7 h 38 minAudiobook13 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 7 h 38 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A speck of dirt, a loose thread, a worn mark: which detail holds the key to a crime?
In The Blue Scarab, R. Austin Freeman brings together seven Dr. Thorndyke mysteries built around physical evidence and hidden secrets. Thorndyke is a doctor and a barrister who trusts a microscope more than a hunch. Dust, fibres and small objects become clues, while ordinary habits can point towards the person behind a crime.
These stories invite you to follow the reasoning, not simply wait for an answer. Thorndyke collects facts before forming theories, then asks what those facts can prove. His knowledge of medicine and law shapes each inquiry. The stakes lie in the evidence: can a tiny trace become something that others can test and a court can trust?
What you’ll discover
- Facts before theories Follow a detective who looks closely before deciding what a clue might mean.
- Small clues, real weight Discover how dirt, threads and curious trinkets can carry the weight of a case.
- Medicine meets the law Watch Thorndyke turn scientific observations into evidence that must stand up to scrutiny.
- Your chance to solve Look for clues placed in view and try to reach the answer yourself.
- The pleasure of patience Settle into measured mysteries where close attention matters more than speed or violent thrills.
Who will love it
Readers who love puzzles solved by science, clever clues laid out fairly, London chambers and country lanes, and the company of a calm detective with a loyal friend and a gifted laboratory assistant.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A burglary and a family riddle
- Maps, fingerprints and a muddy meadow
- The dust of an old crime
- A hat that belongs to nobody
- A lost will and a chalk pit
- A bag, a stick and a necklace
- A case of gold and a case of lead
- A burning rick and a missing partner
- What the stories are really about
- How the tales are told
Who’s who
- Dr. John ThorndykeA London barrister and doctor who solves crimes by science and treats every fact, however small, as evidence.
- Dr. Christopher JervisThorndyke's friend and fellow doctor, who tells the stories and tries to keep up with his reasoning.
- PoltonThe laboratory assistant, a skilled maker of instruments who enjoys every new experiment.
- Superintendent MillerA genial Scotland Yard officer who trusts Thorndyke's results and hopes to learn how they were reached.
- Inspector BadgerA thorough and determined detective who wants plain answers and is often one step behind.
- Mr. StalkerAn insurance man from the Griffin company who brings Thorndyke cases of doubtful claims.
Formats and delivery
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- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 7 h 38 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 13 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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Read and hear Le Scarabée bleu in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Le Scarabée bleu
by R. Austin Freeman · 1923
A stolen deed box and a blue scarab send Dr. Thorndyke digging in a Hertfordshire meadow for a dead man's secret.
Medium level5–10 hours to read25 languages
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In short
The Blue Scarab is a book of seven detective stories by R. Austin Freeman, who died in 1943.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A burglary and a family riddle
The first story opens in the chambers of Dr. Thorndyke, where Mr. James Blowgrave arrives with his daughter Nellie. A fortnight earlier, a fire in an outbuilding drew the whole household out of Shawstead Manor. While they fought the flames, someone slipped in through the open French windows of the study and took a small deed box.
The box held share certificates, a lease, family photographs, and a small case with an old letter and a blue scarab. None of it is worth stealing, and a week later the thief sends most of it back by post. The scarab does not come back. In its place is a letter signed Rudolpho, sealed with a perfect wax impression of the beetle.
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What is The Blue Scarab about?
It is a collection of seven detective stories by R. Austin Freeman. Dr. Thorndyke and his friend Dr. Jervis investigate a robbery, a poisoning, a murder, a lost will, a train theft, a gold theft, and a burned hayrick.
Who is Dr. Thorndyke?
Dr. John Thorndyke is a London doctor and barrister who works as a medical jurist. He solves crimes using science, careful observation and wide knowledge, and he carries a green canvas research case full of tools.
Who tells the stories?
Dr. Christopher Jervis, Thorndyke's friend and colleague, tells them. He is clever but often a step behind, so his puzzled questions help the reader follow each piece of reasoning.
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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