Scientific Detective Adventures

The contents of this book stem from a series of short stories originally in Cosmopolitan Magazine in the early twentieth Century. University Professor Craig Kennedy was mulling over some of his theories: "It has always seemed strange to me that no one has ever endowed a professorship in criminal science in any of our large universities." In college we had roomed together, had shared everything, even poverty, and now that Craig was a professor of chemistry and I was on the staff of the Star newspaper, we had continued the arrangement. This pairing has often been compared to the Dr. Watson association with the renowned Sherlock Holmes. My name is Walter Jameson and I argued, "Why should there be a chair in criminal science... crime is just crime... the good detective is born and bred to it. On the contrary," replied Kennedy, "there is a distinct place for science in the detection of crime. We have professors of everything-why not professors of crime? I am going to apply science to the detection of crime, the same sort of methods by which you trace out the presence of a chemical, or run an unknown germ to earth." Listen now to the first of a half dozen adventures.

Being able to unravel and analyze the findings of others was a rare attribute of University Professor Craig Kennedy. He coupled this with use of various gadgets and devices that were commonplace in the early twentieth century. They seem primitive by much of today's standard equipment but were actual forerunners to what are matter-of-fact equipment, enhanced and extended in the present day. His ability to analyze his findings resulted in the well-earned recognition of "The Scientific Detective." He was always accompanied by young newspaper reporter Walter Jameson, who kept tabs on plot details. Their combination resulted in many comparisons of the teamwork of Dr. Watson with the renowned fictional investigator Sherlock Holmes. The author of the stories, Arthur B. Reeve, wrote several dozen of the unusual professor's escapades. These were usually issued as regular books which contained individual chapters of numerous short stories. Generally, they segued into separate episodes with many of the on-going adventures blending into adventures that featured frequently appearing characters.

Many of the “Scientific Detective” books were short-story collections, with chapters blending into one another. This one, however, is a novel with an on-going plot and cast of characters. A weapon used to murder a wealthy businessman was apparently an ancient dagger stolen from a museum. It supposedly was from Peru and had a centuries-old inscription that was thought to tell whereabouts of a massive gold stash in the South American country. It was said to have a curse on it for anyone using it to track down the treasure. Professor Craig Kennedy, noted user of science to solve such cases, was contacted to see what he could do. Would his thinking prowess be enough? The finger of blame points at several possibilities as to the guilty party, or possibly parties. The major question centers on one word... Who? You're now invited to listen and find out.

Some of the stories by Arthur B. Reeve seem more plausible today than to some skeptical readers back in the early twentieth century. The primary character, University Professor Craig Kennedy, used forensic methods before such criminalistics were commonplace. These include DNA analysis as well as studies of such topics as fingerprints, blood stain patterns, tool marks, and toxicology (poisons used alone or administered in non-lethal potions). If this is your first exposure to the phenomenal Kennedy, you may want to check the Blackstone Publishing audiobook titles The Silent Bullet and The Dream Doctor. They include Kennedy's usual co-worker, young newspaper reporter Walter Jameson. In famous Sherlock Holmes stories, he would often ask, "Well, Watson, what do you make of it?" In this and the other Reeve tales, that could easily be, "Well, Walter, what do you make of it?" These two were college chums and continued the relationship. Both have skills of observation and deductive reasoning without always seeing eye-to-eye. You'll discover the Scientific Detective often gets all suspects together at story end and reveals the culprit's identity in his final speech. They are all short stories that blend into one another.If you're a sports fan, check World Series Classics, historic re-enactments of 1945 Cubs-Tigers, 1946 Cardinals-Red Sox, and 1956 Yankees-Brooklyn Dodgers. Each is nine hours long with every play of every game. Great for baseball fans, especially as gifts for friends and relations.