Dr. Thorndyke was a very early fictional practitioner of forensic science. Readers were somewhat familiar with some forensic practices through Holmes, of course, but Thorndyke is far more systematic and Austin Freeman is careful to be thorough and accurate in his descriptions of the practice as it was then. To the modern reader, this can make the narrative somewhat slow and stodgy in places, but I didn’t mind that at all; somehow a long, detailed description of the process of taking fingerprints in Edwardian times, although familiar, still held my attention. The plot here is pretty basic, with a villain who is blindingly obvious from quite early on and a romantic arc which would be at home in any Richard Curtis film (or Jane Austen novel, for that matter), but it is the style which appealed to me.
The book is narrated by Thorndyle’s friend and assistant, Dr. Jervis, who bears more than superficial resemblance to Dr. Watson in his role and in his obtuseness. On the first page, he is walking through the Inns Of Court and admiring the scene when “...the empty frame of the portico became occupied by a figure, and one so appropriate, in its wig and obsolete habiliments, to the old-world surroundings that it seemed to complete the picture, and I lingered idly to look at it,” which gives a good flavour of the style. I loved that – especially “obsolete habiliments” – and went on to enjoy the whole book. It can be rather rich fare sometimes, but if you like that little extract I think you’ll like the book.
I shall need a break and a few palate-cleansers before reading another Thorndyke mystery, but I shall definitely be back for more and I can recommend this.
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