8 h 15 minAudiobook12 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
A chemist pretends to be ill for love; a physician admits his fame rests on luck. Who can read appearances?
In Melvin L. Severy’s The Darrow Enigma, a physician with an unusually sharp memory meets George Maitland, a chemist who claims to need treatment. But Maitland’s real aim is an introduction to Gwen Darrow, the daughter of the doctor’s patient, John Darrow. Behind the medical visit lies a longing he struggles to confess.
Maitland first notices Gwen beside a painting of Cornwall’s coast by William T. Richards. Shared delight in art leaves him spellbound, yet he cannot bring himself to speak to her. Chemistry, courtship and the doctor’s wry admissions draw you into a detective mystery of murder, concealed motives and the patient search for justice.
What you’ll discover
- An unusually candid physician Meet a narrator who admits that a lucky cure earns him an undeserved reputation.
- A chemist hiding his purpose Watch Maitland turn a supposed illness into a chance to approach the Darrow family.
- A meeting through art Step into a crowded gallery where a coastal painting brings Gwen into Maitland’s view.
- Science and human feeling Follow conversations that move from atomic attraction to the far less predictable pull of love.
- The pleasure of patient reasoning Settle into an old-fashioned murder puzzle that invites close attention to secrets and small facts.
Who will love it
Readers who like puzzles with clues laid out fairly, scientific detection in the Sherlock Holmes spirit, and old-fashioned romance. It also suits anyone who enjoys a courtroom showdown and a narrator with a gift for humor.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A song in the dusk ends in death
- Gwen insists her father was murdered
- Maitland reads the room and the garden
- A sealed letter reveals an Indian feud
- The trail to Bombay and a stranger at the window
- Cleopatra, coincidences, and a new method
- A man called Latour and a girl at the window
- The trial turns on a confession
- What the story says about proof and promises
- How the Doctor tells it
Who’s who
- George MaitlandA chemist and lawyer who solves crimes by gathering every fact before forming a theory, and who falls in love with Gwen Darrow.
- Gwen DarrowJohn Darrow's keen, self-possessed daughter, raised by her father, who is sure he was murdered and has promised to honor his last wish.
- The Doctor (Ned)The narrator, a physician with a remarkable memory and a talent for stumbling into trouble, who helps Maitland and cares for Gwen.
- John DarrowA man with a croquet passion and a past in Bombay, haunted by a dream of being struck from the dark.
- M. GodinA soft-spoken, polished detective who keeps his own counsel and seems to be a step ahead of everyone.
- Clinton BrowneA handsome, watchful painter with a thumbprint of beard who is clearly drawn to Gwen and bristles at Maitland.
- Rama RagobahA huge, cruel Indian trained by fakirs, who has sworn revenge on Darrow for the loss of his wife Lona.
- Jeannette LatourA beautiful young girl who devotes herself to her ailing scholarly father and soon wins the Doctor's heart.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
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- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 8 h 15 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 12 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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L’Énigme Darrow
by Melvin L. Severy · 1904
A man dies in a closed Boston parlor with five witnesses watching, and a chemist reads the carpet for clues.
Medium level5–10 hours to read25 languages
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In short
The Darrow Enigma is a detective novel by Melvin L. Severy, set in Boston and told by a young physician who calls himself the Doctor.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A song in the dusk ends in death
The Doctor begins by admitting that his fame came from luck. A cure he stumbled on made his name, and his practice grew. The case of Mrs. P appears in the medical journals, where his skill is praised, though he now admits it was pure chance. He also has a remarkable memory, and he uses it to tell the story word for word.
He soon meets George Maitland, a chemist who claims to be ill but really wants an introduction to Gwen Darrow, the daughter of the Doctor's patient John Darrow. Maitland first saw her at an art show and fell in love at once. The Doctor arranges the meeting through a love of croquet, since old Darrow is a fanatic about the game. He has spent hundreds of dollars on his grounds. The wickets are fixed to pine planks buried two feet deep, and the gravel is sifted and rolled just so. Maitland plays well but loses to the old man, and then plays badly against Gwen because he is so nervous.
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What is The Darrow Enigma about?
It is a Victorian detective novel about a man who dies in a closed Boston parlor with no sign of a killer. A chemist named George Maitland uses science and careful reasoning to follow clues from Boston to Bombay.
Who is the narrator of The Darrow Enigma?
The story is told by a physician known as the Doctor, whose name is Ned. He is Maitland's friend and a witness to the murder, and he admits his own faults with good humor.
Is The Darrow Enigma a locked-room mystery?
Yes. John Darrow dies in a room whose doors are shut and whose east window is open only a few inches, with five witnesses present, and the puzzle of how it was done drives the whole book.
The author
Melvin L. Severy
1863–1951 · American inventor and novelist
Melvin L. Severy was an American engineer, inventor, and writer who lived in the United States. He was born in 1863 and died in 1951. He wrote The Darrow Enigma, a novel published in 1904, alongside his work in engineering and invention.
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