Richard Austin Freeman

Social Decay and Regeneration Richard Austin Freeman

This early work by Richard Austin Freeman was originally published in the early 20th century and we are now republishing it with a brand new introduction. 'Social Decay and Regeneration' is a non-fiction work on the subject of society. The first story featuring his well-known protagonist Dr. Thorndyke - a medico-legal forensic investigator - was published in 1907, and although Freeman's early works were seen as simple homages to his contemporary, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, he quickly developed his own style: The 'inverted detective story', in which the identity of the criminal is shown from the beginning, and the story then describes the detective's attempt to solve the mystery.