A Silent Witness (original 1914; edition 1914)

I am a huge fan of this series of mysteries, all written during the Golden Age of Mystery writing.

A Silent Witness is Freeman's fourth full-length novel featuring Dr. Thorndyke, a barrister, doctor, and all-around solver of intriguing mysteries. In this installment, the action centers on one Dr Humphrey Jardine, who is the narrator of the story, and who himself is the focus of several strange events that happen to him just after he has finished medical school and begins his career as a physician. Jardine's troubles begin with a casual walk in Hampstead Heath (London), where he comes across the body of a man and runs to fetch the police, only to come back and find that the dead man has disappeared. The police can find no trace that the man was ever there, so Jardine takes it upon himself to examine the scene for clues. His findings lead him into a very strange adventure which can only be solved with the technical expertise of Dr. Thorndyke, but not before Jardine finds his life in danger, and not just once.

There is a lot going on in this novel, but the strands all come together quite nicely and offer a mystery that will have you scratching your head. Nothing is as it seems here, so the mystery element starts off strong and continues to keep the reader scratching his or her head throughout the book.

If you like old-fashioned mystery stories, the Dr. Thorndyke series is a good one. The verbiage is somewhat archaic for modern readers, but character and plot development are both nicely done. You could read this one as a stand alone, but it's better if you start with the first book and read them in order to better understand the thinking process of Dr. Thorndyke.

Overall, nicely done and another worthy addition to my British reading room library. ( )