Mr. Polton Explains

R. Austin Freemans character Dr.

• Thorndyke is considered the first modern forensic scientist in literature.
• This is one of the oddities of detective fiction.
• The first part of this story is an autobiography of Thorrndykes lab assistant Polton.
• Polton, Dr.

• The second part is a mystery tale, which builds on some of the characters we first saw in the earlier portion.
• Polton and Dr.

Thorndykes lab assistant and a servant has graced every Thorndyke mystery with his mechanical ingenuity, his sumptuous meals and teas, and his crinkly smile. Thorndyke faced with a mystery involving a mysterious fire in a Soho house filled with supposedly inflammable objects and a body charred beyond recognition by the fire.

• Poltons understanding of the mechanisms of clocks leads to a breakthrough in the case.