The Stoneware Monkey by R Austin Freeman
A novel of two halves, this story opens with Dr James Oldfield who finds himself caught one night in a police hunt. When he stumbles upon a policeman, struck dead by an unknown assailant, Oldfield determines to piece together what happened, and who Mr Kempster, (a man who turns up at the scene of the crime) may be. What unravels is a story of ingenious theft involving diamonds and the remains of an artist's body found in a kiln. In the second part, Oldfield engages the help of Dr Thorndyke and together they trace the work of the artist and a valuable stoneware monkey that hides an incredible secret. In the back streets of London amongst colonies of silk weavers, cabinet-makers and craftsmen, Freeman deftly entwines a cunning story infused with palpable suspense. From the father of forensic crime fiction, this plot is full of vivid detail.
Richard Austin Freeman (1862-1943) was born in London. He studied medicine at Middlesex Hospital and then entered the Colonial Service. He was assigned to a post in Accra on the Gold Coast of Africa. During his time in Africa he contracted blackwater fever which forced him to return to London. Unable to find a permanent medical position, he decided to try his hand at writing fiction. His first stories were written in collaboration with Dr. John James Pitcairn, the medical officer at Holloway Prison using the pen name Clifford Ashdown. In 1907 the first Dr. Thorndyke novel The Red Thumb Mark was published. He served as a Captain in the Royal Army Medical Corp during World War I. He continued writing up until his death, writing parts of Mr. Polton Explains in a bomb shelter in 1939 at the age of 77.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780755103799 |
| ISBN 10 | 0755103793 |
| Title | The Stoneware Monkey |
| Author | R Austin Freeman |
| Series | Dr Thorndyke |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | House of Stratus |
| Year published | 2008-09-23 |
| Number of pages | 270 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |