The Superfluous Finger

Written by Jacques Futrelle

Narrated by B. J. Harrison

Why does a woman demand that a surgeon amputate part of her finger?

Jacques Futrelle created a sleuth named Professor Augustus S.F.X. Van Dusen, known as The Thinking Machine. He’s American, and has many similarities with Sherlock Holmes. For example, he isn’t a policeman, but he works with them on occasion, and he handily summarizes his deductions once the case is solved.

Jacques Futrelle wrote over 40 short stories featuring The Thinking Machine. He heroically died aboard the Titanic, after forcing his wife into a lifeboat.

• Language: English
• Publisher: B.J. Harrison
• Release date: Jan 10, 2023
• ISBN: 9781957934266

Jacques Futrelle

Jacques Futrelle (1875-1912) was an American journalist and mystery writer. Born in Georgia, he began working for the Atlanta Journal as a young sportswriter and later found employment with The New York Herald, the Boston Post, and the Boston American. In 1906, he left his career in journalism to focus on writing fiction, producing seven mystery and science fiction novels and a popular series of short stories featuring gifted sleuth Professor Augustus S. F. X. Van Dusen. In April 1912, at the end of a European vacation, he boarded the RMS Titanic with his wife Lily. Although a first-class passenger, he insisted that others, including his wife, board a lifeboat in his place. He is presumed to have died when the passenger ship sunk beneath the frigid Atlantic waves.