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Detektif Moden
Langkah pertama menuju misteri adalah persoalan yang seolah-olah tidak mungkin terjawab. Dalam Detektif Moden, dua karya klasik Edgar Allan Poe, "Pembunuhan di Rue Morgue" dan "Misteri Marie Roget", dihidupkan kembali dalam sebuah narasi yang mengajak pembaca menyelami seni analisis yang luar biasa.
Dengan fokus kepada ciri-ciri intelek analitikal, karya-karya ini menggambarkan bagaimana penganalisis luar biasa dapat menyusun petunjuk yang tersebar, merungkai kekusutan misteri yang tampak mustahil. Dalam "pembunuhan di Rue Morgue", pembaca dibawa ke dalam siasatan rumit sebuah pembunuhan brutal di Paris, di mana hanya minda yang paling tajam dapat menguraikan teka-teki berlapis. Sementara itu, "Misteri Marie Roget" mengisahkan sebuah pembunuhan yang diselubungi oleh gosip, mitos, dan fakta yang separa benar, menuntut pendekaatan deduktif yang mendekati magis.
Diadaptasi dengan teliti ke dalam bahasa dan suasana moden, nikmati keunggulan klasik Detektif Moden adalah perjalan ke dalam fikiran yang mampu melihat corak di mana orang lain hanya melihat kekacauan.
Dengan fokus kepada ciri-ciri intelek analitikal, karya-karya ini menggambarkan bagaimana penganalisis luar biasa dapat menyusun petunjuk yang tersebar, merungkai kekusutan misteri yang tampak mustahil. Dalam "pembunuhan di Rue Morgue", pembaca dibawa ke dalam siasatan rumit sebuah pembunuhan brutal di Paris, di mana hanya minda yang paling tajam dapat menguraikan teka-teki berlapis. Sementara itu, "Misteri Marie Roget" mengisahkan sebuah pembunuhan yang diselubungi oleh gosip, mitos, dan fakta yang separa benar, menuntut pendekaatan deduktif yang mendekati magis.
Diadaptasi dengan teliti ke dalam bahasa dan suasana moden, nikmati keunggulan klasik Detektif Moden adalah perjalan ke dalam fikiran yang mampu melihat corak di mana orang lain hanya melihat kekacauan.
96 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1842
110 people are currently reading
1425 people want to read
About the author
Edgar Allan Poe
9,870 books28.6k followersThe name Poe brings to mind images of murderers and madmen, premature burials, and mysterious women who return from the dead. His works have been in print since 1827 and include such literary classics as The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven, and The Fall of the House of Usher. This versatile writer’s oeuvre includes short stories, poetry, a novel, a textbook, a book of scientific theory, and hundreds of essays and book reviews. He is widely acknowledged as the inventor of the modern detective story and an innovator in the science fiction genre, but he made his living as America’s first great literary critic and theoretician. Poe’s reputation today rests primarily on his tales of terror as well as on his haunting lyric poetry.
Just as the bizarre characters in Poe’s stories have captured the public imagination so too has Poe himself. He is seen as a morbid, mysterious figure lurking in the shadows of moonlit cemeteries or crumbling castles. This is the Poe of legend. But much of what we know about Poe is wrong, the product of a biography written by one of his enemies in an attempt to defame the author’s name.
The real Poe was born to traveling actors in Boston on January 19, 1809. Edgar was the second of three children. His other brother William Henry Leonard Poe would also become a poet before his early death, and Poe’s sister Rosalie Poe would grow up to teach penmanship at a Richmond girls’ school. Within three years of Poe’s birth both of his parents had died, and he was taken in by the wealthy tobacco merchant John Allan and his wife Frances Valentine Allan in Richmond, Virginia while Poe’s siblings went to live with other families. Mr. Allan would rear Poe to be a businessman and a Virginia gentleman, but Poe had dreams of being a writer in emulation of his childhood hero the British poet Lord Byron. Early poetic verses found written in a young Poe’s handwriting on the backs of Allan’s ledger sheets reveal how little interest Poe had in the tobacco business.
For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_al...
Just as the bizarre characters in Poe’s stories have captured the public imagination so too has Poe himself. He is seen as a morbid, mysterious figure lurking in the shadows of moonlit cemeteries or crumbling castles. This is the Poe of legend. But much of what we know about Poe is wrong, the product of a biography written by one of his enemies in an attempt to defame the author’s name.
The real Poe was born to traveling actors in Boston on January 19, 1809. Edgar was the second of three children. His other brother William Henry Leonard Poe would also become a poet before his early death, and Poe’s sister Rosalie Poe would grow up to teach penmanship at a Richmond girls’ school. Within three years of Poe’s birth both of his parents had died, and he was taken in by the wealthy tobacco merchant John Allan and his wife Frances Valentine Allan in Richmond, Virginia while Poe’s siblings went to live with other families. Mr. Allan would rear Poe to be a businessman and a Virginia gentleman, but Poe had dreams of being a writer in emulation of his childhood hero the British poet Lord Byron. Early poetic verses found written in a young Poe’s handwriting on the backs of Allan’s ledger sheets reveal how little interest Poe had in the tobacco business.
For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_al...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
July 28, 2020
2.5 stars
Alas, this unfortunately was anything but a Modern Detective story. Poe is mostly remembered for his horror and/or plain weird stories and not as a writer of detective stories and after reading this Little Black Classic it is easy to see why.
His literary detective solves crimes from his armchair, discussing the case based on newspaper articles and lengthy monologues. If this sounds interesting then try it, by all means. I couldn't help but compare to another 19th Century fictional detective and think this missed a certain flair.
Nevertheless the murders discussed were intriguing cases - even if the detective was not.
~Little Black Classics #93~
Find this and other reviews on https://urlphantomhive.wordpress.com
Alas, this unfortunately was anything but a Modern Detective story. Poe is mostly remembered for his horror and/or plain weird stories and not as a writer of detective stories and after reading this Little Black Classic it is easy to see why.
His literary detective solves crimes from his armchair, discussing the case based on newspaper articles and lengthy monologues. If this sounds interesting then try it, by all means. I couldn't help but compare to another 19th Century fictional detective and think this missed a certain flair.
Nevertheless the murders discussed were intriguing cases - even if the detective was not.
~Little Black Classics #93~
Find this and other reviews on https://urlphantomhive.wordpress.com
June 1, 2024
Imagine writing a hypothetical play-by-play of how a real-life unsolved murder was committed, with no direct access to the crime, relying on nothing but scraps of facts gleaned from various news reports—and
then
getting not just the conclusion but ALL crucial details down to a T, after confessions long subsequent to the piece’s publication came to light and essentially confirmed what, until that moment, had only been a fictional reconstruction.
Legend behavior.
I wish we had received the resolution too, not just the explanation. Unfortunately, the original editors of Poe’s work decided to cut that out, but oh well. That would’ve bumped this up to a 5. I missed the satisfaction of a good “aha!” moment, although that’s probably just me.
This edition compiles two of Poe’s grisly mysteries, “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” and “The Mystery of Marie Rogêt”. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed both!
Legend behavior.
I wish we had received the resolution too, not just the explanation. Unfortunately, the original editors of Poe’s work decided to cut that out, but oh well. That would’ve bumped this up to a 5. I missed the satisfaction of a good “aha!” moment, although that’s probably just me.
This edition compiles two of Poe’s grisly mysteries, “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” and “The Mystery of Marie Rogêt”. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed both!
June 12, 2021
An interesting read. We are introduced to detective C. Auguste Dupin by an anonymous narrator. The mysteries are analytically deduced through thorough observations and following logic. Dupin is the first-ever detective to appear in mystery fiction who served as the inspiration for the famous Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot.
However, the language is quite tedious and can be difficult to get through.
However, the language is quite tedious and can be difficult to get through.
July 27, 2022
let me start this intro by saying that I was not informed that this book was basically a detective game in that you have to solve murder cases along with the characters while reading.
This book contains two short stories, namely: The Murders in Rue Morgue and The Mystery of Marie Roget, both being solved by C. Auguste Dupin and his unnamed companion, who was also the narrator of the book. Both stories started with strange introductions about observations and a detective's thought process which was difficult to grasp at first, but for some reason, I found it fascinating right after pondering about it.
I enjoyed reading the first story because it was something peculiar and it was very new to me. I didn't even know how or what to react to because of what happened in the end... It was really weird but in a funny way. I felt like I was solving a murder case alongside them.
On the other hand, The second short story felt like a chore. I did not understand what was happening at all, it was like Poe was writing an essay instead of a story which makes sense because this is based on a true unsolved murder case. I'd give this a five-star rating but like I said this book felt like a chore and I did not enjoy it the same way I felt in the first story.
This is my first book from Poe, and honestly, I'm not disappointed at all. I know some of his works tend to have dark and obscure themes, but this (especially the first story) is straightforward: how a person with analytical thinking decodes a mystery.
This book contains two short stories, namely: The Murders in Rue Morgue and The Mystery of Marie Roget, both being solved by C. Auguste Dupin and his unnamed companion, who was also the narrator of the book. Both stories started with strange introductions about observations and a detective's thought process which was difficult to grasp at first, but for some reason, I found it fascinating right after pondering about it.
I enjoyed reading the first story because it was something peculiar and it was very new to me. I didn't even know how or what to react to because of what happened in the end... It was really weird but in a funny way. I felt like I was solving a murder case alongside them.
On the other hand, The second short story felt like a chore. I did not understand what was happening at all, it was like Poe was writing an essay instead of a story which makes sense because this is based on a true unsolved murder case. I'd give this a five-star rating but like I said this book felt like a chore and I did not enjoy it the same way I felt in the first story.
This is my first book from Poe, and honestly, I'm not disappointed at all. I know some of his works tend to have dark and obscure themes, but this (especially the first story) is straightforward: how a person with analytical thinking decodes a mystery.
November 6, 2024
Sorry but giving it 2 stars is me being generous 😭
God this was awfully boring. I honestly love Poe's work but this one was just not that.
:(
God this was awfully boring. I honestly love Poe's work but this one was just not that.
:(
April 23, 2019
I had read both of these short stories towards the end of last year, so I’ll keep this review short and simply regurgitate what I said in my review of
The Murders in the Rue Morgue
.
Poe’s mastery is best displayed in macabre tales of the supernatural, such as The Tell-Tale Heart. His detective tales are arduous, wordy, and entirely soul-destroying to me. Dupin, as a famous sleuth, has nothing of the same charm and draw as other fictional detectives I could mention. Both of these stories are solved for the reader through Dupin’s lengthy monologues, and it’s just incredibly tiring.
Pick up a weird Poe, not a crime-solving Poe.
Poe’s mastery is best displayed in macabre tales of the supernatural, such as The Tell-Tale Heart. His detective tales are arduous, wordy, and entirely soul-destroying to me. Dupin, as a famous sleuth, has nothing of the same charm and draw as other fictional detectives I could mention. Both of these stories are solved for the reader through Dupin’s lengthy monologues, and it’s just incredibly tiring.
Pick up a weird Poe, not a crime-solving Poe.
March 13, 2022
The first literary depiction of a detective before the word was invented. These two short stories are charming but I must say “The Mystery of Marie Roget” is less interesting than the actual true story that the story is based on. Apparently Poe retrospectively edited the story so as to align with the facts that emerged about the real life case.
April 12, 2023
4.5 ★
I love Edgar’s writing style
Also this book is full of forensic talk and i love that
A thing i gotta say tho is that penguin classics always lose me 💀💀
I love Edgar’s writing style
Also this book is full of forensic talk and i love that
A thing i gotta say tho is that penguin classics always lose me 💀💀
September 19, 2023
-1 ster wegens foute wiskunde, be better allan
October 29, 2024
Yet experience has shown, and true philosophy will always show, that a vast, perhaps the larger, portion of truth arises from the seemingly irrelevant.
- The Mystery of Marie Rogêt, s88
—
2.75 stjerner, rundet opp ((2+3,5)/2)
—
Nokså artig liten minibok bestående av to korte detektivfortellinger om den geniale C. Auguste Dupin - angivelig den første detektivkarakteren: The Murders in the Rue Morgue og The Mystery of Marie Rogêt.
Førstnevnte begynner som et mini-essay hvor Poe analyserer «analysen», før den glir over til en mer tradisjonell mordgåte - med introduksjon til karakterene og et absurd ultra-bestialsk dobbeltmord. Den første halvdelen av The Murders i the Rogue Morgue, kanskje til og med de første to tredjedelene, er imponerende skrevet, særlig mtp at den går for å være den første kriminalromanen som er skrevet. Derfra går det dessverre bare nedover da geniale Dupin kommer fram til morderens identitet (gjennom flere titalls sider lange gripende monologer - se opp Dostojevskij!), og det viser seg at morderen ikke er et menneske, men en orangutang. Ja, en orangutang; en apekatt. Passe teit. Til Poes forsvar er avslutningen den første av sitt slag, og den er uforutsigbar, om ikke annet. 2/5.
The Mystery of Marie Rogêt er en bedre fortelling enn sin forgjenger. Slik jeg forstår det er den basert på en ekte uoppklart forsvinningssak Poe leste om i hans lange rekke daglige aviser, og dette gjenspeiles krystallklart (virkelig) i handlingen, som tilnærmet utelukkende er en lang ballade av Dupin-refleksjon basert på avisenes tolkninger av saken. Dessverre virker det ikke som Poes forlegger lot ham konkludere novellen eller komme med en fiktiv løsning på den virkelig saken. I det minste virker det sånn, da den brått avsluttes med [atter et] et lite mini-essay like før Dupin og fortelleren var i ferd med å løse selve gåten.
Virker likevel som fortellinger uten avslutning kan være bedre enn de som har dårlige. 3,5.
—
As the strong man exults in his physical ability, delighting in such exercises as call his mules into action, so glories the analyst in that moral activity which disentangles. He derives pleasure from even the most trivial occupations bringing his talent into play.
- The Murders in the Rue Morgue, s1
We should bear in mind that, in general, it is the object of our newspapers rather to create a sensation - to make a point - than to further the cause of truth. The latter end is only pursued when it seems coincident with the former.
- The Mystery of Marie Rogêt, s70
Not the least usual in investigations such as this is the limiting inquiry to the immediate, with total disregard of the collateral or circumstantial events.
- The Mystery of Marie Rogêt, s88
Yet experience has shown, and a true philosophy will always show, that a vast, perhaps the larger, portion of truth arises from the seemingly irrelevant.
- The Mystery of Marie Rogêt, s88
Each one of a gang, so placed, is not so much greedy of reward, or anxious for escape, as fearful of betrayal. He betrays eagerly and early that he may not himself be betrayed. That the secret has not been divulged is the very best proof that it is, in fact, a secret. The horrors of this dark deed are known only to one, or two, living human beings, and to God.
- The Mystery of Marie Rogêt, s110
Nothing, for example, is more difficult than to convince the merely general reader that the fact of sixes having been thrown twice in succession by a player at dice is sufficient cause for betting the largest odds that sixes will not be thrown in the third attempt. A suggestion to this effect is usually rejected by the intellect at once. It does not appear that the two throws which have been completed, and which lie now absolutely in the Past, can have influence upon the throw which exists only in the Future. The chance for throwing sixes seems to be precisely as it was at any ordinary time - that is to say, subject only to the influence of the various other throws which may be made by the dice.
- The Mystery of Marie Rogêt, s116 (siste side)
——
Psykologisk analyse av Morderen ala Forbrytelse og Straff, fra Poe: The Mystery of Marie Rogêt:
Let us see. An individual has committed the murder. The is alone with the ghost of the departed. He is appalled by that lies motionless before him. The fury of his passion is over, and there is abundant room in his heart for the natural awe of the deed. His is none of that confidence which the presence of numbers inevitably inspires. He is alone with the dead. He trembles and is bewildered. Yet there is a necessity for disposing of the corpse. He bears it to the river, and leaves behind him the other evidences of his guilt; for it is difficult, if not impossible to carry all the burthen at once, and it will be easy to return for what is left. But in his toil some journey to the water his fears redouble within him. The sounds of life encompass his path. A dozen times he hears of fancies he hears the step of an observer. Even the very lights from the city bewilders him. Yet, in time, and by ling and frequent pauses of deep agony, he reaches the river´s brink, and disposes of his ghastly charge - perhaps through the medium of a boat. But now what treasure does the world hold - what threat of vengeance could it hold out - which would have the power to urge the return of that lonely murderer over that toilsome and perilous path, to the thicket and its blood-chilling recollections? He returns not, let the consequences be what they may. He could not return if he would. His sole thought is immediate escape. He turns his back forever upon those dreadful shrubberies, and flees as from the wrath to come.
- The Mystery of Marie Rogêt, s105
- The Mystery of Marie Rogêt, s88
—
2.75 stjerner, rundet opp ((2+3,5)/2)
—
Nokså artig liten minibok bestående av to korte detektivfortellinger om den geniale C. Auguste Dupin - angivelig den første detektivkarakteren: The Murders in the Rue Morgue og The Mystery of Marie Rogêt.
Førstnevnte begynner som et mini-essay hvor Poe analyserer «analysen», før den glir over til en mer tradisjonell mordgåte - med introduksjon til karakterene og et absurd ultra-bestialsk dobbeltmord. Den første halvdelen av The Murders i the Rogue Morgue, kanskje til og med de første to tredjedelene, er imponerende skrevet, særlig mtp at den går for å være den første kriminalromanen som er skrevet. Derfra går det dessverre bare nedover da geniale Dupin kommer fram til morderens identitet (gjennom flere titalls sider lange gripende monologer - se opp Dostojevskij!), og det viser seg at morderen ikke er et menneske, men en orangutang. Ja, en orangutang; en apekatt. Passe teit. Til Poes forsvar er avslutningen den første av sitt slag, og den er uforutsigbar, om ikke annet. 2/5.
The Mystery of Marie Rogêt er en bedre fortelling enn sin forgjenger. Slik jeg forstår det er den basert på en ekte uoppklart forsvinningssak Poe leste om i hans lange rekke daglige aviser, og dette gjenspeiles krystallklart (virkelig) i handlingen, som tilnærmet utelukkende er en lang ballade av Dupin-refleksjon basert på avisenes tolkninger av saken. Dessverre virker det ikke som Poes forlegger lot ham konkludere novellen eller komme med en fiktiv løsning på den virkelig saken. I det minste virker det sånn, da den brått avsluttes med [atter et] et lite mini-essay like før Dupin og fortelleren var i ferd med å løse selve gåten.
Virker likevel som fortellinger uten avslutning kan være bedre enn de som har dårlige. 3,5.
—
As the strong man exults in his physical ability, delighting in such exercises as call his mules into action, so glories the analyst in that moral activity which disentangles. He derives pleasure from even the most trivial occupations bringing his talent into play.
- The Murders in the Rue Morgue, s1
We should bear in mind that, in general, it is the object of our newspapers rather to create a sensation - to make a point - than to further the cause of truth. The latter end is only pursued when it seems coincident with the former.
- The Mystery of Marie Rogêt, s70
Not the least usual in investigations such as this is the limiting inquiry to the immediate, with total disregard of the collateral or circumstantial events.
- The Mystery of Marie Rogêt, s88
Yet experience has shown, and a true philosophy will always show, that a vast, perhaps the larger, portion of truth arises from the seemingly irrelevant.
- The Mystery of Marie Rogêt, s88
Each one of a gang, so placed, is not so much greedy of reward, or anxious for escape, as fearful of betrayal. He betrays eagerly and early that he may not himself be betrayed. That the secret has not been divulged is the very best proof that it is, in fact, a secret. The horrors of this dark deed are known only to one, or two, living human beings, and to God.
- The Mystery of Marie Rogêt, s110
Nothing, for example, is more difficult than to convince the merely general reader that the fact of sixes having been thrown twice in succession by a player at dice is sufficient cause for betting the largest odds that sixes will not be thrown in the third attempt. A suggestion to this effect is usually rejected by the intellect at once. It does not appear that the two throws which have been completed, and which lie now absolutely in the Past, can have influence upon the throw which exists only in the Future. The chance for throwing sixes seems to be precisely as it was at any ordinary time - that is to say, subject only to the influence of the various other throws which may be made by the dice.
- The Mystery of Marie Rogêt, s116 (siste side)
——
Psykologisk analyse av Morderen ala Forbrytelse og Straff, fra Poe: The Mystery of Marie Rogêt:
Let us see. An individual has committed the murder. The is alone with the ghost of the departed. He is appalled by that lies motionless before him. The fury of his passion is over, and there is abundant room in his heart for the natural awe of the deed. His is none of that confidence which the presence of numbers inevitably inspires. He is alone with the dead. He trembles and is bewildered. Yet there is a necessity for disposing of the corpse. He bears it to the river, and leaves behind him the other evidences of his guilt; for it is difficult, if not impossible to carry all the burthen at once, and it will be easy to return for what is left. But in his toil some journey to the water his fears redouble within him. The sounds of life encompass his path. A dozen times he hears of fancies he hears the step of an observer. Even the very lights from the city bewilders him. Yet, in time, and by ling and frequent pauses of deep agony, he reaches the river´s brink, and disposes of his ghastly charge - perhaps through the medium of a boat. But now what treasure does the world hold - what threat of vengeance could it hold out - which would have the power to urge the return of that lonely murderer over that toilsome and perilous path, to the thicket and its blood-chilling recollections? He returns not, let the consequences be what they may. He could not return if he would. His sole thought is immediate escape. He turns his back forever upon those dreadful shrubberies, and flees as from the wrath to come.
- The Mystery of Marie Rogêt, s105
Read
August 23, 2020kind of sad this was my first poe?? wish i read something stranger
September 25, 2020
In these two mindbending stories Le Chevalier C. Auguste Dupin based on analytical methods and reasoning that seem to step on the preternatural sphere, yet his deductions are not more so than the observation of the results of mere coincidences, solves crimes that elude the stereotypical set of mind of the Parisian Police. It would be a lie if I say I didn't enjoy reading these stories. Excellent!
February 9, 2024
Two well written stories of investigation.
October 22, 2021
2.5. sorry poe😭
tbh i didnt finish this book. i gave up halfway through the second story.
the cases were interesting especially the first one but oh my lord the language was like devastatingly soporific. it felt like a chore and it sucked my will to read this out of me like a dementor.
my only regret is wasting money on this😭😭
tbh i didnt finish this book. i gave up halfway through the second story.
the cases were interesting especially the first one but oh my lord the language was like devastatingly soporific. it felt like a chore and it sucked my will to read this out of me like a dementor.
my only regret is wasting money on this😭😭
September 3, 2025
so, so deeply boring.
December 20, 2022
I really had to force myself to read this one, even though it's so short.
Personally I'm just not a fan of how the story unrolls and things that are never spoken about are then presented abruptly and then moved on from, as if the deduction was obvious but based on events the reader was never exposed to.
The entire time while reading I was trying to put together what we know about who, when, the where, to establish what could have happened. But the story just doesn't progress that way, you are given some evidence which can lead you to a particular conclusion, but an entirely different conclusion is later revealed, and the evidence is then presented in a dialogue as to how it was attained, which really made me feel frustrated and like I have been wasting my time trying to understand what happened, when key information was deliberately not revealed by certain characters at the start of the book. But maybe that was just how murder mysterious were written back in the day.
Personally I'm just not a fan of how the story unrolls and things that are never spoken about are then presented abruptly and then moved on from, as if the deduction was obvious but based on events the reader was never exposed to.
The entire time while reading I was trying to put together what we know about who, when, the where, to establish what could have happened. But the story just doesn't progress that way, you are given some evidence which can lead you to a particular conclusion, but an entirely different conclusion is later revealed, and the evidence is then presented in a dialogue as to how it was attained, which really made me feel frustrated and like I have been wasting my time trying to understand what happened, when key information was deliberately not revealed by certain characters at the start of the book. But maybe that was just how murder mysterious were written back in the day.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 10, 2022
Not a big fan of edgar so maybe biased but basically a murder mystery without the mystery part, so just a 200 page long murder.
November 5, 2016
All the news that's fit to discuss at length
A duo of Watson-Holmes-style novellas surrounding the mysterious murders of two young women, herein the parts of Watson and Holmes are played by the narrator and C. August Dupin, a Frenchman. Paris is our setting. Murdered women are discovered. The two main characters, not involved in law enforcement whatever, nevertheless get pulled into crime scene analysis.
In reality, most of the pages involve Dupin decrypting the very innuendo heavy newspaper articles reporting on the aftermath of the murders, and these “reports” are rife with baseless factual assertions, false timelines, and speculation in the style of Nancy Grace (only more shrill and less circumspect). I found the deductive style of Dupin pretty fun, although 30 consecutive pages of newspaper clipping analysis became tiresome. The two men literally spend almost no time at the crime scene(s) or in any situation except extended conversation, almost entirely from Dupin.
Nevertheless, I found this worthy of a read. More than half a century before Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous of detectives was born on the page, we have C. August Dupin uttering what is surely familiar to most of us in a more modern, celluloid form:
Now, brought to this conclusion in so unequivocal a manner as we are, is it not our part, as reasoners, to reject it on account of apparent impossibilities. It is only left for us to prove that these apparent “impossibilities” are, in reality, not such.
One other lacking feature of the narrative: there is no nemesis or counterpoint to the analytical hero. Without this, tension is less by an order of magnitude.
A duo of Watson-Holmes-style novellas surrounding the mysterious murders of two young women, herein the parts of Watson and Holmes are played by the narrator and C. August Dupin, a Frenchman. Paris is our setting. Murdered women are discovered. The two main characters, not involved in law enforcement whatever, nevertheless get pulled into crime scene analysis.
In reality, most of the pages involve Dupin decrypting the very innuendo heavy newspaper articles reporting on the aftermath of the murders, and these “reports” are rife with baseless factual assertions, false timelines, and speculation in the style of Nancy Grace (only more shrill and less circumspect). I found the deductive style of Dupin pretty fun, although 30 consecutive pages of newspaper clipping analysis became tiresome. The two men literally spend almost no time at the crime scene(s) or in any situation except extended conversation, almost entirely from Dupin.
Nevertheless, I found this worthy of a read. More than half a century before Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous of detectives was born on the page, we have C. August Dupin uttering what is surely familiar to most of us in a more modern, celluloid form:
Now, brought to this conclusion in so unequivocal a manner as we are, is it not our part, as reasoners, to reject it on account of apparent impossibilities. It is only left for us to prove that these apparent “impossibilities” are, in reality, not such.
One other lacking feature of the narrative: there is no nemesis or counterpoint to the analytical hero. Without this, tension is less by an order of magnitude.
September 10, 2018
I really enjoyed these stories. I seem to recall some throw-away remark from one of my classes that Poe’s Dupin-stories might have been a partial inspiration for Conan Doyle’s widely famous Sherlock Holmes. And I can see why, as I got a similar vibe. Since I love the SH stories, I don’t find this a problem at all.
As for the two stories in this book, I especially liked the first one and read it pretty much in a single sitting. The second story, while still being a hoghly interesting mystery, was a bit tedious and dragged in places as it consisted almost entirely of monologue and a fair few philosophical, or theoretical musings. In the end, I really enjoyed myself as I read this book and want to find more of Poe’s stories about Dupin.
As for the two stories in this book, I especially liked the first one and read it pretty much in a single sitting. The second story, while still being a hoghly interesting mystery, was a bit tedious and dragged in places as it consisted almost entirely of monologue and a fair few philosophical, or theoretical musings. In the end, I really enjoyed myself as I read this book and want to find more of Poe’s stories about Dupin.
March 8, 2025
First one, ‘Murders in the Rue Morgue’ was pretty fun, and neat, but it is clear to see just how far the detective genre has come since its creation.
The second one, ‘The Mystery of Marie Rogêt’, was painfully slow and tiresome. I don’t think Dupin even leaves his living room during the entire speculation, and the murder isn’t even solved, it just kind of explains the kind of person who could have done it (i think??). Took this fun 3/5 to a low 2.
The second one, ‘The Mystery of Marie Rogêt’, was painfully slow and tiresome. I don’t think Dupin even leaves his living room during the entire speculation, and the murder isn’t even solved, it just kind of explains the kind of person who could have done it (i think??). Took this fun 3/5 to a low 2.
August 23, 2025
“A vast, perhaps the larger, portion of the truth, arises from the seemingly irrelevant.”
This Penguin Classic packs two of Edgar Allan Poe’s murder mysteries, The Murders in the Rue Morgue and The Mystery of Marie Rogêt. These are called the blueprints for every mystery novel that came after.
The Murders in the Rue Morgue introduces us to C. Auguste Dupin, who solves the grotesque double murder of a mother and daughter in a locked room. It’s grisly, puzzling & outrageous with witnesses giving conflicting accounts of the voices they heard. It’s more about how Dupin untangles the contradictions & reveals how reason can pierce through chaos. It’s thrilling to watch the mechanics of deduction at work, even if the pacing sometimes drags with long digressions.
Then comes The Mystery of Marie Rogêt, which feels almost like a thought experiment. Poe takes a real-life case, the murder of Mary Rogers in New York & reimagines it in Paris. Again, the story is less about action & more about Dupin methodically dismantling newspaper reports, weighing theories, & exposing faulty assumptions. It reads slower, more cerebral, almost academic & even tedious at times, but it shows Poe’s boldness in trying to solve a real-world crime through fiction.
Together, the stories show the dramatic flair of a sensational murder mystery & the cold precision of logical analysis. Do they always land perfectly? No. Marie Rogêt in particular can feel dry, & modern readers will find both tales quite heavy-handed. But they do lay the foundations of what we now take for granted in detective fiction, the brilliant amateur sleuth, the flawed witnesses, the painstaking reconstruction of events.
The joy of reading them is in realizing that we’re watching the detective genre being born.
@the_edgar_allan_poe #edgarallanpoe #themurdersintheruemorgue #themysteryofmarierogêt
#crimethriller #crimetime #mysterybooks #crimefiction #mysterythriller #whodunnit #gothicthriller
#navamreviews #BooksBooksBooks #CultureTripBooks #BookishLife #ReadingAesthetic #BookishFeature #instareads #readstagram #readergram #booktherapy #AlwaysReading #GirlsWhoRead #BookReview #Bookstagram #ReadingAddict #novels #fiction #fictionbook
This Penguin Classic packs two of Edgar Allan Poe’s murder mysteries, The Murders in the Rue Morgue and The Mystery of Marie Rogêt. These are called the blueprints for every mystery novel that came after.
The Murders in the Rue Morgue introduces us to C. Auguste Dupin, who solves the grotesque double murder of a mother and daughter in a locked room. It’s grisly, puzzling & outrageous with witnesses giving conflicting accounts of the voices they heard. It’s more about how Dupin untangles the contradictions & reveals how reason can pierce through chaos. It’s thrilling to watch the mechanics of deduction at work, even if the pacing sometimes drags with long digressions.
Then comes The Mystery of Marie Rogêt, which feels almost like a thought experiment. Poe takes a real-life case, the murder of Mary Rogers in New York & reimagines it in Paris. Again, the story is less about action & more about Dupin methodically dismantling newspaper reports, weighing theories, & exposing faulty assumptions. It reads slower, more cerebral, almost academic & even tedious at times, but it shows Poe’s boldness in trying to solve a real-world crime through fiction.
Together, the stories show the dramatic flair of a sensational murder mystery & the cold precision of logical analysis. Do they always land perfectly? No. Marie Rogêt in particular can feel dry, & modern readers will find both tales quite heavy-handed. But they do lay the foundations of what we now take for granted in detective fiction, the brilliant amateur sleuth, the flawed witnesses, the painstaking reconstruction of events.
The joy of reading them is in realizing that we’re watching the detective genre being born.
@the_edgar_allan_poe #edgarallanpoe #themurdersintheruemorgue #themysteryofmarierogêt
#crimethriller #crimetime #mysterybooks #crimefiction #mysterythriller #whodunnit #gothicthriller
#navamreviews #BooksBooksBooks #CultureTripBooks #BookishLife #ReadingAesthetic #BookishFeature #instareads #readstagram #readergram #booktherapy #AlwaysReading #GirlsWhoRead #BookReview #Bookstagram #ReadingAddict #novels #fiction #fictionbook
October 20, 2024
Poe is credited with inventing the character of the detective, and some argue that he even wrote about detectives before there was an actual job in the police for such work which is quite interesting. Yes, this was a slog of a read, it put me to sleep several times, but if you push through it, you will see that indeed Dupin has the characteristics of more famous detectives (especially Sherlock Holmes). He lives a secluded life, during the day he prefers to stay at home with the blinds closed and he only goes out at night with his single companion, of course, a man, a sidekick who serves as a sounding board for his ideas as well as the narrator of the adventures. However, there are no adventures per se, they simply walk around Paris, investigate a bit, and mostly read newspaper clippings and discuss murders. From this perspective Dupin sounds more like a true crime afficionado than a true modern detective but let’s bear in mind that this was written in the 1840s. Dupin is also very attentive to details, and likes to work his analytical skills to the point where an affirmation is broken down on several pages only to be refuted as illogical. He also dislikes the police and journalists and considers that they do their job rather poorly. But, in contrast to Sherlock Holmes who appears to make deductions basically pulled from his asshole, Dupin actually makes sense and is sensible meaning that any person paying attention to the same details could come up to the same conclusion.
July 9, 2025
I read a few works by Poe before, but if I recalled correctly, they were in the form of graphic novels, so this one is technically the first Poe's 'written work' I've read. The language was hard to get through at first: lengthy, complicatedly constructed sentences about analytical ability which introduced us to the protagonist C. Auguste Dupin. Fortunately, it does get better when you are used to it. Since I did read 'The murders in the Rue Morgue' before (albeit a long time ago), I sort of remembered the culprit when I was two thirds through the story. Still, I enjoyed it. The second story was brand-new to me, so I was even more intrigued to find out who did it. Yet, the ending was somewhat disappointing in a sense that I still couldn't grasp what was going on; it left me hanging in the middle of nowhere - an unpleasant feeling indeed. I did notice how Dupin was depicted somewhat similar to my favourite detective of all times - Sherlock Holmes, and I was pleasantly surprised to find out how Poe's C Auguste Dupin set the groundwork for his successors like Holmes and Poirot. It was still an interesting read, especially because it has been such a loooong time (10 years plus) since I last read this sort of detective work.
November 5, 2023
📓Poe's "The Modern Detective" comprises two short stories; "The Murders in the Rue Morgue", a seemingly inexplicable double murder in Paris, and "The Mystery of Marie Rogêt", based on the unsolved true case of Mary Rogers. In these two stories we follow a young yet brilliant detective, Dupin, only by analysing the information presented in newspaper (you get to read it too) plus his powers of observation & deduction to attempt/solves the case. Tho the first story is very well known, I love both stories equally, as you get to explore different theories & possibilities in the latter.
As a fan of Doyle's work, I can't believe I'm late to the party. Poe's work is amazing! It made you do the thinking (play detective alongside Dupin) and get into the adventure instead of just serving you the conclusions. Now that I've read Poe's work, I can sense how it kind of influence Doyle's work in the detective mystery genre. I'd say (in most books) Holmes more inclined towards forensic science deduction, while Dupin more on psychological deduction. If you're a true crime fan, I'd highly recommend.
As a fan of Doyle's work, I can't believe I'm late to the party. Poe's work is amazing! It made you do the thinking (play detective alongside Dupin) and get into the adventure instead of just serving you the conclusions. Now that I've read Poe's work, I can sense how it kind of influence Doyle's work in the detective mystery genre. I'd say (in most books) Holmes more inclined towards forensic science deduction, while Dupin more on psychological deduction. If you're a true crime fan, I'd highly recommend.
November 2, 2023
The Murders in The Rue Morgue is incredibly compelling but I did struggle with Poe’s prose. I can 100% see how he influenced Doyle. The prose is hard but it’s very shrewd & analytical. I really loved the introduction to this one the unnamed narrator discussing shrewd observations & detective style thoughts. It was confusing but it was highly fascinating! Poe really did not hold back with barbarity in this tale.
I liked that the man who was investigating wasn’t a detective but he had the knowledge of one. I love how Poe explored symbolism with people. Dupin represented that of the Whilst players mind, imaginative & rational mind. The police is a model of the chess players mind, analytical.
The second story is interesting as it’s based on a real life m*Eder case but it was never solved. Where the story falls for me is it’s just mainly theories & police reports .. it just kind of rambles. Poe never really has a conclusion either. Normally I wouldn’t mind the mystery but with this I do. It was very clever but not as strong as the first one.
I liked that the man who was investigating wasn’t a detective but he had the knowledge of one. I love how Poe explored symbolism with people. Dupin represented that of the Whilst players mind, imaginative & rational mind. The police is a model of the chess players mind, analytical.
The second story is interesting as it’s based on a real life m*Eder case but it was never solved. Where the story falls for me is it’s just mainly theories & police reports .. it just kind of rambles. Poe never really has a conclusion either. Normally I wouldn’t mind the mystery but with this I do. It was very clever but not as strong as the first one.
August 4, 2023
This book was a compilation of two short stories featuring the same protagonist. The stories were at times quite random and parts were either completely predictable or impossible to anticipate. This isn’t ideal for a mystery. The first one was an entertaining enough story that left me satisfied however the second was considerably less interesting and left me feeling as though the mystery had not properly been resolved. Some of Poe’s political and philosophical commentary that he indirectly litters throughout the passages pertain to the modern day with relevant and interesting points. Poe’a writing style is inundated with clues to his inclination towards horror with rather unnecessarily gruesome descriptions of crime scenes. However the text, bar some of Poe’s commentary, is fairly easy to read and enjoyable. I would recommend The Murders in the Rue Morgue but not The Mystery of Marie Rogêt.
October 8, 2024
I was expected a think-piece or essay by Poe on how he conceptualized the emergence of the modern detective archetype. It kinda is - Poe's writing, and particularly these two stories is very pedantic and holds your hand through all clues and interpretations. I personally enjoyed The Murders in Rue Morgue much more than Marie Roget; it was much more gruesome and truly astounding in its resolution, a little bit like The Baskerville's Hound where the red herring is actually the solution, while the latter read like a weird true crime blog account of a murder case that is still unsolved, and thus settles for a resolution that's focused on reinterpreting and regurgitating all the clues and evidence rather than producing a new insight.
August 26, 2021
Interesting premise for both plots but the writing was too draggy and at times unnecessarily long winded and wordy. It's a shame though, because the plot was very interesting but I just could not sit through anymore of Dupin's long winded theories and explanations, even though they are interesting and even brilliant at times. I like the dark themes of Edgar Allan Poe's writing but this one was just too unnecessarily wordy and long for my liking. Had he written the plot in real time it would probably be more interesting to read but I felt like I was reading a research paper or a case judgement.
Honestly it's a 2.8 for me. 3 stars is me being generous.
DNF @ page 80/115
Honestly it's a 2.8 for me. 3 stars is me being generous.
DNF @ page 80/115
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