The Mystery of 31 New Inn

I concur. This is a great "mystery" novel - reads well and smoothly. Although the plot is rather obvious from the start, the question of how Dr. Thorndyke solves it is as good as any writer today and better than a lot. The writing is not at all dated.

Though this is not the first of Freeman's the Dr. Thorndyke novels to be published, it appears to be the first one he wrote, and is the best introduction to the series as a whole. Readers who love Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories should give this book a try. It is written very much in the Conan Doyle style. As with many Freeman novels, coincidence drives the plot. Don't let that bother you. This is a good story in the classic detective traditon, and the very best introduction to the Dr.… (more)

Though this is not the first of Freeman's the Dr. Thorndyke novels to be published, it appears to be the first one he wrote, and is the best introduction to the series as a whole. Readers who love Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories should give this book a try. It is written very much in the Conan Doyle style. As with many Freeman novels, coincidence drives the plot. Don't let that bother you. This is a good story in the classic detective traditon, and the very best introduction to the Dr. Thorndyke series. Freeman wrote many more of these stories, and they are even better than this one.