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justasking27's review against another edition
4.0
The first part of this book is a classic adventure romance, full of danger and excitement with a strong, clever hero saving himself and others over and over again. The second part brings us back to England and Dr Thorndyke, and because the protagonist is still in Africa we actually get to see Dr Thorndyke's methods and thinking process, making the 'bad guy' obvious but still leaving some surprises for the end. I wouldn't recommend this as an introduction to the Dr Thorndyke series, but it is one now of my favorites.
alexauthorshay's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
This was a very unexpected read. I remember one of the previous novels starting out in third person and describing the events of the crime so the reader could better follow Thorndyke in his process. This one took that a step further, devoting half the book to the suspected criminal, and half to Thorndyke solving the crime. You never learn what Osmand actually did for a crime in his half of the book, only that he ran away from something and how he ends up avoiding being chased and arrested for it. A lot of it went over my head because it happened on a boat; so parts of the ship and the slang were meaningless for me. The second half doesn't bring up Osmand until the very end, and the reader is let in on about 75% of Thorndyke's thought processes. I thought this made the summary at the end redundant initially, but there are some things that Freeman didn't put in, requiring Thorndyke to further explain them. A very interesting format since it didn't focus on the actual crime itself in any way.
This was a very unexpected read. I remember one of the previous novels starting out in third person and describing the events of the crime so the reader could better follow Thorndyke in his process. This one took that a step further, devoting half the book to the suspected criminal, and half to Thorndyke solving the crime. You never learn what Osmand actually did for a crime in his half of the book, only that he ran away from something and how he ends up avoiding being chased and arrested for it. A lot of it went over my head because it happened on a boat; so parts of the ship and the slang were meaningless for me.
Spoiler
At the very end of the second half, the reader is brought the fact that Thorndyke is the reason Osmond was found to be innocent. Which then kicks off the second half.vesper1931's review against another edition
3.0
John Osmond has escaped from England as there is a warrant for his arrest. We read tales of his adventures in Africa in Part 1. Meanwhile Dr. Thorndyke has been employed to prove Osmond's guilt.
The first Part is more of a adventure story while the second half is an enjoyable historical mystery.
Originally published in 1920
The first Part is more of a adventure story while the second half is an enjoyable historical mystery.
Originally published in 1920
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