# Jeffrey Blackmore — The Mystery of 31, New Inn character guide

> Jeffrey Blackmore in The Mystery of 31, New Inn by R. Austin Freeman.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Mr. Jeffrey, Jeffrey, Mr. Blackmore, Jeffrey Blackmore, Poor Jeffrey

**First appearance:** 0003-i-the-mysterious-patient

## Snapshot

A melancholy student at 31, New Inn, half-blind and afraid of the dark, whose quiet death in a locked room becomes the puzzle everything else orbits.

## Who they are

Jeffrey took the chambers the previous October, lived alone, cooked for himself, and told the porter that reading was his only pleasure and that a blind man's life was not worth living. On the night of the great fog he paid his rent early, settled small tradesmen's bills he had always handled himself, and spoke of his failing eye with a despair that unsettled the porter. His death — discovered by a builder peering through an open window at a fully clothed body on a bed — is the fact the entire investigation must explain.

## Relationships

### [John Thorndyke](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mystery_of_31_new_inn_se/characters/john_thorndyke)

_professional_

Jeffrey Blackmore is a client and key figure in the mystery, consulting Thorndyke as a detective.

### [Stephen Blackmore](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mystery_of_31_new_inn_se/characters/stephen_blackmore)

_family_

Jeffrey and Stephen Blackmore are brothers, with a strained relationship due to the mystery surrounding their inheritance.

### [John Thorndyke](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mystery_of_31_new_inn_se/characters/john_thorndyke)

_professional_

Jeffrey Blackmore is a client and key figure in the mystery, consulting Thorndyke as a detective.

### [Stephen Blackmore](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mystery_of_31_new_inn_se/characters/stephen_blackmore)

_family_

Jeffrey and Stephen Blackmore are brothers, with a strained relationship due to the mystery surrounding their inheritance.

### [John Thorndyke](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mystery_of_31_new_inn_se/characters/john_thorndyke)

_professional_

Jeffrey Blackmore is a client and key figure in the mystery, consulting Thorndyke as a detective.

### [Stephen Blackmore](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mystery_of_31_new_inn_se/characters/stephen_blackmore)

_family_

Jeffrey and Stephen Blackmore are brothers, with a strained relationship due to the mystery surrounding their inheritance.

## In the story

### [The Mystery of 31, New Inn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mystery_of_31_new_inn_se/chapters/the-mystery-of-31-new-inn)

The mysterious patient discovered at 31, New Inn; his death is later discovered.

### [Jeffrey Blackmore's Will](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mystery_of_31_new_inn_se/chapters/v-jeffrey-blackmore-s-will)

Deceased testator; his will is the subject of the discussion.

### [VI: Jeffrey Blackmore, Deceased](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mystery_of_31_new_inn_se/chapters/vi-jeffrey-blackmore-deceased)

The deceased, found dead in his chambers from strophanthin poisoning, with evidence of opium smoking and failing eyesight.

### [VII: The Cuneiform Inscription](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mystery_of_31_new_inn_se/chapters/vii-the-cuneiform-inscription)

The deceased; his chambers and personal effects are the focus of the investigation, revealing his opium habit and scholarly work with cuneiform tablets.

### [XI: The Blackmore Case Reviewed](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mystery_of_31_new_inn_se/chapters/xi-the-blackmore-case-reviewed)

Deceased testator; his will and the circumstances of his death are under review.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mystery_of_31_new_inn_se/characters/jeffrey_blackmore
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mystery_of_31_new_inn_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_mystery_of_31_new_inn_se/characters