12 h 13 minAudiobook4 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if the most reliable witness to a sudden death cannot speak?
In A Silent Witness, R. Austin Freeman draws you into a case of sudden death and strange evidence. Dr. John Thorndyke, a London physician and barrister, looks past hunches and confessions. He studies the small physical facts others overlook, searching for what they can reveal.
Humphrey Jardine tells the story, watching the investigation closely but often missing what the clues mean. You stand beside him as Thorndyke sets out facts and weighs explanations. Objects, marks and traces become witnesses in a mystery that invites you to follow the reasoning, not simply wait for an answer.
What you’ll discover
- A detective who observes Watch Thorndyke bring medical knowledge and legal reasoning to evidence that others pass over.
- Clues within your reach Examine the facts alongside Jardine and consider what each small detail might mean.
- The testimony of objects Discover how marks and traces can bear witness without a single spoken word.
- Science at the center Explore a mystery shaped by Freeman's medical training and interest in physical evidence.
- Room to think Settle into clear conversations that lay out facts and give competing explanations careful attention.
Who will love it
For readers who love fair-play puzzles, with clues laid out and reasoning shown step by step, and anyone curious about early forensic science.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Thorndyke solves crimes by science
- A friend and a helper stand beside Thorndyke
- Physical evidence becomes the silent witness
- A fair puzzle told in a measured style
Who’s who
- Dr. John ThorndykeA London physician and barrister who investigates suspicious cases by careful scientific observation and sound reasoning.
- Dr. Christopher JervisThorndyke's younger friend and colleague in the series, who often helps with the cases.
- PoltonThorndyke's devoted laboratory assistant, a skilled maker of instruments who supports every investigation with practical help.
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- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
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- Large print hardcover
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El testigo silencioso
by R. Austin Freeman · 1914
Dr. Thorndyke studies the tiny physical clues others overlook to unravel a suspicious death in London.
Medium level10–20 hours to read25 languages
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In short
A Silent Witness is a detective novel by R. Austin Freeman, published in 1914.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Thorndyke solves crimes by science
Dr. John Thorndyke is the heart of Freeman's fiction. He is trained both in medicine and in law, and he works as a medical jurist, an expert who is called in when a death or an injury raises legal questions. His rooms are in the Temple, the old legal quarter of London, and he carries a small research case wherever he goes.
Unlike many detectives of his day, Thorndyke does not rely on flashes of intuition. He observes, measures and tests, and he will not name a conclusion until the facts compel it. Readers often notice how calm he is. He seldom raises his voice, and he treats a puzzle as a problem to be worked out in order.
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What is A Silent Witness about?
It is a detective novel in which Dr. John Thorndyke investigates a suspicious death using medical knowledge and close study of physical evidence, while the narrator, Humphrey Jardine, follows and records the case.
Who is Dr. Thorndyke?
Dr. John Thorndyke is R. Austin Freeman's detective, a doctor and barrister who works as a medical jurist in London. He solves cases by scientific method and careful reasoning.
When was A Silent Witness written?
It was published in 1914. It is a work of fiction, though its medical and legal details reflect the real knowledge of its author, who had been a doctor.
The author
R. Austin Freeman
1862–1943 · British detective novelist
Richard Austin Freeman (1862–1943) was a British doctor and writer. He was born in London and died in Gravesend, Kent. He wrote detective novels and short stories featuring the medical investigator Dr John Thorndyke. His first Thorndyke novel, The Red Thumb Mark, was published in 1907.
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