The blue scarab
By R. Austin Freeman
Cover: Faience scarab depicting Thutmose IV enthroned in the solar barque (New Kingdom, c. 1419-1080 BCE), blue-green faience, LACMA by Ancient Egyptian maker · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain (ancient object, photograph released by the museum)
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R. Austin Freeman's 1932 case for Dr Thorndyke, the medico-legal expert who reads a crime from the smallest physical clues. A missing man, a dead man's hat and a blue scarab set the puzzle, and the police are soon at a loss. A classic of the scientific detective story, told in seven parts.
Summary written with Claude Sonnet 5.5.