The Red Thumb Mark

"The Red Thumb Mark" by R. Austin Freeman is a mystery novel written during the early 20th century. The story revolves around Dr. John Evelyn Thorndyke, a medical practitioner turned legal expert who gets embroiled in a case involving the theft of a parcel of valuable diamonds, which leads to his client, Mr. Reuben Hornby, being accused of the crime when a bloody thumbprint is found at the scene. The novel deftly combines elements of forensic science with legal intrigue as Thorndyke seeks to unravel the truth behind the accusation against Hornby. The opening of the book sets the stage with the introduction of Thorndyke, who meets his friend Dr. Jervis and discusses his metamorphosis from medicine to law. The significant narrative unfolds when they receive visitors, including Hornby's lawyer and the accused nephew himself, who maintains his innocence despite the mounting evidence against him. The plot thickens as a mysterious young woman, Miss Juliet Gibson, expresses her belief in Hornby's innocence and offers to support his legal defense. The story begins to explore the complexities of character relationships, the implications of fingerprint evidence, and the moral dilemmas faced by those in the justice system as they navigate through suspicions and the pursuit of truth. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Dr. Richard Austin Freeman was a British writer of detective stories, mostly featuring the medico-legal forensic investigator Dr. Thorndyke. He invented the inverted detective story. This invention has been described as Freeman's most notable contribution to detective fiction. Freeman used some of his early experiences as a colonial surgeon in his novels. Many of the Dr. Thorndyke stories involve genuine, but sometimes arcane, points of scientific knowledge, from areas such as tropical medicine, metallurgy and toxicology.