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Joseph Rouletabille #3
The Secret of the Night
Like The Mystery of the Yellow Room, The Secret of the Night is a Joseph Rouletabille mystery. In The Mystery of the Yellow Room fictional detective Rouletabille investigated a complex and seemingly impossible crime - in which the criminal appears to disappear from a locked room! There've been so many locked-room mysteries since that it's become a subgenre - but there are folks who believe Gaston Leroux invented the form. (We hate assertions like that. Have you noticed how often things turn out to have been invented by monks in the middle ages, or by prehistoric Chinamen, or seventeenth-century Englishmen? - Heavy sigh.) John Dickson Carr, the master of locked-room mystery, named The Mystery of the Yellow Room as the "finest locked room tale ever written" in his 1935 novel the Hollow Man.
228 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1912
43 people are currently reading
645 people want to read
About the author
Gaston Leroux
769 books1,079 followersGaston Louis Alfred Leroux was a French journalist and author of detective fiction.
In the English-speaking world, he is best known for writing the novel The Phantom of the Opera (Le Fantôme de l'Opéra, 1910), which has been made into several film and stage productions of the same name, such as the 1925 film starring Lon Chaney, and Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical. It was also the basis of the 1990 novel Phantom by Susan Kay.
Leroux went to school in Normandy and studied law in Paris, graduating in 1889. He inherited millions of francs and lived wildly until he nearly reached bankruptcy. Then in 1890, he began working as a court reporter and theater critic for L'Écho de Paris. His most important journalism came when he began working as an international correspondent for the Paris newspaper Le Matin. In 1905 he was present at and covered the Russian Revolution. Another case he was present at involved the investigation and deep coverage of an opera house in Paris, later to become a ballet house. The basement consisted of a cell that held prisoners in the Paris Commune, which were the rulers of Paris through much of the Franco-Prussian war.
He suddenly left journalism in 1907, and began writing fiction. In 1909, he and Arthur Bernède formed their own film company, Société des Cinéromans to simultaneously publish novels and turn them into films. He first wrote a mystery novel entitled Le mystère de la chambre jaune (1908; The Mystery of the Yellow Room), starring the amateur detective Joseph Rouletabille. Leroux's contribution to French detective fiction is considered a parallel to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's in the United Kingdom and Edgar Allan Poe's in America. Leroux died in Nice on April 15, 1927, of a urinary tract infection.
In the English-speaking world, he is best known for writing the novel The Phantom of the Opera (Le Fantôme de l'Opéra, 1910), which has been made into several film and stage productions of the same name, such as the 1925 film starring Lon Chaney, and Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical. It was also the basis of the 1990 novel Phantom by Susan Kay.
Leroux went to school in Normandy and studied law in Paris, graduating in 1889. He inherited millions of francs and lived wildly until he nearly reached bankruptcy. Then in 1890, he began working as a court reporter and theater critic for L'Écho de Paris. His most important journalism came when he began working as an international correspondent for the Paris newspaper Le Matin. In 1905 he was present at and covered the Russian Revolution. Another case he was present at involved the investigation and deep coverage of an opera house in Paris, later to become a ballet house. The basement consisted of a cell that held prisoners in the Paris Commune, which were the rulers of Paris through much of the Franco-Prussian war.
He suddenly left journalism in 1907, and began writing fiction. In 1909, he and Arthur Bernède formed their own film company, Société des Cinéromans to simultaneously publish novels and turn them into films. He first wrote a mystery novel entitled Le mystère de la chambre jaune (1908; The Mystery of the Yellow Room), starring the amateur detective Joseph Rouletabille. Leroux's contribution to French detective fiction is considered a parallel to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's in the United Kingdom and Edgar Allan Poe's in America. Leroux died in Nice on April 15, 1927, of a urinary tract infection.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
June 6, 2021
Wish I could give this one 4.5 out of 5. Rouletabille holds a special place for me, and while this one still won't quite beat out Mystery of the Yellow Room, I still think it's pretty great and a nice change of pace after Perfume of the Lady in Black (which I thought was alright but lacking in some areas).
Of the 3 Rouletabille mysteries I've explored so far, this one felt like the one with the highest stakes by a long shot. It was nice to see Rouletabille on his own (sorry Sainclair, but sometimes your point of view didn't work), and seeing him actually prove fallible (well, for a little bit at least). I liked seeing Rouletabille question himself or feel actual fear in tense situations. The way Sainclair described his actions in the previous two made Rouletabille out to be superhuman, but this one brought him back down to Earth despite the sensational plot.
Love this quirky character, love the subtle "fuck the police" energy in all of this series so far, and wish more people gave this one a chance so I had someone else to talk about this book with!
Of the 3 Rouletabille mysteries I've explored so far, this one felt like the one with the highest stakes by a long shot. It was nice to see Rouletabille on his own (sorry Sainclair, but sometimes your point of view didn't work), and seeing him actually prove fallible (well, for a little bit at least). I liked seeing Rouletabille question himself or feel actual fear in tense situations. The way Sainclair described his actions in the previous two made Rouletabille out to be superhuman, but this one brought him back down to Earth despite the sensational plot.
Love this quirky character, love the subtle "fuck the police" energy in all of this series so far, and wish more people gave this one a chance so I had someone else to talk about this book with!
July 10, 2015
This was the second of Leroux's Rouletabille books that i've read and it holds up just as well as the first. The main thing I like about Leroux's mysteries is that they are exactly that, a mystery. I listened to this in audiobook form while working and I was constantly trying to think out the puzzle as I worked. The structure of the story is a little bit clumsy in places, a slight edit would have helped the flow of the narrative but it was entertaining all the same. Rouletabille certainly gives Doyle's Sherlock Holmes a run for his money.
January 31, 2014
This entry into the Rouletabille series was not as endearing as the previous books were. Even though it was still very good, I don't know I didn't have the same feel after finishing it like I did with the first two. I miss that Sinclair wasn't apart of the adventure (he is after all Rouletabille's Watson) like the previous book it ends on a cliffhanger as Rouletabille returns to Paris.
Things I liked about the book:
- Rouletabille actually was shown to not be a step ahead of everyone in this book, he actually gets somewhat sidetracked by a woman.
- The female characters are MUCH better in this book than the previous books.
- The book makes connects to the two previous novels, which is always fun.
- He's not so snarky as he is in the first book.
- For some reason Gaston Leroux is mention as have been in a hotel there by Rouletabille. I mean WTF?
Things that I didn't like as much:
- The fact that conveniently every person Rouletabille meets knows French, or at least some. I mean the entire novel takes place in Russia.
- None of the other supporting characters from the previous book are in this book.
- It takes awhile for the main plot to really start.
Oh, and my copy of the book was longer than 232 pages it was about 370.
Things I liked about the book:
- Rouletabille actually was shown to not be a step ahead of everyone in this book, he actually gets somewhat sidetracked by a woman.
- The female characters are MUCH better in this book than the previous books.
- The book makes connects to the two previous novels, which is always fun.
- He's not so snarky as he is in the first book.
- For some reason Gaston Leroux is mention as have been in a hotel there by Rouletabille. I mean WTF?
Things that I didn't like as much:
- The fact that conveniently every person Rouletabille meets knows French, or at least some. I mean the entire novel takes place in Russia.
- None of the other supporting characters from the previous book are in this book.
- It takes awhile for the main plot to really start.
Oh, and my copy of the book was longer than 232 pages it was about 370.
November 7, 2012
It was a good book .. but I didn't enjoyed as much as the others
November 3, 2018
This is the third book in the Rouletabille series, but is not as gripping as the first two books. IT is based on the experiences of the author when he went as a journalist to Russia in 1912. The real takeaway from this book is the occasional portrayal of how common people are oppressed by the Tsardom. Though Gaston Leroux is not entirely neutral (he depicts the revolutionaries as Nihilists), but his account does reveal his disdain for the policing methods, of the vast gulf between the aristocracy and the common people. It becomes evident why 5 years later, the Bolshevik revolution became necessary. It is this perspective that adds value to the book, but it does not stand out as a detective fiction (which the first book was a milestone of)
September 23, 2024
A Rouletabille-sorozat harmadik kötetének több olyan nevezetessége is van, amiből a későbbi krimiírók nem keveset tanulhattak. Például az, hogy (eleinte) nincs hulla – a cél a leendő áldozat életének megmentése, a gyilkosság megakadályozása. Vagy az, hogy az emberélet értéke és védelme elsőrendű fontosságú – és érdekes módon éppen ezért sem az elbeszélő, sem a detektív nincs mindig az áldozat pártján, sőt. Itt mindenkinek az erkölcsi motivációi minimum kételkedésre adnak okot, kivéve persze a szuperhős-detektívet (aki még mindig „gamin”, azaz utcagyerek). Ráadásul a regény egy-két betéttörténete az egész mű minden könnyedségével együtt is keserűséggel teli (és igen jól megírt) tragédiaként hat. Közben pedig, mivel a főszereplő szuperhős imázsához történetesen hozzátartozik, hogy félig gyerek, könnyed, okos és szellemes, ezért a nevetés ereje által válik igazán vonzóvá. A gamin kiválóan tud komédiázni is.
Részletes értékelés a blogon:
https://gyujtogeto-alkoto.blog.hu/202...
Részletes értékelés a blogon:
https://gyujtogeto-alkoto.blog.hu/202...
September 24, 2017
I found this book during an aimless exploration of Kindle deals. I chose it strictly by chance but would later discover that the author, Gaston Leroux, was the original author of Phantom of the Opera.
The story, as it turns out, is one of a series that follows the exploits of Joseph Rouletabille, a French reporter/detective. In this case he is brought to Russia by the Czar to protect General Trebassof, whose assassination has been plotted by the revolutionaries—the Nihilists. Rouletabille is aided along the way by Matrena Petrovna, the wife of the general, whose allegiance to her husband defies the boundaries of human explanation.
Rouletabille himself is a cross between Sherlock Holmes and Colombo. He is at once brilliant and insightful, but lacking the age, stature, and endearing eccentricity of the prototypical detective of the genre. Matrena describes him thus:
“Matrena noted the rosy freshness of his cheeks, the absence of down on his lip and not a hint of beard, the thick hair, with the curl over the forehead. Ah, that forehead—the forehead was curious, with great over-hanging cranial lumps which moved above the deep arcade of the eye-sockets while the mouth was busy—well, one would have said that Rouletabille had not eaten for a week.”
Like much of the prose, I found this passage to be exhaustive but not particularly telling, in terms of character development. There are, moreover, more characters to the tale than one can keep track of without notes; many introduced in a massive name dump in the opening pages. This, of course, is an attribute of all Russian novels, given the complexity of Russian naming conventions, but comes off as extreme here, where many of the characters play no central role. They appear to exist solely for the purpose of description.
In the end, I concluded, the writer does not develop characters so much as character types. This gives the story diversity of characters but not character itself. It strips many of the names of the personal identity I find endearing in the greatest novels.
The dialogue, moreover, can likewise seem excessive, pushing into the arena of intellectual cliché. The narrative, as a result, often seems akin to forced flourish and, in the end, superfluous to the story. He writes, for example, “Two windows reaching to the floor let a wan light creep with difficulty through their dirty panes, making a vague twilight in the room. Soon nothing could be seen of the motionless figures against the wall, much as the faces fade in the frescoes from which the centuries have effaced the colors in the depths of orthodox convents.” And these are all “extras,” in the drama, crossing, to my taste, the fine line between illustrious and tortured.
The tale is interesting enough and the mystery is retained despite the frequent tease that the final reveal will occur on the next page. In the end, however, the mystery cannot be untangled in a single chapter, much less a single page. The explanation drags on in a way that could not be more anti-climactic. It loses, in the process, any sense of credibility.
For those who enjoy this kind of historical detective stories this book may be worth the small investment. It has some entertainment value. Leroux, in this case, comes off as a sound journeyman, but a journeyman nonetheless. The magic of Phantom is not replicated here.
The story, as it turns out, is one of a series that follows the exploits of Joseph Rouletabille, a French reporter/detective. In this case he is brought to Russia by the Czar to protect General Trebassof, whose assassination has been plotted by the revolutionaries—the Nihilists. Rouletabille is aided along the way by Matrena Petrovna, the wife of the general, whose allegiance to her husband defies the boundaries of human explanation.
Rouletabille himself is a cross between Sherlock Holmes and Colombo. He is at once brilliant and insightful, but lacking the age, stature, and endearing eccentricity of the prototypical detective of the genre. Matrena describes him thus:
“Matrena noted the rosy freshness of his cheeks, the absence of down on his lip and not a hint of beard, the thick hair, with the curl over the forehead. Ah, that forehead—the forehead was curious, with great over-hanging cranial lumps which moved above the deep arcade of the eye-sockets while the mouth was busy—well, one would have said that Rouletabille had not eaten for a week.”
Like much of the prose, I found this passage to be exhaustive but not particularly telling, in terms of character development. There are, moreover, more characters to the tale than one can keep track of without notes; many introduced in a massive name dump in the opening pages. This, of course, is an attribute of all Russian novels, given the complexity of Russian naming conventions, but comes off as extreme here, where many of the characters play no central role. They appear to exist solely for the purpose of description.
In the end, I concluded, the writer does not develop characters so much as character types. This gives the story diversity of characters but not character itself. It strips many of the names of the personal identity I find endearing in the greatest novels.
The dialogue, moreover, can likewise seem excessive, pushing into the arena of intellectual cliché. The narrative, as a result, often seems akin to forced flourish and, in the end, superfluous to the story. He writes, for example, “Two windows reaching to the floor let a wan light creep with difficulty through their dirty panes, making a vague twilight in the room. Soon nothing could be seen of the motionless figures against the wall, much as the faces fade in the frescoes from which the centuries have effaced the colors in the depths of orthodox convents.” And these are all “extras,” in the drama, crossing, to my taste, the fine line between illustrious and tortured.
The tale is interesting enough and the mystery is retained despite the frequent tease that the final reveal will occur on the next page. In the end, however, the mystery cannot be untangled in a single chapter, much less a single page. The explanation drags on in a way that could not be more anti-climactic. It loses, in the process, any sense of credibility.
For those who enjoy this kind of historical detective stories this book may be worth the small investment. It has some entertainment value. Leroux, in this case, comes off as a sound journeyman, but a journeyman nonetheless. The magic of Phantom is not replicated here.
September 11, 2025
(Stars marked to affect the average as little as possible.)
After reading 3 long chapters and an intriguing title ("The youth of Moscow is dead") for the 4th; after consulting online summaries promising me puzzles, intrigue, and complex characters (and another that explained said title); nevertheless, DNF at 16%.
I look at that percentage and am confirmed in my appraisal: Too blamed many words!
I recently finished Bleak House, much of which I actually enjoyed, and that gave me the internal brag after several decades of having belatedly read another Dickens novel. This oeuvre offered less enjoyment and more sheer work (including vocabulary I'll not likely need again) per page, and nothing to brag of--unless it be the abandoned attempt.
Adieu, Gaston!
After reading 3 long chapters and an intriguing title ("The youth of Moscow is dead") for the 4th; after consulting online summaries promising me puzzles, intrigue, and complex characters (and another that explained said title); nevertheless, DNF at 16%.
I look at that percentage and am confirmed in my appraisal: Too blamed many words!
I recently finished Bleak House, much of which I actually enjoyed, and that gave me the internal brag after several decades of having belatedly read another Dickens novel. This oeuvre offered less enjoyment and more sheer work (including vocabulary I'll not likely need again) per page, and nothing to brag of--unless it be the abandoned attempt.
Adieu, Gaston!
July 29, 2021
3.5 estrellas. Lo disfruté pero fue extraño, fue más violento que lo que esperaba y los giros que se sucedieron me gustaron, pero siento que si lo analizamos detenidamente tiene unos plotholes o unas causalidades muy forzadas.
Es mi primer libro completo de Gastón Leroux y de Rouletabille. Comencé por este en lugar del comienzo porque estoy leyendo mi TBR en físico para irlo bajando.
No me arrepiento de haber comenzado por este aunque fue una elección muy extraña sobre todo porque uno conoce como finalmente llegó 1917 y todo eclosionó en Rusia.
Es mi primer libro completo de Gastón Leroux y de Rouletabille. Comencé por este en lugar del comienzo porque estoy leyendo mi TBR en físico para irlo bajando.
No me arrepiento de haber comenzado por este aunque fue una elección muy extraña sobre todo porque uno conoce como finalmente llegó 1917 y todo eclosionó en Rusia.
Want to read
February 25, 2023"A nice edition of this third book in the Rouletabille series.
The Secret of the Night or Rouletabille and the Tsar is a 1913 mystery novel by the French writer Gaston Leroux. It is the third in his series of novels featuring the fictional detective Joseph Rouletabille, following on from The Mystery of the Yellow Room and The Perfume of the Lady in Black. The story takes place in 1905 when Joseph Rouletabille is employed by Nicholas II of Russia to watch over one of his Generals whose life has been threatened by revolutionaries."
- Amazon
The Secret of the Night or Rouletabille and the Tsar is a 1913 mystery novel by the French writer Gaston Leroux. It is the third in his series of novels featuring the fictional detective Joseph Rouletabille, following on from The Mystery of the Yellow Room and The Perfume of the Lady in Black. The story takes place in 1905 when Joseph Rouletabille is employed by Nicholas II of Russia to watch over one of his Generals whose life has been threatened by revolutionaries."
- Amazon
October 2, 2025
So I did not enjoy this one as much as the previous two. It didn't feel like a mystery the same way the other ones did. It was interesting to read an author's image of tzarian Russia written before the revolution happened, but I would say that was more interesting to me than the mystery, and this was supposed to be a mystery novel.
Author found a way to insert himself into the text again, which I always find amusing. He didn't give a child cigarettes this time, though.
I would say this one can be skipped, sadly.
Author found a way to insert himself into the text again, which I always find amusing. He didn't give a child cigarettes this time, though.
I would say this one can be skipped, sadly.
April 6, 2022
This book is part of my “read the things you ha e saved places for once!” take down extravaganza. A few things. I was a little lost in this because I was listening to it as an audiobook whilst commuting, and the reader was not a professional so all the voices sounded the same. From what I can piece together I enjoyed this, but I think I’m going to have to find a paper copy and give it another go because I really enjoyed The Mystery of the Yellow Room.
June 22, 2025
Slow but strong in the first half, but falls apart in the second as we're introduced to a completely new ensemble of characters while Rouletabille zips to and fro from setting to setting after the frenetic fashion of Hergé's Tintin in the Land of the Soviets. The atmosphere of pre-Revolution Russia, thick with corruption, conspiracy and paranoia, is impeccable though.
December 19, 2017
Παρά τον αρχικό γρήγορο ρυθμό, έχασα τον ενδιαφέρον μου περίπου από τη μέση και μετά και το τέλος δε με ικανοποίησε. Η αθώωση του υπόπτου προσώπου γίνεται με βάση τις παρατηρήσεις του ερευνητή, που ο αναγνώστης δε μπορεί να γνωρίζει· τις δέχεται.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 26, 2020
This is a lie really because I haven't finished it. I so rarely give up on a book - probably no more than five, ever, having read thousands - but this was such a bore, not only couldn't I make sense of it but there was nothing to make me want to, either'
November 1, 2025
Great story, had a lot of twists and turns lols. I really enjoyed his explanation to the Czar at the end, and how he at the last minute saved his lave. Great adventure. This is the second book I think I have read of Gaston LeRoux and they are really fun.
October 22, 2017
Lu en livre audio.
July 14, 2023
My god, I think I fell in love *again*...
I think I will kill Leroux for making my poor sweet Rouiletabille suffer like that!
I think I will kill Leroux for making my poor sweet Rouiletabille suffer like that!
March 18, 2024
J'ai moins aimé ce tome par rapport aux deux premiers. Sinclair n'est pas là et ce n'est pas pareil sans lui. Plus généralement, j'ai moins aimé l'enquête globale
February 9, 2017
J'aime beaucoup le personnage de Rouletabille, et c'était la première fois que je lisais une des oeuvres originales (je n'avais vu que des adaptations cinématographiques avant ça). Le vrai bon point est que j'aime autant le personnage en livre qu'au cinéma.
Maintenant, je ne sais pas si c'était le meilleur livre par lequel commencer, vu que j'ai trouvé assez difficile de s'attacher à la mission de Rouletabille dans ce roman. Protéger un homme ? Noble mission, bien sûr. Protéger un homme qui a fait fusiller des étudiants par dizaines, voire par centaines ? Moué... Même si le personnage de la Générale est touchant, j'ai eu beaucoup de mal à vouloir que Trébassof s'en sorte, surtout après l'histoire du père . C'est vraiement le problème majeur que j'ai eu avec ce roman, mais il faut aussi prendre en compte la différence d'époque.
Bref, je pense que j'aurai moins de mal avec les autres, que je vais m'empresser de lire aussi.
Maintenant, je ne sais pas si c'était le meilleur livre par lequel commencer, vu que j'ai trouvé assez difficile de s'attacher à la mission de Rouletabille dans ce roman. Protéger un homme ? Noble mission, bien sûr. Protéger un homme qui a fait fusiller des étudiants par dizaines, voire par centaines ? Moué... Même si le personnage de la Générale est touchant, j'ai eu beaucoup de mal à vouloir que Trébassof s'en sorte, surtout après l'histoire du père . C'est vraiement le problème majeur que j'ai eu avec ce roman, mais il faut aussi prendre en compte la différence d'époque.
Bref, je pense que j'aurai moins de mal avec les autres, que je vais m'empresser de lire aussi.
January 20, 2017
the narrator of this edition seems to think that French and Russian accents are the same accent. i wish i had read the print version of this one rather than listened to it, as the audio colored my judgement of the story. Leroux does the slow, meandering build that is stylistically consistent with mysteries of the time, and which i have enjoyed in his other work, but the grating narration imbued me with a desire for the book to hurry up and end already.
Read
July 14, 2013Honestly have no idea what was going on in this book. That's what I get for trying to listen to the audiobook during major cases of road rage, I guess.
March 3, 2015
There was to much surrealism in it for my taste.
May 7, 2022
Convoluted plot. Well worth the time to read. Diabolical main character. Evenly paced narration performed by Don W. Jenkins. Recommended.
June 11, 2025
Read this as part of a huge classic horror binge I was on, and inspired by the chills you got from this original masterpiece, before Hollywood got involved.
Always read the classics!
Always read the classics!
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews