Volume VIII contains the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth full-length Thorndyke adventures, published in 1934, 1936, and 1937, respectively.   For the Defense: Dr. Thorndyke - Andrew Barton dreaded meeting up with his identical cousin that he usually tried to avoid. Then Death joined them, and Andrew found himself in an unbelievable spiral of events that would rip him away from the life he loved forever. His only hope is if Dr. Thorndyke believes his impossible story!   The Penrose Mystery - The eccentric collector had vanished, leaving a locked room possibly full of valuables, and legal questions regarding what to do next. Thorndyke''s involvement leads to even more puzzles, and the tragic excavation at an Ancient British Barrow.   Felo de se? - The man found dead in his chambers appeared to have committed suicide - felo de se - but did he? The facts don''t add up, and Thorndyke''s scientific investigation reveals a most unique crime. When Sherlock Holmes began his p