8 h 43 minAudiobook13 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 8 h 43 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if the truth rests in a speck of dust everyone else ignores?
In The Magic Casket, R. Austin Freeman brings together nine detective stories centred on Dr. John Thorndyke, a London doctor and barrister. A puzzling event may seem to support an obvious explanation. Thorndyke looks closer, testing what small physical traces can actually prove.
Dust, stains, handwriting, tools, and the human body become the substance of detection. Dr. Christopher Jervis, Thorndyke’s younger friend and colleague, often shares the telling, while Polton brings skill and quiet pride to laboratory work. Across these compact cases, the question is not simply who seems guilty, but whether the evidence supports that suspicion.
What you’ll discover
- Small clues, real weight Follow overlooked physical details as they become the foundation of a reasoned answer.
- A doctor’s searching eye Meet a detective whose knowledge of the body works alongside his understanding of law.
- The work behind proof Discover Polton’s careful preparation of specimens and the apparatus he builds for investigation.
- Justice beyond suspicion Explore cases where getting the truth right matters more than simply catching a culprit.
- Puzzles for one sitting Enjoy compact mysteries that make room for patient observation rather than lucky guesses.
Who will love it
This book suits readers who love clever puzzles, Victorian and Edwardian London, and detectives who win with a lens, a microscope and quiet observation.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A stolen bag leads to a casket
- A perfect death needs a closer look
- A letter in a train carriage accuses
- Pond life tells where a man died
- A calm alibi and a quiet house
- A box of remains and a tattoo
- A murder in the Temple and a missing curio
- Two bottles of blood that should say nothing
- A fire, an explosion and a face
- How Thorndyke and Jervis work together
Who’s who
- Dr. John ThorndykeA medical jurist and barrister who solves each crime by close observation and quiet science, trusting only what he checks himself.
- Dr. JervisThorndyke's friend and junior, who tells the stories and often misses the clue that his colleague has already seen.
- PoltonThorndyke's skilled laboratory assistant, who makes instruments and slides and appears silently with refreshments.
- Mr. BrodribbAn old solicitor with a hearty knock and a firm faith in Thorndyke's powers, who brings clients to his door.
- Superintendent MillerA Scotland Yard detective who works alongside Thorndyke and is both ally and friendly rival.
- Miss Mabel BonneyA gentle woman who has paid for her father's lost pearls and is followed because of an odd casket.
- Inspector BadgerA sarcastic police inspector who mocks Thorndyke's methods and discovers how much care they require.
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Le Coffret magique
by R. Austin Freeman · 1927
Dr. Thorndyke finds an abandoned handbag in a church porch, and a small Japanese casket begins to cast its spell.
Medium level2–5 hours to readfrançais
Excellent
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Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
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In short
What could make a cheap little casket worth chasing across two continents? On a misty London night, Dr. John Thorndyke finds an abandoned handbag in a church porch.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A stolen bag leads to a casket
On a misty November night in Chelsea, Thorndyke and Jervis find a forced-open handbag in a church porch. Its lock has been forced. Inside are pieces of Chinese pottery, each with a museum label bearing the name of Miss Mabel Bonney of Fulham.
They carry the bag to her street, and a worried maid takes it with relief. Soon the old solicitor Mr. Brodribb arrives and tells the history behind the evening. Miss Bonney's father, a solicitor, was murdered, and a bag of huge pearls vanished the same night.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 13 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1927
- Language
- français
- Reading time
- 5 h 35 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Freeman, R. Austin. The Magic Casket. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-magic-casket.
Freeman, R. A. (2026). The magic casket. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-magic-casket (Original work published 1927)
Freeman, R. Austin. The Magic Casket. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-magic-casket.
@book{freeman2026magic,
author = {Freeman, R. Austin},
title = {The Magic Casket},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-magic-casket},
note = {First published 1927}
}
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What is The Magic Casket about?
It is a collection of nine Dr. Thorndyke detective stories by R. Austin Freeman. Each presents a crime, such as a stolen casket, a faked death or a murder, solved by Thorndyke through close observation and scientific method.
Who is Dr. Thorndyke and who is Jervis?
Dr. John Thorndyke is a medical jurist and barrister who investigates crimes with a microscope, lens and research case. Dr. Jervis is his friend and junior, who tells the stories and often misses the clues.
What is the Magic Casket in the first story?
It is a small Japanese casket in the shape of a seated figure, made by a prisoner. It has no great value as art, yet people keep trying to steal it, and Thorndyke finds the reason.
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.
More by R. Austin Freeman
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