A Silent Witness

A Silent Witness follows a medical student who stumbles upon a dead man in a secluded lane, triggering a web of murder, disappearance, and intrigue that challenges his understanding of justice and truth. As he navigates the ensuing mystery, he seeks the guidance of a knowledgeable friend to unravel the dark events surrounding his discovery.

By R. Austin Freeman · First published 1914 · Genre: Mystery, Detective Fiction, Thriller · 22 chapters · 127,766 words

First lines

THE history upon which I am now embarking abounds in incidents so amazing that, as I look back on them, a something approaching to scepticism contends with my vivid recollections and makes me feel almost apologetic in laying them before the reader. Some of them indeed are so out of character with the workaday life in which they happened that they will appear almost incredible; but none is more fraught with mystery than the experience that befell me on a certain September night in the last year of my studentship and ushered in the rest of the astounding sequence.

What this Textopian page supports

A Silent Witness is listed on Textopian as a novel by R. Austin Freeman, dated 1914 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

• Work type: Novel
• Author: R. Austin Freeman
• Date: 1914 CE
• Language: English
• Genres: Mystery, Detective Fiction, Thriller, Crime Fiction, Literary Fiction
• Length: 127,766 words
• Structure: 22 chapters, 1,755 paragraphs
• Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)

Good citation fit

• Work identity for A Silent Witness by R. Austin Freeman
• Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
• Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
• Readability and classroom-planning context
• Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph

Discussion starters

• What should a reader notice first when entering A Silent Witness?
• How does this novel by R. Austin Freeman fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
• Where does Mystery first become important in the reading?

Similar titles

• The Case Of Oscar Brodski by R. Austin Freeman
• The Man With The Nailed Shoes by R. Austin Freeman
• Mr Pottermacks Oversight by Author R. Austin Freeman
• The Jacob Street Mystery by R. Austin Freeman
• The Case Of The White Footprints by R. Austin Freeman
• The Shadow Of The Wolf by R. Austin Freeman

Genres

• Mystery — The plot revolves around solving a crime, which is central to the narrative.
• Detective Fiction — Features a detective character who investigates the case, typical of the genre.
• Thriller — Contains suspenseful elements that keep readers engaged and on edge.
• Crime Fiction — Focuses on criminal acts and their consequences, a key theme in the story.

Tags

mystery · detective · crime · suspense · thriller · investigation · whodunit · R. Austin Freeman · literature · fiction · early 20th century · British literature

Contents

• The Beginning of the Mystery
• The Finding of the Reliquary
• "who is Sylvia?"
• Septimus Maddock, Deceased
• The Lethal Chamber
• A Council of War
• An Unseen Enemy
• It's an Ill Wind --
• Thorndyke Takes up the Scent
• The Unheeded Warning
• A Chapter of Accidents. Awakening in a Strange Place is Always a Memorable Experience; Especially to the Young, in whom the Capacity for Novel Sensations has not Yet been Exhausted by Repetition. when I Emerged, Somewhat Gradually, from the Unconsciousness of Sleep, my First Impressions Concerned themselves with the Unusual Appearance of the Bedroom Wall and its Remarkable Proximity to my Nose. I further Noticed that the Bedstead had Become Inexplicably Tilted and that the House Appeared to be Swaying; and as I Mused on these Phenomena with the Vagueness of the Half-Awake, a Loud Voice, Proceeding Apparently from the Floor above, Roared out the Mystic Words, "Lee-O! " Whereupon there Ensued a Sound Like the Shaking of Colossal Table Cloths and the Loud Clanking of Chains, and my Bedstead Took a Sharp Tilt to the Opposite Side. this Roused me Pretty Completely, and Turning over in the Bunk, I Looked out into the Barge's Cabin
• Miss Vyne
• A Mysterious Stranger
• A Lonely Woman
• Exit Dr. Jardine
• Enter Father Humperdinck
• The Palimpsest
• A Visitor from the States
• Tenebrae
• The Hue and Cry
• The Final Problem
• Thorndyke Reviews the Case

More by R. Austin Freeman

• The D'Arblay Mystery (1926)
• The Mystery of Angelina Frood (1924)
• Dr Thorndyke Intervenes (1933)
• Pontifex, Son And Thorndyke (1931)
• The Eye of Osiris (1911)
• For the Defence, Dr. Thorndyke (1926)
• A Certain Dr Thorndyke (1926)
• Felo De Se? (1927)
• All works by R. Austin Freeman