a notoriously brutal prison in just one week’s time. Presented alongside six other stories of mystery and adventure, “The Problem of Cell 13” stands out as one of the greatest detective and suspense tales of all time. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Jacques Futrelle’s The Thinking Machine is a classic of American detective fiction reimagined for modern readers.

Reproduction of the original: The Problem of Cell 13 by Jaques Futrelle