Showing results by author "Émile Gaboriau" in All Categories

In Monsieur Lecoq, two men are found dead at a bar in a seedy area of Paris, and a third man, wounded, stands in the doorway and dies shortly afterwards. To the Inspector of Police, the case seems straightforward – a pub brawl that ended in murder – but Lecoq is unconvinced and is permitted to investigate further with the help of an older officer, Father Absinthe. In the course of his investigations – which take an ever-tortuous direction – Lecoq is assisted by the ‘armchair’ detective Tabaret.

Set primarily in a series of small towns on the Seine that are now suburbs of Paris, The Mystery of Orcival revolves around a love triangle consisting of the wealthy Clement Sauvresy; his beautiful but modestly born wife, Bertha; and his old college friend, Count Hector de Tremorel. Stricken with a sudden illness, Sauvresy begs the other two to marry after his death, which they do. The couple live happily until the body of the Countess is found floating in the Seine by a poacher named Bertaud and, a short time later, the Count’s body is also found.

In 'The Mystery of Orcival,' Émile Gaboriau introduces us to the brilliant detective M. Lecoq, who is tasked with unraveling a perplexing murder. When poachers stumble upon the lifeless body of the Countess de Tremorel on the grounds of her castle, the case quickly captures the attention of the police. The count is missing, and suspicion falls on a seemingly obvious suspect. But as Lecoq digs deeper, he realizes that the clues he’s finding are intentionally misleading, leading him down a twisting path of deception and intrigue. This captivating tale not only showcases Gaboriau's innovative ...

Widely considered the first modern detective novel in French literature, The Lerouge Case is the first in Emile Gaboriau's acclaimed "Lecoq" series although his role is a secondary one in this one. A brutal murder shocks the quiet village of La Jonchère: Madame Lerouge, an elderly widow, is found slain in her modest home. The local authorities are baffled by the savagery of the crime and the apparent lack of motive. It is gradually disclosed that she had once been the servant and confidante of a noblewoman who had borne an illegitimate child. The case is assigned to Magistrate M. Daburon, who...

Caught in the Net, the first volume of Gaboriau's Slaves of Paris, centers on two young, penniless men who become trapped in a net of corruption and deception. Andre, a painter, is in love with Sabine, but they must meet in secret for Sabine comes from a noble family and Andre most prove his worth in society before they are able to marry.

L'UN DES PREMIERS ROMANS POLICIERS. DÉJÀ TERRIBLEMENT EFFICACE ET PRENANT ! La veuve Lerouge, une bonne femme apparemment sans histoires, a été sauvagement assassinée dans sa petite maison de Bougival. La femme passait pour riche et la police, dépêchée sur place, a tôt fait de conclure que c'est pour la voler qu'on l'a ainsi tuée. Mais Lecoq, qui n'est encore que le jeune aide de camp perspicace du chef de la sûreté, ne tarde pas à découvrir une forte somme en pièces d'or dans un tiroir. La thèse du meurtre crapuleux s'écroule et c'est ailleurs qu'il faut chercher le mobile du crime.

The Mystery of Champdoce is the brilliant conclusion to Gaboriau's cycle of mystery stories, The Slaves of Paris. Starting years before the events of Caught in the Net, this sequel recounts the history of the Duke de Champdoce, revealing what misfortunes laid the groundwork for Monsier Mascarin's plot against him, a plot that can be solved only by Gaboriau's great detective, Monsieur Lecoq.

La police découvre à Paris, dans le quartier des Batignolles, le cadavre d'un vieillard baignant dans une mare de sang. À côté de la victime, en grosses lettres mal formées avec du sang et cependant lisibles, on lit : "MONIS". Les soupçons se portent rapidement sur le neveu du vieil homme, un dénommé Monistrol, auquel le vieillard venait de refuser un prêt et qui devait hériter d'une grande fortune au décès de son oncle. Rapidement accusé, Monistrol avoue sa culpabilité.

La Comtesse de Trémorel, l'une des plus belles femmes de France, est retrouvée assassinée dans la rivière qui borde sa propriété par deux braconniers en maraude. Le Comte de Trémorel, lui, est introuvable. Un vêtement découvert dans la rivière laisse à penser qu'il a subi le même sort que son épouse. Une scène d'une violence inouïe semble s'être déroulée au château : le mobilier a été sauvagement brisé, des traces de sang maculent le sol et les murs. Les fauteuils ont cependant été méthodiquement éventrés : cherchait-on quelque chose ?

Monsieur Lecoq is a captivating mystery, historical and love story: Around 11 o'clock, on the evening of Shrove Sunday 18.., close to the old Barrière d'Italie, frightful cries, coming from Mother Chupin's drinking-shop, are heard by a party of detectives led by Inspector Gévrol. The squad runs up to it. A triple murder has just been committed. The murderer is caught on the premises. Despite Gévrol's opinion that four scoundrels encountered each other in this vile den, that they began to quarrel, that one of them had a revolver and killed the others, Lecoq, a young police agent, suspects a ...

Monsieur Lecoq is a captivating mystery, historical and love story : Around 11 o'clock, on the evening of Shrove Sunday 18.., close to the old Barrière d'Italie, frightful cries, coming from Mother Chupin's drinking-shop, are heard by a party of detectives led by Inspector Gévrol. The squad runs up to it. A triple murder has just been committed. The murderer is caught on the premises.Despite Gévrol's opinion that four scoundrels encountered each other in this vile den, that they began to quarrel, that one of them had a revolver and killed the others, Lecoq, a young police agent, suspects a ...

The wealthy Count de Chalusse is struck with apoplexy and dies without a will, leaving Marguerite the orphan (daughter?) he adopted penniless. It is discovered that 2 million francs which were in the count's possession the day before are now missing. At the same time as all this is happening the Marquis de Valorsay who is on the brink of financial ruin courts Marguerite to gain access to her supposed fortune. To succeed, he must find a way to remove the young advocate Pascal whom she loves from the picture. Meanwhile an heir seeker and his enterprising young investigator look for another ...

The Mystery of Orcival is a wonderful example of the brilliant methods of deduction which Emile Gaboriau's "Le Coq" inspired in future detective novels. When the body of the Countess de Tremorel is discovered by poachers on the castle grounds and the count is nowhere to be found, M. Lecoq of La Surete is dispatched by the Prefecture of Police to investigate. An obvious suspect is quickly apprehended but Le Coq discovers that the evidence left behind was meant to mislead him in his search for the murderer. His quick mind and exceptional genius for discovering the minutest detail astound the old...

As the story opens the impregnable safe of the Fauvel bank is robbed of 350,000 francs. As the only keyholders are Andre Fauvel the owner and his trusted head cashier it stands to reason that one of the two must be guilty. Both adamantly refute the charge. Enter the celebrated detective, and master of disguise, Monsieur Le coq who is determined to prove the accused Prosper Bertomy innocent and why he was framed. Believing the crimes linked he enlists the aid of "The Squirrel'', an aspiring detective, in order to unravel the ingenuous plot of two despicable scoundrels, the Marquis de Clameran ...

MEURTRES, VOLS, TRAHISONS : LES EFFETS DÉLÈTERES DE L'APPÂT DU GAIN. Dans cette famille bourgeoise et rangée du second empire, la soirée s'annonce des plus tranquilles : Vincent Favoral, caissier de la banque Thaller, reçoit quelques habitués à dîner en famille. Elle vire au drame lorsque Thaller fait irruption en accusant Favoral de détournement de fonds. Favoral paniqué, et encouragé par son patron à se soustraire à la police, s'enfuit. C'est la stupéfaction parmi les convives. Favoral passait en effet pour un homme probe et ordonné, scrupuleux jusqu'à l'excès.

Deuxième partie. Vingt-cinq ans. C'est le temps qu'il aura fallu à trois bourgeois sans scrupules - un médecin, un avocat et le directeur d'une agence de domestiques - pour glaner suffisamment d'informations compromettantes sur la bonne société parisienne et mettre enfin leur plan à exécution. Pas de meilleures professions que les leurs en effet pour connaître les secrets et les turpitudes de la population. Les gens sont indiscrets, médisants ; ils apportent d'eux-mêmes les brins de la corde qui les enchaîne peu à peu, tels des esclaves, à leurs maîtres chanteurs.

UN SCÉNARIO À MULTIPLES REBONDISSEMENTS, QUI S'APPARENTE À CELUI D'UN EXCELLENT THRILLER. Invraisemblable ! 350 000 francs, une véritable fortune, ont été volés sans effraction dans le coffre de la banque Fauvel. Seuls le banquier et le caissier principal, Prosper Bertomy, jeune homme ami de la famille, en possédaient la clef. Ce dernier a beau clamer son innocence, il est rapidement accusé du vol, d'autant que l'on découvre qu'il mène grand train et entretient une maîtresse dispendieuse.

PARIS SOUS LA COUPE DE MAÎTRES CHANTEURS. Pendant vingt-cinq ans, trois bourgeois sans scrupules - un médecin, un avocat et le directeur d'une agence de domestiques - ont patiemment recueilli des informations compromettantes sur la bonne société parisienne. Ils peuvent enfin mettre leur plan à exécution. Quelles meilleures professions que les leurs pour connaître les secrets et les turpitudes de la population ? Les gens sont indiscrets, médisants ; ils apportent d'eux-mêmes les brins de la corde qui les enchaîne peu à peu, tels des esclaves, à leurs maîtres chanteurs.

Au terme du premier tome de cette enquête fleuve, Monsieur Lecoq ne parvient pas, malgré sa ténacité et son sens de la déduction, à confirmer son intuition concernant le meurtre de "La Poivrière". Le principal suspect, un dénommé Mai, semble vraiment être ce qu'il affirme : un saltimbanque brutal pris dans une querelle de boisson qui a dégénéré. Consulté en désespoir de cause, le Père Tabaret, son mentor, a pourtant tôt fait de valider ses soupçons : Mai et le Duc de Sairmeuse, le descendant de l'une des plus illustres familles françaises, ne font qu'un.

Emile Gaboriau first introduced the young police officer and detective Monsieur Lecoq in his novel L'Affaire Lerouge. He based his character on an actual thief who later became no less than the head of the Paris police -- Eugine Francois Vidocq. As a character, Lecoq would later influence Arthur Conan Doyle in his creation of Sherlock Holmes. In this, his first foray into detection, Lecoq reveals his mastery of the art of disguise and his zeal for detection. Monsieur Lecoq: Volume I is the first of a two-part novel and details the crime and ensuing investigation.