The dream detective

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

77056

Title

The dream detective

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

In this supernatural mystery, eccentric investigator Moris Klaw uses his unique ability to read the 'mental negatives' of others to solve baffling crimes. From a murder in a locked room to a theft involving a priceless diamond, Klaw navigates a world where psychology, ancient rituals, and the occult collide. With a tone blending Victorian detective fiction and early 20th-century occultism, the story offers a thrilling, albeit sometimes surreal, exploration of the power of the mind over reality.

Summary up to 500 words

In Sax Rohmer's *The Dream Detective*, the narrative follows Moris Klaw, an eccentric investigator who claims to perceive the thoughts of others through a unique psychological faculty. He assists Martin Coram, the curator of the Menzies Museum, in solving a series of bizarre supernatural incidents that defy conventional police logic. The story opens with the brutal murder of the museum's night attendant, Conway, in the locked and barred Greek Room. Conway is found dead with a broken neck, and the valuable Athenean Harp has been stolen. Despite the impossibility of entry or exit, Klaw deduces that the thief was not a human intruder but a 'thought-form' or astral projection generated by a woman, likely Conway's lover, who was subsequently found dead after a robbery involving the Blue Rajah diamond. The plot intensifies with the introduction of Ailsa Brearley, a young woman who performs ancient chants and plays a harp. Her sessions induce a trance-like state in the narrator and eventually kill a visiting doctor, Doctor Fairbank, who is struck down by a supernatural force emanating from her. Klaw explains that Ailsa has become a vessel for ancient thought-forces, transforming into a goddess-like figure whose presence drives men to madness or death. The terrifying phenomena are revealed to be manifestations of powerful, centuries-old psychic energies summoned through ritual rather than traditional magic. The narrative also features the theft of the Blue Rajah diamond, which Klaw solves by identifying the accomplices and the psychological dynamics between the Hindu representative, Mr. Chinje, and his wife, Mrs. Chinje. Throughout the investigation, Klaw's eccentric logic and his ability to interpret the 'notes' of human emotion guide the inquiry, blending rational deduction with the inexplicable. The story concludes with the resolution of these events, revealing that the phenomena were the result of ancient rituals invoking thought-forces, leaving the characters to grapple with the terrifying reality that thoughts are tangible forces capable of destroying the physical world.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Fiction
• Mystery