Dr. Jervis is summoned to the aid of a dying man, but on arrival, he finds the man already dead of an opium overdose. Could the man's death be related to will that was abruptly, and recently, changed for no obvious reason? Dr. Thorndyke is called to investigate and see if he can link the two cases. The Mystery of 31, New Inn was written as a novella in 1905 and expanded into a novel in 1912. Dr. Jervis, a Watson-esque sidekick introduced in The Red Thumbmark , takes a prominent role. R. Austin Freeman (died 1943) was an influential writer of the modernist period. Their work has endured across generations and continues to be read and studied worldwide. The golden age of detective fiction produced some of the most beloved and influential works in the literary canon. The Mystery Of 31 New Inn is a fine specimen of this tradition, combining ingenious plotting with richly drawn characters and an atmosphere of suspense that keeps readers turning pages.