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Audiobook editionPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A bloody thumb mark points to one man. What if the evidence everyone trusts is wrong?
Diamonds vanish from a London safe, and a thumb mark seems to settle the case. Reuben Hornby stands accused, though he insists he is innocent. His solicitor turns to Dr. John Thorndyke, a medical man and barrister who asks what the mark can actually prove.
Dr. Christopher Jervis tells the story as he joins Thorndyke's inquiry. Together, they move between the laboratory and the world outside it, testing evidence rather than trusting first impressions. Superintendent Miller has faith in the fingerprint system. Juliet Gibson has faith in Reuben. Thorndyke must bring scientific care to a case others already consider closed.
What you’ll discover
- A mark under suspicion Follow a crime puzzle that asks whether a fingerprint alone can establish guilt.
- Science instead of hunches Watch Thorndyke turn to microscopes, experiments, and careful reasoning to examine the case.
- A companion with questions See the inquiry through Jervis, whose questions bring you closer to Thorndyke's methods.
- Innocence against certainty Meet an accused man whose defence depends on questioning evidence others accept.
- The laboratory meets the court Explore the uneasy relationship between scientific expertise, police confidence, and the search for justice.
Who will love it
This book suits readers who enjoy clever detectives, courtroom scenes and puzzles solved by careful observation. It rewards anyone curious about forensic science or the London of Edwardian days.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- One clear print threatens a life
- Thorndyke agrees to defend an innocent man
- A fingerprint still needs an explanation
- Juliet brings loyalty and revealing doubts
- Loyalty draws Jervis closer to Juliet
- Apparent accidents conceal a deliberate threat
- An attempted murder describes its sender
- Evidence and character both need weighing
- Question what everyone takes for granted
Who’s who
- Dr. John ThorndykeA physician and barrister who solves crimes by science, and who will take a case only if he can believe his client innocent.
- Dr. Christopher JervisThorndyke's old friend, out of work and poor, who tells the story and becomes his helper and gatherer of facts.
- Reuben HornbyA gentle, scholarly young man accused of stealing diamonds from his uncle's safe, who swears he is innocent and will not plead guilty.
- Juliet GibsonA frank, clear-minded young woman raised by the Hornbys, who believes Reuben innocent and offers to pay for his defence.
- Walter HornbyReuben's clever cousin, a skilled photographer who is keen on money and eager to learn what the defence plans.
- John HornbyThe uncle who owns the firm and the safe, a worried man whose own money troubles make him part of the puzzle.
- PoltonThorndyke's devoted laboratory assistant, a former watchmaker who builds the instruments and is eaten up with curiosity.
- Mr. AnsteyA joking but principled barrister who works closely with Thorndyke and speaks for Reuben in court.
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The Red Thumb Mark
by R. Austin Freeman · 1907
A thumbprint in blood points at an innocent man, and Dr. Thorndyke sets out to prove it cannot be his.
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“Burned down in 1677. Built in 1698. Richard Powell, Esquire, Treasurer.”
In short
Picture a slip of memo paper at the bottom of a robbed safe. On it sit a smear of blood and a thumbprint so sharp that every ridge can be counted.
The Red Thumb Mark at a glance
- Reading time
- About 4 h 25 min3 h 30 min fast, 5 h 15 min slow
- Length
- 63,400 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1907by R. Austin Freeman
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Two old friends meet beneath an old portico
The story opens on King's Bench Walk in the Temple, the old legal quarter of London. Dr. Christopher Jervis stands reading the date on a fine brick doorway. A barrister in wig and gown steps out, and after a moment Jervis recognizes him. It is John Thorndyke, his friend from medical school.
Jervis is out of work, and his money ran out years ago. Thorndyke invites him to dinner in his chambers, where rooms serve as office, museum and laboratory. Polton, a quiet former watchmaker, serves the meal and builds the instruments. Thorndyke explains that he lectures on medical jurisprudence and is called to any case where science can help the law.
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Details
- First published
- 1907
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 5 h 10 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Freeman, R. Austin. The Red Thumb Mark. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-red-thumb-mark.
Freeman, R. A. (2026). The red thumb mark. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-red-thumb-mark (Original work published 1907)
Freeman, R. Austin. The Red Thumb Mark. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-red-thumb-mark.
@book{freeman2026red,
author = {Freeman, R. Austin},
title = {The Red Thumb Mark},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-red-thumb-mark},
note = {First published 1907}
}
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What is The Red Thumb Mark about?
A young man is accused of stealing a parcel of diamonds because a bloody thumbprint at the scene matches his. Dr. Thorndyke, a medical lawyer, tests the evidence step by step to prove the print cannot be trusted.
Who is Dr. Thorndyke in this book?
John Evelyn Thorndyke is a physician, barrister and lecturer in medical jurisprudence. He directs investigations with a microscope, camera and logic, seldom pleads in court, and works with his friend Jervis and his assistant Polton.
Who tells the story and what is his role?
Dr. Christopher Jervis tells it. He is an old friend of Thorndyke, out of work, who becomes his helper. He gathers facts in notebooks, falls in love with Juliet Gibson, and learns the detective's methods as the case goes on.
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.
“Burned down in 1677. Built in 1698. Richard Powell, Esquire, Treasurer.”
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