Book Anatomy · The Red Thumb Mark
The Red Thumb Mark: Pace
16 lenses on pace for The Red Thumb Mark by R. Austin Freeman. Count lenses are exact for our text. AI lenses are our reading and cite only quotes that passed a word for word check.
Jump to: D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 D7 D8 D9 D10 D11 D12 D13 D14 D15 D16
D1. Chapter length in words, as a chart. Count
17 chapters, median 3,541 words. See the full lens on the book page.
D2. Mean sentence length per chapter. Count
Mean 18.3 words. See the full lens on the book page.
D3. Paragraph length per chapter. Count
Paragraphs average 41 words.
Mean paragraph words, chapter by chapter
D4. Scene against summary: how much is shown live? AI
The book is heavily scene-based, with dialogue comprising 52.5% of text. Most plot developments occur in live scenes across all 17 chapters, particularly the investigation scenes (chapters 3, 5, 10) and the trial (chapters 15 to 16). Summary is minimal.
Chapters: Ch 3, Ch 5, Ch 10, Ch 15, Ch 16
I make it a rule, in all cases, to proceed on the strictly classical lines of inductive inquiry--collect facts, make hypotheses, test them and seek for verification (Ch 3, para 13)
A finger-print is merely a fact--a very important and significant one, I admit--but still a fact, which, like any other fact, requires to be weighed and measured with reference to its evidential value (Ch 3, para 21)
D5. Action against reflection, per chapter. AI
Action dominates early chapters (2 to 3, 8, 11, 15 to 16) with investigation, meetings, and trial scenes. Reflection increases mid-book (chapters 6 to 7, 12) as Jervis wrestles with duty versus love. Late chapters balance both as the case resolves.
Chapters: Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 6, Ch 7, Ch 12, Ch 15
you are so kind, and I feel that you are really my friend and Reuben's (Ch 7, para 21)
How can a man who is thinking of a woman morning, noon and night; whose heart leaps at the sound of her coming (Ch 17, para 40)
D6. Tension score per chapter (1 to 5) as a curve. AI
Peak 5 of 5, mean 3.3. See the full lens on the book page.
D7. Emotional arc of the whole book, matched to the six shapes. Count
Man in a hole (fall then rise). See the full lens on the book page.
D8. Chapter endings: cliffhanger, question, reveal or quiet close. AI
10 of 17 chapters end on a hook. See the full lens on the book page.
D9. Chapter openings: in scene, in summary, or after a time jump. AI
Most chapters open in scene with characters present and speaking or acting. Chapter 1 opens in scene at the Temple. Chapter 10 opens with Thorndyke's recovery then moves to action. Few chapters use summary openings; the narrative favours immediate immersion.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 10, Ch 15, Ch 16
D10. Do chapters and sentences get shorter near the climax? Count
In the last fifth, chapters run at 1.94 times the length of earlier ones, and sentences at 0.91 times. So things speed up near the end.
D11. Dialogue density against pace. Count
Link between dialogue share and chapter length: 0.25 (1 is a perfect match, 0 none). Between dialogue share and tension: -0.33.
Dialogue % per chapter, chapter by chapter
D12. Time jumps and how they are signalled. Both
2 time jump phrases in the narration, such as 'next morning' or 'years later'.
| Where | Phrase |
|---|---|
| c3p2 | the following morning |
| c9p2 | the following morning |
Time jump phrases, chapter by chapter
Ch 3, para 2: When I arrived at Thorndyke's chambers on the following morning, I found my friend already hard at work. Breakfast was laid at one end of the table, while …
Ch 9, para 2: On the following morning, as I emerged from my room, I met Polton coming up with a tray (our bedrooms were on the attic floor above the laboratory …
Time jumps are signalled through brief narrative bridges rather than explicit markers. Chapter 6 jumps to the trial hearing. Chapter 12 notes 'a week away' before trial. Chapter 14 opens 'on the morning of the trial'. Jumps are usually one or two sentences.
Chapters: Ch 6, Ch 12, Ch 14, Ch 15
D13. Info dump spots: long runs with no action or speech. Both
0 stretches of 900 words or more with no speech at all. These are where description, summary or backstory pile up.
Info dumps are rare due to high dialogue share. Chapter 13 contains the longest expository passage as Thorndyke dissects the poisoned cigar and deduces facts about the assailant. Chapter 3 has moderate exposition about the Thumbograph. Most chapters balance action with brief explanations.
Chapters: Ch 3, Ch 13
the habit of allowing nothing to pass without a certain amount of conscious attention (Ch 13, para 7)
They would hardly make a Trichinopoly cheroot from leaf grown in the West Indies (Ch 13, para 31)
D14. Reading time per chapter. Count
About 4.7 hours to read at 250 words a minute. The longest chapter takes 38.3 minutes.
Minutes per chapter, chapter by chapter
D15. Micro tension in quiet scenes. AI
Quiet scenes maintain tension through emotional conflict and revelation. Chapter 7 creates tension as Jervis comforts Juliet while hiding his feelings. Chapter 12 builds tension through Jervis's emotional withdrawal from Juliet. Chapter 17 sustains tension through Jervis's confession of love.
Chapters: Ch 7, Ch 12, Ch 17
you are so kind, and I feel that you are really my friend and Reuben's (Ch 7, para 21)
How can a man who is thinking of a woman morning, noon and night; whose heart leaps at the sound of her coming (Ch 17, para 40)
D16. Section breaks per chapter. Count
0 section breaks marked in the text, in 0 of 17 chapters.
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