The D'Arblay Mystery
(1926)
Blurb:
My review:
One of Freeman’s best. It is the tale of a murdered millionaire and a ditto waxwork modeller, a dying man and his coffin, and a forged coin—narrated by the usual young physician. The detection is fascinating: new facts are always being discovered, and the emphasis on logic exhilarating. The dénouement is amazingly ingenious, and increased by the fact that the reader is thoroughly puzzled to the end. The lore of waxworks and coining is fascinating, and the scene (a Dickensian London) is first-class. Note the surreal aspects of the waxworks and the fact that the attacks on the hero and heroine actually increase suspense.
To the R. Austin Freeman Page.