On a misty November night in London, Dr Thorndyke comes across an abandoned handbag in an old church. From examining the contents an address is found and so begins a mysterious trail leading to the owner and a violent murder. This delightful collection of crime stories has been written to amuse and perplex the most ardent of crime aficionados.

In the topsy turvy world of 'The Singing Bone', Freeman presents us with a solution. The reader is asked to deduce how different mysteries were solved rather than whodunit. Freeman introduces five distinct tales of intrigue, romance, mutiny and murder. The ingenuity of these detective stories lies in their fresh and original approach.

Dr. John Thorndyke is a medical jurispractitioner - originally a medical doctor, he turned to the bar and became one of the first, in modern parlance, forensic scientists. His solutions were based on his method of collecting all possible data (including dust and pond weed) and making inferences from them before looking at any of the protagonists and motives in the crimes. (Freeman, it is said, conducted all experiments mentioned in the stories himself.) It is this method which gave rise to one of Freeman's most ingenious inventions, the inverted detective story, where the criminal act is described first and the interest lies in Thorndyke's subsequent unraveling of it. Table of Contents: Introduction Meet Dr. Thorndyke Short Stories Percival Bland's Proxy The Missing Mortgagee The Man with the Nailed Shoes The Stranger's Latchkey The Anthropologist at Large The Blue Sequin The Moabite Cipher The Mandarin's Pearl The Aluminium Dagger A Message from the Deep Sea The Case of Oscar Brodski A Case of Premeditation The Echo of a Mutiny A Wastrel's Romance The Old Lag The Case of the White Footprints The Blue Scarab The New Jersey Sphinx The Touchstone A Fisher of Men The Stolen Ingots The Funeral Pyre The Puzzle Lock The Green Check Jacket The Seal of Nebuchadnezzar Phyllis Annesley's Peril A Sower of Pestilence Rex v. Burnaby A Mystery of the Sand-Hills The Apparition of Burling Court The Mysterious Visitor The Magic Casket The Contents of a Mare's Nest The Stalking Horse The Naturalist at Law Mr. Ponting's Alibi Pandora's Box The Trail of Behemoth The Pathologist to the Rescue Gleanings from the Wreckage

The Collected Works of R. Austin Freeman (Illustrated Edition) is a riveting collection of classic detective fiction stories written by the esteemed author R. Austin Freeman. The book features a unique blend of intricate plotlines, compelling characters, and scientific reasoning that sets Freeman's work apart in the realm of mystery literature. Each story incorporates Freeman's background as a medical doctor, adding a layer of authenticity and intellectual depth to the narratives. Written in a style that is both engaging and thought-provoking, this collection reflects the golden age of detective fiction and showcases Freeman's mastery of the genre. From locked room mysteries to elaborate crime scenes, these stories will captivate readers with their clever twists and turns. Fans of Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie will find delight in Freeman's well-crafted tales. R. Austin Freeman, a pioneer of the inverted detective story, was a medical doctor whose scientific expertise greatly influenced his writing. His background in forensic pathology is evident throughout his works, as he employs logic and rational thinking to solve complex cases. Freeman's thorough understanding of human nature and meticulous attention to detail make his stories both intellectually stimulating and entertaining. The Collected Works of R. Austin Freeman offers readers a comprehensive look at the author's impressive body of work, spanning multiple novels and short stories. I highly recommend The Collected Works of R. Austin Freeman (Illustrated Edition) to fans of classic detective fiction and those who appreciate a well-crafted mystery. Freeman's stories are a testament to his skill as a writer and his contributions to the genre are truly remarkable. This collection is a must-read for anyone who enjoys engaging narratives, clever plotting, and intriguing characters.

Mr Pottermack appears law abiding - until the appearance of the shadowy Lewison, a gambler and blackmailer. Pottermack is in fact a runaway prisoner, convicted of fraud and Lewison is about to spill the beans. Pottermack protests his innocence, and resolves to shut Lewison up once and for all. Will he do it and get away with it?

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the governor of Maryland, the “compassionate” (People), “startling” (Baltimore Sun), “moving” (Chicago Tribune) true story of two kids with the same name: One went on to be a Rhodes Scholar, decorated combat veteran, White House Fellow, and business leader. The other is serving a life sentence in prison. The chilling truth is that his story could have been mine. The tragedy is that my story could have been his. In December 2000, the Baltimore Sun ran a small piece about Wes Moore, a local student who had just received a Rhodes Scholarship. The same paper also ran a series of articles about four young men who had allegedly killed a police officer in a spectacularly botched armed robbery. The police were still hunting for two of the suspects who had gone on the lam, a pair of brothers. One was named Wes Moore. Wes just couldn’t shake off the unsettling coincidence, or the inkling that the two shared much more than space in the same newspaper. After following the story of the robbery, the manhunt, and the trial to its conclusion, he wrote a letter to the other Wes, now a convicted murderer serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole. His letter tentatively asked the questions that had been haunting him: Who are you? How did this happen? That letter led to a correspondence and relationship that have lasted for several years. Over dozens of letters and prison visits, Wes discovered that the other Wes had had a life not unlike his own: Both had had difficult childhoods, both were fatherless; they’d hung out on similar corners with similar crews, and both had run into trouble with the police. At each stage of their young lives they had come across similar moments of decision, yet their choices would lead them to astonishingly different destinies. Told in alternating dramatic narratives that take readers from heart-wrenching losses to moments of surprising redemption, The Other Wes Moore tells the story of a generation of boys trying to find their way in a hostile world.