Professor Augustus Van Dusen: 49 Detective Mysteries in One Edition (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Adventures of The Thinking MachineBy Jacques Futrelle
Length38h 39m
About this audiobook
Professor Augustus Van Dusen: 49 Detective Mysteries in One Edition gathers the celebrated cases of "The Thinking Machine," a diminutive, irascible scientist whose icy logic penetrates locked rooms, impossible disappearances, cryptograms, and criminal stratagems. Written in the brisk, puzzle-centered manner of early twentieth-century magazine fiction, these stories belong to the golden prehistory of the formal detective tale, standing between Poe's ratiocination and the later elegance of Christie and Queen. Futrelle's prose is economical, theatrical, and ingeniously plotted. Jacques Futrelle (1875–1912), an American journalist, dramatist, and fiction writer, brought to detective literature the habits of the newsroom: speed, clarity, public intrigue, and an appetite for startling problems. His fascination with science, reason, and intellectual contest shaped Van Dusen into a memorable emblem of modern rationalism. Futrelle's own life, cut short in the sinking of the Titanic, lends his compact achievement a poignant historical resonance. This volume is recommended to readers who delight in cerebral mysteries, classical clueing, and the spectacle of reason imposed upon chaos. Though some social attitudes reflect their period, the stories remain absorbing for their ingenuity and historical importance. For students of detective fiction, this collection is indispensable; for general readers, it offers elegant, addictive entertainment.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A comprehensive Introduction outlines these selected works' unifying features, themes, or stylistic evolutions.
- A Historical Context section situates the works in their broader era—social currents, cultural trends, and key events that underpin their creation.
- A concise Synopsis (Selection) offers an accessible overview of the included texts, helping readers navigate plotlines and main ideas without revealing critical twists.
- A unified Analysis examines recurring motifs and stylistic hallmarks across the collection, tying the stories together while spotlighting the different work's strengths.
- Reflection questions inspire deeper contemplation of the author's overarching message, inviting readers to draw connections among different texts and relate them to modern contexts.
- Lastly, our hand‐picked Memorable Quotes distill pivotal lines and turning points, serving as touchstones for the collection's central themes.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 4.4 (20)
Includes Amazon, Goodreads
GenreMystery and Thriller
Length38 hrs 39 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateDec 19, 2023
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1The 50 Greatest Historical Adventure Novels
2Introduction
3Historical Context
4Synopsis (Selection)
5“The Thinking Machine”
Show all chaptersShow less
6My first Experience with the great Logician
7A Piece of String
8The Problem of the Perfect Alibi
9The Problem of the Stolen Bank Notes
10The Problem of Convict no. 97
11The first problem
12The Problem of the Crystal Gazer
13Five Millions by Wireless
14The Problem of the Green Eyed Monster
15The Problem of the Hidden Million
16Kidnapped Baby Blake, Millionaire
17The Problem of the Missing Necklace
18The Problem of the Motor Boat
19The Mystery of the Ralston Bank Burglary
20The Problem of the Opera Box
21The Problem of the Cross Mark
22The Problem of the Broken Bracelet
23The Problem of the Lost Radium
24The Problem of the Stolen Rubens
25The Problem of the Souvenir Cards
26The Problem of the Superfluous Finger
27The case of the Scientific Murderer
28The Problem of the Deserted House
29The Mystery of the Fatal Cipher
30The Mystery of the Flaming Phantom
31The Problem of the Ghost Woman
32The Mystery of the Golden Dagger
33The Great Auto Mystery
34The Grinning God
35The Mystery of the Grip of Death
36The Haunted Bell
37The Jackdaw
38The Problem of the Knotted Cord
39The Mystery of the Man Who Was Lost
40The Mystery of a Studio
41The Problem of the Organ Grinder
42The Phantom Motor
43The Problem of the Private Compartment
44The Problem of the Auto Cab
45The Problem of the Red Rose
46The Roswell Tiara
47The Mystery of the Scarlet Thread
48The Silver Box
49The three Overcoats
50The Tragedy of the Life Raft
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