3.5
The Red Thumb Mark
ByPublisher Description
The mysterious fiction, The Red Thumb Imprint, describes the story of the valuable diamonds that are missing, and the thumbprint of Reuben Hornby is found in a drop of blood on a piece of paper at the lower part of the safe. The specialists of Scotland Yard are all in agreement. Apparently, this is an obvious situation. Or, on the other hand, is it? For reasons known exclusively to himself, Dr. John Thorndyke feels a little unsure about the authenticity and starting origins of the evidence. Now he should make his case in open court, utilizing the most recent techniques of Edwardian science to prove the honesty of a young man. Will he succeed, or will the case of "The Red Thumb Mark" end up being his first as well as his last case? This book is filled with thrills and adventure, which makes it worth reading for all thrill readers.
Download the free Fable app
Stay organized
Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.
Build a better TBR
Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building tool
Rate and review
Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tags
Curate your feed
Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesStay organized
Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.Build a better TBR
Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building toolRate and review
Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tagsCurate your feed
Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesThe Red Thumb Mark Reviews
3.5
“The Red Thumb Mark is by no means a riveting page turner. What we have here isn't even a police procedural, but more so a scientific study of the art of the fingerprint, and how it can be used and manipulated in criminal ways. This idea was probably much more groundbreaking at the time the book was written. Francis Galton, who is referenced several times in the book, published his theories on fingerprints and the probabilities of two individuals possessing identical ones in the 1890s; this book was published in 1907. This is certainly not sufficient time for the concept to attain widespread acceptance and understanding and given how slow court systems tend to be to validate new science, it would have still been a rather novel idea. I suppose that is why the idea of having something like a 'Thumbograph', which is a booklet that allows you to capture the fingerprints of your friends and family, would have been a parlor game for entertainment purposes. That being said, even in 2022, when knowledge around forensic science in general, and fingerprints in particular, is relatively commonplace, there was still plenty that I learned about them. Perhaps this would not be fascinating for everyone, but I enjoyed this book. The characters themselves weren't really anything special though. Dr. Thorndyke, our Sherlock, and Dr. Jervis, our Watson who played both narrator and amateur sleuth, don't feel especially original. I actually think my favorite character was Poulton, Thorndyke's butler, scientific assistant, and mother hen. But the real star of the story, if it's not evident already, is the fingerprint. If that sounds boring to you, I would give this book a skip, but otherwise, it's a refreshingly different mystery to check out.”
Start a Book Club
Start a public or private book club with this book on the Fable app today!FAQ
Do I have to buy the ebook to participate in a book club?
Why can’t I buy the ebook on the app?
How is Fable’s reader different from Kindle?
Do you sell physical books too?
Are book clubs free to join on Fable?
How do I start a book club with this book on Fable?
