The Vanishing Man - R. Austin Freeman

In the style of Sherlock Holmes or a Wilkie Collins novel, this turn-of-the-century (the LAST century) murder mystery is quite intriguing. John Thorndyke is a medical lawyer whose keen powers of observation and reliance on observations and data make him thoroughly scientific in his investigation methods. The book is narrated by a young medical doctor who falls in love with one of the principals in the case. As far as mysteries go, I wasn't at all surprised (and in fact expected) the conclusion, but as always I was drawn in by the image of a more civilized (at least in some parts of the popultion) time.