The Singing Bone: By R. Austin Freeman - Illustrated

How is this book unique?

1. Font adjustments & biography included
2. Unabridged (100% Original content)
3. Formatted for e-reader
4. Illustrated

About The Singing Bone by R. Austin Freeman

In the topsy turvy world of The Singing Bone, R. Austin Freeman presents us with a solution. The reader is asked to deduce how different mysteries were solved. R. Austin Freeman introduces distinct tales of intrigue, romance, mutiny and murder. The ingenuity of these detective stories lies in their fresh and original approach in what amounts to a tantalising read. A German folk story tells of a peasant who fashioned a flute from the bone of a murdered man but when he tried to play it, it burst into a song identifying the murderer. In this collection of seven cases, that eminent lecturer on medical jurisprudence, Dr. John Thorndyke, makes bones, and blood, fingerprints, and tobacco sing out to proclaim the guilt or innocence of those involved. Using techniques as rigorous as they are scientific, Dr. Thorndyke, the original forensic detective, proves the scourge of the criminals of Edwardian England in The Singing Bone by R. Austin Freeman.

Deemed 'the father of the scientific detective story', Richard Austin Freeman enjoyed a prolific career that saw him gain qualifications as pharmacist and surgeon, pull off a diplomatic coup along the Gold Coast, work for Holloway Prison and then become a formidable writer of fiction. He was born in London, the son of a tailor who went on to train as a pharmacist. After graduating as a surgeon at the Middlesex Hospital Medical College, Freeman taught for a while and then joined the colonial service, offering his skills as an assistant surgeon along the Gold Coast of Africa. He became embroiled in a diplomatic mission when a British expeditionary party was sent to investigate the activities of the French. Through his tact and formidable intelligence, a massacre was narrowly avoided. His future was therefore assured in the colonial service. However, after becoming ill with black-water fever, Freeman was sent back to England to recover and finding his finances precarious, embarked on a career as acting physician in Holloway Prison. In desperation, he also turned to writing where he went on to dominate the world of British detective fiction, taking pride in testing different criminal techniques. So keen was he, part of one of his best novels was written in a bomb shelter. For the first twenty-five years of his writing career, Freeman was to dominate and remain unrivalled in the world of detective fiction, introducing the well-loved and highly memorable 'Dr Thorndyke'. The continued success of this character has affirmed Richard Austin Freeman's place amongst the finest of crime writers.