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The Count's Millions #1
The Count's Millions
Work form 19th Century French author considered a pioneer of modern detective fiction.
The death of the Count de Chalusse, the theft of his will and two million francs, the false accusation of Marguerite de Chalusse, make up a mystery which is solved only after some extraordinary adventures. Followed by Baron Trigault's Vengeance.
manybook.net
The death of the Count de Chalusse, the theft of his will and two million francs, the false accusation of Marguerite de Chalusse, make up a mystery which is solved only after some extraordinary adventures. Followed by Baron Trigault's Vengeance.
manybook.net
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1870
6 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
About the author
Émile Gaboriau
477 books56 followersGaboriau was born in the small town of Saujon, Charente-Maritime. He became a secretary to Paul Féval, and after publishing some novels and miscellaneous writings, found his real gift in L'Affaire Lerouge (1866).
The book, which was Gaboriau's first detective novel, introduced an amateur detective. It also introduced a young police officer named Monsieur Lecoq, who was the hero in three of Gaboriau's later detective novels. The character of Lecoq was based on a real-life thief turned police officer, Eugène François Vidocq (1775–1857), whose own memoirs, Les Vrais Mémoires de Vidocq, mixed fiction and fact. It may also have been influenced by the villainous Monsieur Lecoq, one of the main protagonists of Féval's Les Habits Noirs book series.
The book was published in "Le Siècle" and at once made his reputation. Gaboriau gained a huge following, but when Arthur Conan Doyle created Sherlock Holmes, Monsieur Lecoq's international fame declined. The story was produced on the stage in 1872. A long series of novels dealing with the annals of the police court followed, and proved very popular. Gaboriau died in Paris of pulmonary apoplexy.
Gaboriau's books were generally well received. About the Mystery of the Orcival, Harper's wrote in 1872 "Of its class of romance - French sensational - this is a remarkable and unique specimen". A film version of Le Dossier n° 113 (File No. 113) was released in 1932.
The book, which was Gaboriau's first detective novel, introduced an amateur detective. It also introduced a young police officer named Monsieur Lecoq, who was the hero in three of Gaboriau's later detective novels. The character of Lecoq was based on a real-life thief turned police officer, Eugène François Vidocq (1775–1857), whose own memoirs, Les Vrais Mémoires de Vidocq, mixed fiction and fact. It may also have been influenced by the villainous Monsieur Lecoq, one of the main protagonists of Féval's Les Habits Noirs book series.
The book was published in "Le Siècle" and at once made his reputation. Gaboriau gained a huge following, but when Arthur Conan Doyle created Sherlock Holmes, Monsieur Lecoq's international fame declined. The story was produced on the stage in 1872. A long series of novels dealing with the annals of the police court followed, and proved very popular. Gaboriau died in Paris of pulmonary apoplexy.
Gaboriau's books were generally well received. About the Mystery of the Orcival, Harper's wrote in 1872 "Of its class of romance - French sensational - this is a remarkable and unique specimen". A film version of Le Dossier n° 113 (File No. 113) was released in 1932.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 21, 2022
The count, M de Chalusse, is a wealthy French man and unmarried. He adopts Marguerite as a 15-year old from an orphanage without acknowledging paternity, but she accepts that he is her father. A Marquis in need to repair his fortune starts courting her, but she has her heart set on marrying her former neighbour. Then the count dies without leaving a will, two million francs are missing and Marguerite is alone except for the local magistrate helping her. A local investigator gets involved to find another heir. And in the midst of this tangle, the book abruptly ends. So I am off to read the sequel, Baron Trigault's Vengeance. A classic of the early crime genre.
October 18, 2011
This book reminds me a lot of Dickens' in the style and plotting and of course Dickens propensity for coincidences. Enjoyable read, though it ends rather abruptly since it concludes in a follow on novel.
May 21, 2017
This is just book two of six in the boxed set I purchased, and it was dreadfully melodramatic without comic relief unfortunately.
Small examples:
"She sprang from her chair, and indignantly faced the magistrate. 'It is false!' she cried, vehemently; 'and what that paper says is false as well!'"
"'You were pitiless, and did not even deign to answer me. And yet, as I told you, I was on the verge of a terrible precipice; my brain was reeling, vertigo had seized hold of me. Deserted, I was wandering about Paris homeless and penniless, and my child was starving!' M. Casimir paused to laugh."
I do hope the remaining books prove to be a tad more interesting.
Small examples:
"She sprang from her chair, and indignantly faced the magistrate. 'It is false!' she cried, vehemently; 'and what that paper says is false as well!'"
"'You were pitiless, and did not even deign to answer me. And yet, as I told you, I was on the verge of a terrible precipice; my brain was reeling, vertigo had seized hold of me. Deserted, I was wandering about Paris homeless and penniless, and my child was starving!' M. Casimir paused to laugh."
I do hope the remaining books prove to be a tad more interesting.
May 15, 2016
Rereading this as Hannah chose it for our Catholic women's book club. Now that I've read Dickens, the similarities in style (or is that "genre") are much more obvious to me. Looking forward to this a lot!
My original comments as I read the book are below.
=========
Hannah was enthralled with this book which she found on Project Gutenberg and insisted I read. I have just begun.
The count was found in his coach, stricken with apoplexy (a stroke). Will he live? What was the terrible news he received that morning which may have led to the stroke? Who is the young woman living with him?
All very interesting questions as are the details of daily living such as when someone is sick in Paris the servants will spread a thick bed of straw over the cobblestones outside their residence so that the traffic noises will be lessened. And that everyone knows what it means so people lower their voices in passing and drivers go more slowly.
Update:
The plot thickens! I skip past the part where we see the obvious villain and onto the part with Pascal which really pulled me into the story. His noble mother (noble in her determination and efforts, not in class), his noble response to her hard work, and the way she motivated him when big trouble hit. And then when the author pulled Pascal's story around again and connected it with the Count ... aha! I never saw it coming and was delighted!
Now, I go on in eager anticipation of how the bigger mystery will be solved as Marguerite calls in the local magistrate to protect her interests. Old school story telling, but oh so much fun!
Another Update:
Now that I have read Maguerite's story, I wonder even more what her true relationship to the count is. And whether her "evil" suitor really has the written proofs he speaks of as to her identity. The plot thickens ... again!
FINAL
Seriously? I knew the book was "finished" in Baron Trigault's Revenge, but I had no idea they just cut the book in half without any segue.
However, I'm hooked enough to forge ahead. Most enjoyable and it has me guessing (often wrongly) time after time about the astounding new developments that are dropped on us. Also, I love how the mothers are mostly good and have great advice for their erring young ones. That doesn't sound like good reading but you have to be there ... just trust me on this. We should all have a mother as great as Pascal's.
My original comments as I read the book are below.
=========
Hannah was enthralled with this book which she found on Project Gutenberg and insisted I read. I have just begun.
The count was found in his coach, stricken with apoplexy (a stroke). Will he live? What was the terrible news he received that morning which may have led to the stroke? Who is the young woman living with him?
All very interesting questions as are the details of daily living such as when someone is sick in Paris the servants will spread a thick bed of straw over the cobblestones outside their residence so that the traffic noises will be lessened. And that everyone knows what it means so people lower their voices in passing and drivers go more slowly.
Update:
The plot thickens! I skip past the part where we see the obvious villain and onto the part with Pascal which really pulled me into the story. His noble mother (noble in her determination and efforts, not in class), his noble response to her hard work, and the way she motivated him when big trouble hit. And then when the author pulled Pascal's story around again and connected it with the Count ... aha! I never saw it coming and was delighted!
Now, I go on in eager anticipation of how the bigger mystery will be solved as Marguerite calls in the local magistrate to protect her interests. Old school story telling, but oh so much fun!
Another Update:
Now that I have read Maguerite's story, I wonder even more what her true relationship to the count is. And whether her "evil" suitor really has the written proofs he speaks of as to her identity. The plot thickens ... again!
FINAL
Seriously? I knew the book was "finished" in Baron Trigault's Revenge, but I had no idea they just cut the book in half without any segue.
However, I'm hooked enough to forge ahead. Most enjoyable and it has me guessing (often wrongly) time after time about the astounding new developments that are dropped on us. Also, I love how the mothers are mostly good and have great advice for their erring young ones. That doesn't sound like good reading but you have to be there ... just trust me on this. We should all have a mother as great as Pascal's.
May 27, 2017
Excellent beginning to a mystery of a paranoid man, his millions, and his ward who by some slip of his had been left penniless. On to the sequel to find out what happens!
September 6, 2015
Toujours prenant, ces histoires parisiennes du milieu du 19eme siècle, belle illustration de la chasse à l'héritage et de la vie des rentiers et de la classe dominante. Mais un ton au dessous de l'enquête, plus complexe, car trop plein de bons sentiments. Joli personnage de Turpin, le gamin parisien rusé, assoiffé d'argent mais plein de morale.
December 29, 2011
Classic detective fiction from one of the pioneers of the genre. In the public domain, with a free electronic copy available here.
February 27, 2015
It's a cliff-hanger!!! Now I have to read the next book....
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews