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Joseph Rouletabille #1
Le Mystère de La Chambre Jaune
Grand classique de la littérature policière française, Le Mystère de la Chambre Jaune met en scène l'apparition de celui qui deviendra le célèbre reporter Joseph Rouletabille.
Suivez les pas du jeune et déjà brillant limier dans sa toute première enquête !
251 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1907
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About the author
Gaston Leroux
1,053 books1,080 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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February 21, 2018
1.5
I thought this book would never finish!
It was one of those stories in which there are no clues for the reader and the reader feels stupid and confused and the other characters in the book also are dense and don’t see what’s in front of them and ask stupid questions when the brilliant detective/journalist sheds light on something. Let’s say the detective says “the culprit went this way!”. His companion asks “how do you know that?” Dude, you don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to see there are muddy footprints right in front of you!!!
Anyway, the very brilliant detective/journalist solves the mystery in the end. In fact from almost the beginning he knows who is the culprit and how he got out of the locked room, but for some reason he doesn’t divulge the solution, which by the way has not a hint of logic to it and makes us read all the rantings and technicalities over and over again.
Maybe it had been an interesting read at the time, I don’t know, but for me it was pure torture.
I thought this book would never finish!
It was one of those stories in which there are no clues for the reader and the reader feels stupid and confused and the other characters in the book also are dense and don’t see what’s in front of them and ask stupid questions when the brilliant detective/journalist sheds light on something. Let’s say the detective says “the culprit went this way!”. His companion asks “how do you know that?” Dude, you don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to see there are muddy footprints right in front of you!!!
Anyway, the very brilliant detective/journalist solves the mystery in the end. In fact from almost the beginning he knows who is the culprit and how he got out of the locked room, but for some reason he doesn’t divulge the solution, which by the way has not a hint of logic to it and makes us read all the rantings and technicalities over and over again.
Maybe it had been an interesting read at the time, I don’t know, but for me it was pure torture.
September 10, 2015
The Mystery of the Yellow Room, by Gaston Leroux, originally written in French as ‘Le Mystère de la Chambre Jaune’, in 1908 is the first book featuring the fictional reporter and amateur sleuth, Joseph Rouletabille. With The Mystery of the Yellow Room, Gaston Leroux – who is best known for his novel The Phantom of the Opera - popularized an entire subgenre of detective fiction named as ‘locked room mystery’ and this work is often regarded as one of the finest in this genre.
The book literally transport the reader into a world of mystery where a perfect crime has just happened - a crime, which is maddeningly complex and bordering on the realms of being simply impossible to commit - and Joseph Rouletabille has to use every ounce of his skills and his bravery to find how the crime was committed inside a hermetically sealed room. The way in which Leroux narrates this story of intrigue, with a level of great detail – about the events, the crime scene, and even the surroundings and layout of Château du Glandier, where the mystery unfolds - keeps the reader fully absorbed.
The influence of Gaston Leroux on The Locked Room mystery detective fiction
The subgenre of detective or mystery fiction in which a crime is committed in an apparently impossible scenario – usually with an airtight crime scene that is not accessible by outside entities; like a locked room – is often referred to as ‘Locked Room Mysteries’. In Edgar Allan Poe’s "The Murders in the Rue Morgue", of 1841, we can trace the earliest elements associated with this subgenre of the mystery/ crime/ detective fiction. When Gaston Leroux wrote The Mystery of the Yellow Room, it paved the way to a flurry of similar stories; as the ‘Golden Age of detective fiction’ was just around the corner and many of the master writers of that period were either impressed or influenced by Leroux’s work.
When Edward Dentinger Hoch - the American detective fiction writer with a prolific contribution of more than nine hundred short stories and who wrote many locked room mysteries himself – edited a collection of mystery stories named ‘All But Impossible!’, in 1981, he compiled a list of top ranking detective fictions featuring impossible or hard to solve crime scenarios. In this list compiled after taking votes from well-known authors and reviewers, ‘The Mystery of the Yellow Room’ was chosen as the third ‘best locked room mystery’ story. John Dickson Carr, who wrote ‘The Hollow Man’ of 1935 – which topped this list – himself named ‘The Mystery of the Yellow Room’ as the greatest and his personal favorite work in the genre.
The Mystery of the Yellow Room
The story is set in Château du Glandier owned by Professor Joseph Stangerson, who is a renowned scientist and revolves around the baffling mystery surrounding a crime committed against ‘Mathilde Stangerson’, the daughter of the Professor. When Mathilde Stangerson was found unconscious inside her chamber – named the Yellow Room – after getting attacked by an unknown entity, the room was locked from inside and her assailant had vanished into thin air leaving only some signs of violence, which baffles everyone.
Mathilde Stangerson, remembers nothing about the attacker. Soon Joseph Rouletabille and his lawyer friend Sainclair – the story is narrated through Sainclair – gets involved in unraveling the mysterious affairs at Château du Glandier and it’s Yellow room. With Joseph Rouletabille, investigating the crime, the story gets more intense with lots of suspicious characters, strange happenings and even a murder at the castle premises, and he painstakingly unfolds layer after layer of secrets adding to the delight of the reader. The friendly rivalry that he has with the police detective Frédéric Larsan who is officially investigating the case adds to the enjoyment of the story.
This is one of those detective fiction, which will encourage the reader to take up the clues left by the author and analyze them to unravel the mystery themselves. As a reader if you have a taste for fiction from the early 1900s then this age-old original classic, which is largely forgotten these days, is well worth reading. Like all crime/ detective fiction from such a different time period, second-guessing each phases of the story with modern day police procedures and forensic investigation methodologies will totally ruin the reading experience.
The book literally transport the reader into a world of mystery where a perfect crime has just happened - a crime, which is maddeningly complex and bordering on the realms of being simply impossible to commit - and Joseph Rouletabille has to use every ounce of his skills and his bravery to find how the crime was committed inside a hermetically sealed room. The way in which Leroux narrates this story of intrigue, with a level of great detail – about the events, the crime scene, and even the surroundings and layout of Château du Glandier, where the mystery unfolds - keeps the reader fully absorbed.
The influence of Gaston Leroux on The Locked Room mystery detective fiction
The subgenre of detective or mystery fiction in which a crime is committed in an apparently impossible scenario – usually with an airtight crime scene that is not accessible by outside entities; like a locked room – is often referred to as ‘Locked Room Mysteries’. In Edgar Allan Poe’s "The Murders in the Rue Morgue", of 1841, we can trace the earliest elements associated with this subgenre of the mystery/ crime/ detective fiction. When Gaston Leroux wrote The Mystery of the Yellow Room, it paved the way to a flurry of similar stories; as the ‘Golden Age of detective fiction’ was just around the corner and many of the master writers of that period were either impressed or influenced by Leroux’s work.
When Edward Dentinger Hoch - the American detective fiction writer with a prolific contribution of more than nine hundred short stories and who wrote many locked room mysteries himself – edited a collection of mystery stories named ‘All But Impossible!’, in 1981, he compiled a list of top ranking detective fictions featuring impossible or hard to solve crime scenarios. In this list compiled after taking votes from well-known authors and reviewers, ‘The Mystery of the Yellow Room’ was chosen as the third ‘best locked room mystery’ story. John Dickson Carr, who wrote ‘The Hollow Man’ of 1935 – which topped this list – himself named ‘The Mystery of the Yellow Room’ as the greatest and his personal favorite work in the genre.
The Mystery of the Yellow Room
The story is set in Château du Glandier owned by Professor Joseph Stangerson, who is a renowned scientist and revolves around the baffling mystery surrounding a crime committed against ‘Mathilde Stangerson’, the daughter of the Professor. When Mathilde Stangerson was found unconscious inside her chamber – named the Yellow Room – after getting attacked by an unknown entity, the room was locked from inside and her assailant had vanished into thin air leaving only some signs of violence, which baffles everyone.
Mathilde Stangerson, remembers nothing about the attacker. Soon Joseph Rouletabille and his lawyer friend Sainclair – the story is narrated through Sainclair – gets involved in unraveling the mysterious affairs at Château du Glandier and it’s Yellow room. With Joseph Rouletabille, investigating the crime, the story gets more intense with lots of suspicious characters, strange happenings and even a murder at the castle premises, and he painstakingly unfolds layer after layer of secrets adding to the delight of the reader. The friendly rivalry that he has with the police detective Frédéric Larsan who is officially investigating the case adds to the enjoyment of the story.
This is one of those detective fiction, which will encourage the reader to take up the clues left by the author and analyze them to unravel the mystery themselves. As a reader if you have a taste for fiction from the early 1900s then this age-old original classic, which is largely forgotten these days, is well worth reading. Like all crime/ detective fiction from such a different time period, second-guessing each phases of the story with modern day police procedures and forensic investigation methodologies will totally ruin the reading experience.
September 29, 2020
“Aquí juega un papel importante la atención. Si se pierde por un momento, se comete un descuido que resulta perjuicio o derrota.” Edgar Allan Poe, Los crímenes de la calle Morgue
Cada vez que termino de leer novelas tan geniales como esta llego a la misma pregunta: ¿Cómo hacen estos autores para crear una historia con tanto nivel de complejidad, giros y acertijos y cómo logran mantener el suspenso hasta el final, donde todo encaja a la perfección?
Siempre me deshago en palabras de admiración cuando me cruzo con libros de este tipo. El famoso misterio del crimen en un cuarto cerrado, cuyo puntapié inicial lo daría Edgar Allan Poe con su cuento “Los crímenes de la calle Morgue”, y que conjuntamente instauraría el inicio de la novela policial, allá por 1841 y que continuaría con “La carta robada” y “El misterio de Maria Roget”, comenzaría una larga lista de cuentos y novelas que afianzarían el género para siempre y que aún hoy es leído con sumo interés.
La figura del detective con análisis deductivo que resuelve un caso aparentemente imposible sería puesto en marcha por otros grandes e inolvidables autores como Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, Dashiel Hammett o Wilkie Collins, logró afianzar definitivamente este género tan atrayente.
En el caso de Gastón Leroux, quien fuera mundialmente conocido por su otra novela, “El fantasma de la Ópera”, este libro y varios más le dieron la posibilidad de situarse entre los grandes novelistas franceses del siglo XIX.
Respecto a “El misterio del cuarto amarillo”, debo reconocer que me mantuvo completamente absorbido y atento a los hechos hasta el desenlace de la novela.
Tal vez, para otros lectores, es normal y hasta simple la deducción de quién es el asesino de Mathilde Stangerson, pero en mi caso nunca me doy cuenta de quién es, puesto que los hechos me desorientan y necesito llegar al final para develar el misterio.
En este caso, el que sobresale en la investigación no es un afamado detective sino un joven reportero del periódico L'Époque, de tan sólo veinte años cuyo nombre será muy recordado en la literatura policíaca: Joseph Rouletabille.
Este muchacho posee un análisis deductivo intachable, es altamente sagaz, observador y nunca se le escapa el menor detalle, a punto tal, que pondrá en jaque al jefe de la investigación, el renombrado y archi famoso detective Frédéric Larsan, quien viene con todos los honores de resolver los casos más difíciles.
Como es costumbre en este tipo de casos, ninguno de los personajes queda fuera del círculo de sospechosos, ni siquiera la víctima y a su vez nos encontramos con que todos están relacionados y bajo sospecha, a tal punto que Rouletabille incluye al propio padre de Mathilde, a su novio Robert Darzac, a Jacques el mayordomo, a los porteros, la señora y el señor Bernier, a un guardabosques que tiene relación con la familia Stangerson e incluso a un visitante norteamericano, el señor Arthur Rance.
Nadie, absolutamente nadie está fuera de sospecha y todos pueden ser el potencial asesino.
Es que el gran misterio radica en que Mathilde es atacada por un asesino que se escapa de manera imposible del cuarto amarillo donde ella duerme y que tiene su puerta cerrada con llave y la única ventana de la habitación (no hay chimenea tampoco) está trabada por dentro y por fuera.
El otro detalle que desconcierta a los investigadores es que Mathilde tiene huellas de estrangulamiento, un golpe en la sien que parece haber sido dado por un hueso de cordero (esto es realmente extraño), además de que dentro del cuarto encuentran una boina, un pañuelo, dos impactos de bala, uno de ellos en el techo y la huella de una mano ensangrentada en la pared.
Más extraño que esto, imposible.
Al parecer, las pruebas sirven más para desconcertar que para tener una idea clara de cómo puede haberse dado el ataque y nadie, excepto Rouletabille tiene la solución. Con un método de análisis sin igual establece un contrapunto sin igual contra Frédéric Larsan para ver quién de los dos resolverá el caso y adquirirá fama eterna,
Lo sé… grandes detectives como Auguste C. Dupin, Sherlock Holmes, Hércules Poirot y tantos otros perfeccionaron al extremo ese arte innato para resolver los misterios, crímenes y enigmas de lo más intrincado a los que se han expuesto en tantos cuentos y novelas policiales y de misterio, pero debemos recordar que Joseph Rouletabille debe formar parte sin excepción de ese círculo tan selecto de investigadores brillantes gracias a “El misterio del cuarto amarillo” de Gastón Leroux.
Cada vez que termino de leer novelas tan geniales como esta llego a la misma pregunta: ¿Cómo hacen estos autores para crear una historia con tanto nivel de complejidad, giros y acertijos y cómo logran mantener el suspenso hasta el final, donde todo encaja a la perfección?
Siempre me deshago en palabras de admiración cuando me cruzo con libros de este tipo. El famoso misterio del crimen en un cuarto cerrado, cuyo puntapié inicial lo daría Edgar Allan Poe con su cuento “Los crímenes de la calle Morgue”, y que conjuntamente instauraría el inicio de la novela policial, allá por 1841 y que continuaría con “La carta robada” y “El misterio de Maria Roget”, comenzaría una larga lista de cuentos y novelas que afianzarían el género para siempre y que aún hoy es leído con sumo interés.
La figura del detective con análisis deductivo que resuelve un caso aparentemente imposible sería puesto en marcha por otros grandes e inolvidables autores como Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, Dashiel Hammett o Wilkie Collins, logró afianzar definitivamente este género tan atrayente.
En el caso de Gastón Leroux, quien fuera mundialmente conocido por su otra novela, “El fantasma de la Ópera”, este libro y varios más le dieron la posibilidad de situarse entre los grandes novelistas franceses del siglo XIX.
Respecto a “El misterio del cuarto amarillo”, debo reconocer que me mantuvo completamente absorbido y atento a los hechos hasta el desenlace de la novela.
Tal vez, para otros lectores, es normal y hasta simple la deducción de quién es el asesino de Mathilde Stangerson, pero en mi caso nunca me doy cuenta de quién es, puesto que los hechos me desorientan y necesito llegar al final para develar el misterio.
En este caso, el que sobresale en la investigación no es un afamado detective sino un joven reportero del periódico L'Époque, de tan sólo veinte años cuyo nombre será muy recordado en la literatura policíaca: Joseph Rouletabille.
Este muchacho posee un análisis deductivo intachable, es altamente sagaz, observador y nunca se le escapa el menor detalle, a punto tal, que pondrá en jaque al jefe de la investigación, el renombrado y archi famoso detective Frédéric Larsan, quien viene con todos los honores de resolver los casos más difíciles.
Como es costumbre en este tipo de casos, ninguno de los personajes queda fuera del círculo de sospechosos, ni siquiera la víctima y a su vez nos encontramos con que todos están relacionados y bajo sospecha, a tal punto que Rouletabille incluye al propio padre de Mathilde, a su novio Robert Darzac, a Jacques el mayordomo, a los porteros, la señora y el señor Bernier, a un guardabosques que tiene relación con la familia Stangerson e incluso a un visitante norteamericano, el señor Arthur Rance.
Nadie, absolutamente nadie está fuera de sospecha y todos pueden ser el potencial asesino.
Es que el gran misterio radica en que Mathilde es atacada por un asesino que se escapa de manera imposible del cuarto amarillo donde ella duerme y que tiene su puerta cerrada con llave y la única ventana de la habitación (no hay chimenea tampoco) está trabada por dentro y por fuera.
El otro detalle que desconcierta a los investigadores es que Mathilde tiene huellas de estrangulamiento, un golpe en la sien que parece haber sido dado por un hueso de cordero (esto es realmente extraño), además de que dentro del cuarto encuentran una boina, un pañuelo, dos impactos de bala, uno de ellos en el techo y la huella de una mano ensangrentada en la pared.
Más extraño que esto, imposible.
Al parecer, las pruebas sirven más para desconcertar que para tener una idea clara de cómo puede haberse dado el ataque y nadie, excepto Rouletabille tiene la solución. Con un método de análisis sin igual establece un contrapunto sin igual contra Frédéric Larsan para ver quién de los dos resolverá el caso y adquirirá fama eterna,
Lo sé… grandes detectives como Auguste C. Dupin, Sherlock Holmes, Hércules Poirot y tantos otros perfeccionaron al extremo ese arte innato para resolver los misterios, crímenes y enigmas de lo más intrincado a los que se han expuesto en tantos cuentos y novelas policiales y de misterio, pero debemos recordar que Joseph Rouletabille debe formar parte sin excepción de ese círculo tan selecto de investigadores brillantes gracias a “El misterio del cuarto amarillo” de Gastón Leroux.
October 18, 2020
Un clásico de la habitación cerrada por dentro.
Lo disfruté mucho. Un clásico imprescindible para la adolescencia. Es de los libros que se recuerdan más, aunque el final, como pasa muchas veces, te deja un poco descolocado.
A classic closed room inside.
I enjoyed it very much. A classic must-have for adolescence. It is one of the most remembered books, although the ending, as happens many times, leaves you a little confused.
Lo disfruté mucho. Un clásico imprescindible para la adolescencia. Es de los libros que se recuerdan más, aunque el final, como pasa muchas veces, te deja un poco descolocado.
A classic closed room inside.
I enjoyed it very much. A classic must-have for adolescence. It is one of the most remembered books, although the ending, as happens many times, leaves you a little confused.
March 17, 2025
The Mystery of the Yellow Room is a "locked room mystery" novel by Gaston Leroux. Having read only his famous Phantom of the Opera, I was surprised to learn that he has authored books in "mystery" genre. However, knowing the Leroux's capacity to create so dark and villainous characters, I was much inclined to read this work which is the first novel introducing the reporter/detective, Joseph Rouletabille.
A murder is committed in a closed room and the perpetrator has fled leaving few traces and evidence. An inquiry is set immediately, but the nature of the circumstantial evidence leads it nowhere. In comes the young reporter with his genius mind, and slowly and steadily, he works his way up to unravel the baffling mystery and to unmask the murderer.
The story was quite intriguing and it captured and held my attention from the first chapter. The author has laid the plot so well that it was impossible to guess who the perpetrator was; at least that was the case for me, although I did entertain certain notions of my own as to who could it be. However, when finally the truth was revealed, it was a bit too good to be true. I guess the author created such a surprising ending to heighten Rouletabille's genius mind and power of reasoning, but it didn't sit well with me.
Nevertheless, I did enjoy the read overall and wished the ending were a bit more realistic.
A murder is committed in a closed room and the perpetrator has fled leaving few traces and evidence. An inquiry is set immediately, but the nature of the circumstantial evidence leads it nowhere. In comes the young reporter with his genius mind, and slowly and steadily, he works his way up to unravel the baffling mystery and to unmask the murderer.
The story was quite intriguing and it captured and held my attention from the first chapter. The author has laid the plot so well that it was impossible to guess who the perpetrator was; at least that was the case for me, although I did entertain certain notions of my own as to who could it be. However, when finally the truth was revealed, it was a bit too good to be true. I guess the author created such a surprising ending to heighten Rouletabille's genius mind and power of reasoning, but it didn't sit well with me.
Nevertheless, I did enjoy the read overall and wished the ending were a bit more realistic.
September 22, 2022
1.5 stars rounded up
I'm typing this review sitting in a cafe during my last day in Mexico City before coming back home (one of my favorite cafes in town, by the way). During this 3-day trip to the city where I lived for 5 years, in order to close another stage of my life, I happened to pick up The Mystery of the Yellow Room—my second Leroux's—after having read The Phantom of the Opera early this year, and I must say that, again, it has been quite a disappointment (perhaps it was even worse this second time).
For instance, when I read The Phantom of the Opera there were certain elements of the book that didn't live up to my expectations, and furthermore, that were quite disappointing, in my view. To begin with, the story was not even what I got in mind, an unbelievably fake love story, where every chapter was about everything but love. Secondly, a style of writing that was not for me—I'm not saying it wasn't good, but I never got used to it for any reason—and that made the characters extremely annoying, and consequently, difficult for the reader to empathize with them.
Well, after having this first experience reading this author, I sincerely believe The Mystery of the Yellow Room—as my second attempt and unfortunately failure of enjoying a novel by Leroux—was my last chance of picking up one of his books.
Speaking of this novel, the experience was exactly the same, but with quite a few differences in terms of the content: first of all, this is supposed to be a mystery novel, and it really feels like that at times, but alas!, its characters are insufferable and ridiculously fool. Almost all of them are literally making the case really difficult to solve by making foolish assumptions throughout the story; unfortunately, this is only happening for the sake of the book, that might have been a brief and to-the-point novel, otherwise I can't see a different reason to do that. Secondly, there is no character who has been likable or friendly; and I'm not saying you expect a villain to be friendly, not at all, but at least you expect to care for those characters, and nothing of that sort happened to me at any moment.
And here it comes my main problem with this book as a whole: its protagonist. Oh boy, is he really annoying! An extremely pretentious guy—probably the most pretentious character I've come across so far—that there is no way to know anyone that pretentious, either in real life or in fiction books. He is always trying to be the best—whatever that means—and he knows he is the best doing what he does, but this is not because he is super smart or astute, but because the rest of the characters are really stupid to that point where something might be happening—something very important for the plot—in front of them, and they won't notice anything. Take the hint, dude, it's in front of you. Others just don't want to tell what they know, which is not a problem beforehand, whether or not they decide to keep their secrets it's completely fine, I get it, but again, when you finally know theirs reasons why they decided to do such a thing, it's utterly ridiculous and unbelievable – their reasons are poorly developed or they are just weak, not enough to do what they did.
In short, not a good plot, not memorable characters, and definitely not my type of writing style. Nevertheless, the 2-star rating is basically because of the resolution of the case, albeit at times absurd, was somehow acceptable. As a mystery novel the book was actually compelling, especially during this final explanation, so I couldn't complain about that. Ultimately, at the end of the day, there are plenty of authors who have written good mystery novels so that we can keep reading them; from now on, I think I'll keep picking up those ones I know might be my cup of tea, for instance, based on my previous experiences – coming back where you are not happy doesn't seem a pretty good idea.
Perhaps you have noticed I'm kinda angry while I type my review; that's right, I am. Not only was my reading experience a complete failure, but also my trip has been downright sad in terms of the food. I used to love eating out in Mexico City, especially when I lived here before 2020 because I used to try almost everything; now that I'm a vegetarian, my whole experience has changed as well (not in a bad way because of my choice, but because of the circumstances). First day: I went to the cafeteria where I used to have lunch a lot when I was a student, a cafeteria which is very near my School of Engineering, and where the food was outrageously delicious. This time, I saw the menu, and surprisingly there was only one vegetarian option in the entire menu, why?!
Second day: I thought, 'okay, in order for you to eat vegetarian or vegan dishes, let's try a vegetarian/vegan restaurant.' So, that was my plan, and the restaurant was chosen. Once I was there, I ordered a Mexican dish—my favorite Mexican dish named flautas—but with a big difference: it is stuffed with no meat, but vegetables and mushrooms. Nevertheless, to my surprise, when I tasted the first mouthful of it, suddenly the flavor—oh my...—the dish tasted like pork, exactly like a dish called carnitas—sorry if you have never tried this Mexican dish, but it's basically greasy, chewy pork; when I wasn't a vegetarian I didn't liked it, and now I couldn't even bear the smell and flavor of it—that I sometime tried way back when I was not a vegetarian. It turns out that apparently they are trying to keep similar flavors to the original dish using veggies, but why? It's not like you are now a vegetarian because you want your vegetables to taste like meat. I want my veggies to taste like veggies, not like pork, or beef, or anything of that kind. In that case, I will go and eat a whopper burger in Burger King, but no, that's not the point.
I don't know if someone who is a vegetarian has felt the same thing before or lived a similar experience, and I know this has nothing to do with this book or my review itself, but can you imagine my bitter disillusionment after living such experiences? Bad reading experience plus bad 'veggie' food: it really is impossible to believe, but unfortunately, it was quite real. That being said, the rest of my trip was absolutely awesome, a lot of things to do and places to go; I really missed my second home, if you know what I mean.
Well, it seems like, after all, The Mystery of the Yellow Room was not the worst experience I had during these last few days, but it definitely made me feel angry and disappointed to a certain point. Finally, after putting all my cards on the table, so to speak, it's time to move on.
'I can only say it is the strangest affair I have ever known. The more we think we know something, the further we are from knowing anything!'
I'm typing this review sitting in a cafe during my last day in Mexico City before coming back home (one of my favorite cafes in town, by the way). During this 3-day trip to the city where I lived for 5 years, in order to close another stage of my life, I happened to pick up The Mystery of the Yellow Room—my second Leroux's—after having read The Phantom of the Opera early this year, and I must say that, again, it has been quite a disappointment (perhaps it was even worse this second time).
For instance, when I read The Phantom of the Opera there were certain elements of the book that didn't live up to my expectations, and furthermore, that were quite disappointing, in my view. To begin with, the story was not even what I got in mind, an unbelievably fake love story, where every chapter was about everything but love. Secondly, a style of writing that was not for me—I'm not saying it wasn't good, but I never got used to it for any reason—and that made the characters extremely annoying, and consequently, difficult for the reader to empathize with them.
Well, after having this first experience reading this author, I sincerely believe The Mystery of the Yellow Room—as my second attempt and unfortunately failure of enjoying a novel by Leroux—was my last chance of picking up one of his books.
Speaking of this novel, the experience was exactly the same, but with quite a few differences in terms of the content: first of all, this is supposed to be a mystery novel, and it really feels like that at times, but alas!, its characters are insufferable and ridiculously fool. Almost all of them are literally making the case really difficult to solve by making foolish assumptions throughout the story; unfortunately, this is only happening for the sake of the book, that might have been a brief and to-the-point novel, otherwise I can't see a different reason to do that. Secondly, there is no character who has been likable or friendly; and I'm not saying you expect a villain to be friendly, not at all, but at least you expect to care for those characters, and nothing of that sort happened to me at any moment.
And here it comes my main problem with this book as a whole: its protagonist. Oh boy, is he really annoying! An extremely pretentious guy—probably the most pretentious character I've come across so far—that there is no way to know anyone that pretentious, either in real life or in fiction books. He is always trying to be the best—whatever that means—and he knows he is the best doing what he does, but this is not because he is super smart or astute, but because the rest of the characters are really stupid to that point where something might be happening—something very important for the plot—in front of them, and they won't notice anything. Take the hint, dude, it's in front of you. Others just don't want to tell what they know, which is not a problem beforehand, whether or not they decide to keep their secrets it's completely fine, I get it, but again, when you finally know theirs reasons why they decided to do such a thing, it's utterly ridiculous and unbelievable – their reasons are poorly developed or they are just weak, not enough to do what they did.
In short, not a good plot, not memorable characters, and definitely not my type of writing style. Nevertheless, the 2-star rating is basically because of the resolution of the case, albeit at times absurd, was somehow acceptable. As a mystery novel the book was actually compelling, especially during this final explanation, so I couldn't complain about that. Ultimately, at the end of the day, there are plenty of authors who have written good mystery novels so that we can keep reading them; from now on, I think I'll keep picking up those ones I know might be my cup of tea, for instance, based on my previous experiences – coming back where you are not happy doesn't seem a pretty good idea.
Perhaps you have noticed I'm kinda angry while I type my review; that's right, I am. Not only was my reading experience a complete failure, but also my trip has been downright sad in terms of the food. I used to love eating out in Mexico City, especially when I lived here before 2020 because I used to try almost everything; now that I'm a vegetarian, my whole experience has changed as well (not in a bad way because of my choice, but because of the circumstances). First day: I went to the cafeteria where I used to have lunch a lot when I was a student, a cafeteria which is very near my School of Engineering, and where the food was outrageously delicious. This time, I saw the menu, and surprisingly there was only one vegetarian option in the entire menu, why?!
Second day: I thought, 'okay, in order for you to eat vegetarian or vegan dishes, let's try a vegetarian/vegan restaurant.' So, that was my plan, and the restaurant was chosen. Once I was there, I ordered a Mexican dish—my favorite Mexican dish named flautas—but with a big difference: it is stuffed with no meat, but vegetables and mushrooms. Nevertheless, to my surprise, when I tasted the first mouthful of it, suddenly the flavor—oh my...—the dish tasted like pork, exactly like a dish called carnitas—sorry if you have never tried this Mexican dish, but it's basically greasy, chewy pork; when I wasn't a vegetarian I didn't liked it, and now I couldn't even bear the smell and flavor of it—that I sometime tried way back when I was not a vegetarian. It turns out that apparently they are trying to keep similar flavors to the original dish using veggies, but why? It's not like you are now a vegetarian because you want your vegetables to taste like meat. I want my veggies to taste like veggies, not like pork, or beef, or anything of that kind. In that case, I will go and eat a whopper burger in Burger King, but no, that's not the point.
I don't know if someone who is a vegetarian has felt the same thing before or lived a similar experience, and I know this has nothing to do with this book or my review itself, but can you imagine my bitter disillusionment after living such experiences? Bad reading experience plus bad 'veggie' food: it really is impossible to believe, but unfortunately, it was quite real. That being said, the rest of my trip was absolutely awesome, a lot of things to do and places to go; I really missed my second home, if you know what I mean.
Well, it seems like, after all, The Mystery of the Yellow Room was not the worst experience I had during these last few days, but it definitely made me feel angry and disappointed to a certain point. Finally, after putting all my cards on the table, so to speak, it's time to move on.
'I can only say it is the strangest affair I have ever known. The more we think we know something, the further we are from knowing anything!'
August 16, 2023
Un bon roman policier où se rencontrent Sherlock Holmes et Arsène Lupin. Mlle Stangerson est victime d’une tentative d’assasinat dans sa chambre mais comment est entré le meurtrier et surtout comment est il sorti? Et quel le motif de se meurtre?
Pour les amateurs d’Agatha Christie
Pour les amateurs d’Agatha Christie
March 20, 2012
The Mystery of the Yellow Room by Gaston Leroux is hailed as one of the first locked room crime novels. It has been named by some as the third best locked room mystery of all time. John Dickson Carr, master of the locked room and impossible crime himself, has sung its praises. And it is credited with inspiring Agatha Christie to try her hand at her very first mystery. So--what do I, a mere book-blogger, have to say about it? Well, it's a decent mystery. It's got some interesting elements. But I can't say that it knocked my socks off--it may have done so a hundred years ago. But I've read too many more recent novels for that.
I see other detectives and stories in it. There is the shadow of Holmes--the intelligent, rational amateur taking on the established detective. There is the scrambling of the Holmes-like detective all over the scene of the crime--making patterns of footprints. There is the insistence (of Larsan) that the assailant was not wounded in the hand, but was bleeding from the nose (reminiscent of A Study in Scarlet). There is the echo of Lord Peter Wimsey--rushing into the court room at the eleventh hour to save an innocent man (Clouds of Witness, anyone?). And, yes, I suppose I should say that Wimsey reminds me of Rouletabille and not the other way 'round. But, you see, I read Sayers first. And, truth be told, I find Lord Peter to be a much more engaging character than Joseph Rouletabille.
The book starts out strong. Leroux sets up everything very nicely--explaining how our narrator and Rouletabille become involved in the mystery. The descriptions of the attack on Mlle. Stangerson, the mystery of the locked room and the investigations immediately following are wonderful. In fact, everything perks along quite nicely until Leroux abandons Sinclair as our narrator for a time and presents certain events through the lens of Rouletabille's journal entries. Rouletabille's voice does not ring true in those entries and the switch in narrative voice was a bit jarring. And when our familiar narrator picks up again, the rhythm never quite gets back on track.
One last quibble--although the explanation given for the locked room does work--it seems a bit contrived. As if Leroux had painted himself into a corner and he couldn't provide a more clever explanation. I don't think John Dickson Carr would have resorted to such a convenient solution.
Over all, a quite decent mystery from the time period. I would have liked to have liked the characters more...that would have pushed this three star outing into the four star range.
Favorite Quote:
Coincidences are the worst enemies to truth. (Rouletabille, p. 87)
{This review is mine and was first posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting any portion. Thanks.}
I see other detectives and stories in it. There is the shadow of Holmes--the intelligent, rational amateur taking on the established detective. There is the scrambling of the Holmes-like detective all over the scene of the crime--making patterns of footprints. There is the insistence (of Larsan) that the assailant was not wounded in the hand, but was bleeding from the nose (reminiscent of A Study in Scarlet). There is the echo of Lord Peter Wimsey--rushing into the court room at the eleventh hour to save an innocent man (Clouds of Witness, anyone?). And, yes, I suppose I should say that Wimsey reminds me of Rouletabille and not the other way 'round. But, you see, I read Sayers first. And, truth be told, I find Lord Peter to be a much more engaging character than Joseph Rouletabille.
The book starts out strong. Leroux sets up everything very nicely--explaining how our narrator and Rouletabille become involved in the mystery. The descriptions of the attack on Mlle. Stangerson, the mystery of the locked room and the investigations immediately following are wonderful. In fact, everything perks along quite nicely until Leroux abandons Sinclair as our narrator for a time and presents certain events through the lens of Rouletabille's journal entries. Rouletabille's voice does not ring true in those entries and the switch in narrative voice was a bit jarring. And when our familiar narrator picks up again, the rhythm never quite gets back on track.
One last quibble--although the explanation given for the locked room does work--it seems a bit contrived. As if Leroux had painted himself into a corner and he couldn't provide a more clever explanation. I don't think John Dickson Carr would have resorted to such a convenient solution.
Over all, a quite decent mystery from the time period. I would have liked to have liked the characters more...that would have pushed this three star outing into the four star range.
Favorite Quote:
Coincidences are the worst enemies to truth. (Rouletabille, p. 87)
{This review is mine and was first posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting any portion. Thanks.}
September 24, 2025
Прилична ретро кримка, но на моменти досажда авторовото многословие и това намали оценката ми за нея.
Но не съжалявам, че ѝ отделих от времето си.
Но не съжалявам, че ѝ отделих от времето си.
October 22, 2018
Αρκετά παλαϊκό στο στυλ, ήταν ενδιαφέρον όμως. Σίγουρα όχι από τα πιο αγαπημένα μου αστυνομικά μυθιστορήματα, ειδικά προς το τέλος με την "καλή" και την "κακή" πλευρά της σκέψης βαρέθηκα και κουράστηκα.
March 2, 2020
Kapalı oda gizemini anlatan ilk kitap olması onu kendi türünde kült bir eser yapıyor ama benim için çok karmaşık ve havada kalan detaylar vardı. Konu gerçekten ilginç, oo bakalım katil kim çıkacak moduna beni sokmayı başardı da; ama her ne kadar kimlik açıklandığında şaşırsam da kafamda kurguya tam olarak oturtamadığım boşluklar oldu. Bir şeyin sonucunu açıklamak başka, bir de her defasında olaylar gelişirken o karakterin tam olarak ne yaptığını anlamak gerek. Her şeyden önce ben hala kitabın başlangıcını, yani katilin sarı odadan nasıl kaçtığını (?) anlayamadım. Anlatıldı da ben mi kaçırdım diye dönüp dönüp kitabı kurcalıyorum ama bir şey bulamıyorum. Bırakın bir gizem romanını, normal bir romanda bile ucu açık kalan sonlardan nefret eden ben; bu kadar açıklanmayan şey karşısında gıcık oldum bile diyebilirim. Eğer ki bu kitap gerçekten Agatha Christie'yi yazmaya başlattıysa bir o işe yaramış sanırım, Poirot ve Hastings kesinlikle bu ikiliden çok daha iyi yazılmış karakterler. Ayrıca her kitabın sonunda Poirot'nun uzun uzun olayları anlatışını çok aradım bu kitapta cidden.
Eğer ki bu dediklerimde bir sıkıntı olmasa kitabın notu 5 bile olabilirdi. Ama beni bu kadar çelişkide bıraktığı ve kafa karışıklığından başka bir şey vermediği için puanım malesef 2. Okuyan, detayları çok net hatırlayan birileri varsa lütfen kitabı tartışalım. Yoksa kitapta eksik metin olduğundan şüpheleneceğim.
Eğer ki bu dediklerimde bir sıkıntı olmasa kitabın notu 5 bile olabilirdi. Ama beni bu kadar çelişkide bıraktığı ve kafa karışıklığından başka bir şey vermediği için puanım malesef 2. Okuyan, detayları çok net hatırlayan birileri varsa lütfen kitabı tartışalım. Yoksa kitapta eksik metin olduğundan şüpheleneceğim.
March 27, 2019
This was a fun short mystery book. After reading this I am surprised that Gaston Leroux is mainly known for The Phantom of the Opera because this book is much better. His detached writing style with reports, transcripts and diary entries works much better in the mystery genre than in the horror genre where it just took away from the suspense. Here it is appropriate in that it sets out the facts plainly for the reader to interpret and try and solve the mystery.
Joseph Routabille is an endearing protagonist and I would happily read more books featuring him. The mystery itself was a little confusing at times as I didn't feel like the characters were sufficiently distinct however, that may be due to the unfamiliar French names and titles. Is calling old men 'Daddy' a thing in France? The translation was mostly good .
All in all this was some good old mystery fun!
Joseph Routabille is an endearing protagonist and I would happily read more books featuring him. The mystery itself was a little confusing at times as I didn't feel like the characters were sufficiently distinct however, that may be due to the unfamiliar French names and titles. Is calling old men 'Daddy' a thing in France? The translation was mostly good .
All in all this was some good old mystery fun!
July 3, 2021
Después de leer 'Lo que la marea esconde' de María Oruña me picó la curiosidad con esta obra que desconocía, ya que se cita en el libro de la autora gallega.
Este libro fue publicado en 1907 y es uno de los primeros relatos de 'misterio de cuarto cerrado'. El crimen se produce en una habitación en la que es imposible entrar y es imposible salir. Estos relatos estuvieron muy de moda a principios del s.XX, con obras conocidas de Agatha Christie, Edgar Allan Poe etc.
Sobre este libro, el misterio está bien hilado y la resolución es magistral. No obstante el relato se podría haber hecho algo más corto, quizás haya demasiada paja, probablemente debido a que fue publicado por entregas en un semanario y tendría que cumplir cierto número de publicaciones y de cierto volumen.
Hay que tener en cuenta, también, que el relato está escrito hace más de 110 años y las formas del lenguaje o las maneras de trato de la época entre los personajes no son las mismas de ahora, y a veces algunos pasajes se hacen un poco bola.
Por lo demás, si te gusta este tipo de misterios que desafían la lógica, su lectura es recomendable.
Este libro fue publicado en 1907 y es uno de los primeros relatos de 'misterio de cuarto cerrado'. El crimen se produce en una habitación en la que es imposible entrar y es imposible salir. Estos relatos estuvieron muy de moda a principios del s.XX, con obras conocidas de Agatha Christie, Edgar Allan Poe etc.
Sobre este libro, el misterio está bien hilado y la resolución es magistral. No obstante el relato se podría haber hecho algo más corto, quizás haya demasiada paja, probablemente debido a que fue publicado por entregas en un semanario y tendría que cumplir cierto número de publicaciones y de cierto volumen.
Hay que tener en cuenta, también, que el relato está escrito hace más de 110 años y las formas del lenguaje o las maneras de trato de la época entre los personajes no son las mismas de ahora, y a veces algunos pasajes se hacen un poco bola.
Por lo demás, si te gusta este tipo de misterios que desafían la lógica, su lectura es recomendable.
June 19, 2019
I remember some treacherous sleight of hand from the writer in the way he describes the room in the first place.
At least, I was prepared to face Poe's Murders in the Rue Morgue :)
-------------------
Je garde le souvenir d'un coup fourré de la part de l'auteur dans sa première description de la chambre...
Au moins, ça m'a préparé aux meurtres de la rue Morgue d'Edgar Allan Poe :)
At least, I was prepared to face Poe's Murders in the Rue Morgue :)
-------------------
Je garde le souvenir d'un coup fourré de la part de l'auteur dans sa première description de la chambre...
Au moins, ça m'a préparé aux meurtres de la rue Morgue d'Edgar Allan Poe :)
January 5, 2016
Η ιστορία μας διαδραματίζεται στη γαλλική εξοχή, και σε έναν πύργο όπου η νεαρή κόρη του επιστήμονα Στάγκερσον πέφτει θύμα επίθεσης μέσα στο δωμάτιό της, που όμως είναι κλειδωμένο από μέσα και τα παράθυρα είναι σφαλιστά κι αυτά από μέσα. Πρόκειται για ένα από τα πρώτα μυθιστορήματα κλειδωμένου δωματίου και αποτελεί ορόσημο της κλασικής αστυνομικής λογοτεχνίας που διαβάζεται και αγαπιέται από τους αναγνώστες μέχρι σήμερα. Ο ερευνητής της υπόθεσης, ο 18άχρονος δημοσιογράφος Ζοζέφ Ρουλεταμπίλ, θυμίζει κάτι από Τεντέν, καθώς είναι ιδιοφυής και πολυμήχανος, παρά το νεαρό της ηλικίας του.
Η ανάγνωση του βιβλίου δεν με κούρασε στιγμή, ενώ στοιχεία για τη λύση του υπήρχαν σε όλη τη διάρκεια, αν και δυσκολεύτηκα αρκετά να τα εντοπίσω εγκαίρως (ακόμα και μετά τα τόσα αστυνομικά που έχω διαβάσει!). Μόλις πήγαινα να κάνω μια εικασία, προέκυπταν νέα στοιχεία που την απέκλειαν, ενώ ο Ρουλεταμπίλ απαντούσε σε όλες τις απορίες μου, ακόμα κι αυτές που κάθονταν ακόμα στο πίσω πίσω μέρος του μυαλού μου κι εν τέλει δεν άφησε τίποτα αναπάντητο. Μου άρεσε και το ταξίδι σε αυτό τον φοβερό πύργο που συνέβαιναν τόσα παράξενα κι εκτίμησα τον νεαρό δημοσιογράφο, που αν και στην αρχή δεν με έπειθε όσον αφορά το νεαρό της ηλικίας του για τις ικανότητές του, τελικά συμπάθησα και θα ήθελα να διαβάσω ακόμη περισσότερα βιβλία όπου πρωταγωνιστεί.
Διαβάστε περισσότερα εδώ.
Η ανάγνωση του βιβλίου δεν με κούρασε στιγμή, ενώ στοιχεία για τη λύση του υπήρχαν σε όλη τη διάρκεια, αν και δυσκολεύτηκα αρκετά να τα εντοπίσω εγκαίρως (ακόμα και μετά τα τόσα αστυνομικά που έχω διαβάσει!). Μόλις πήγαινα να κάνω μια εικασία, προέκυπταν νέα στοιχεία που την απέκλειαν, ενώ ο Ρουλεταμπίλ απαντούσε σε όλες τις απορίες μου, ακόμα κι αυτές που κάθονταν ακόμα στο πίσω πίσω μέρος του μυαλού μου κι εν τέλει δεν άφησε τίποτα αναπάντητο. Μου άρεσε και το ταξίδι σε αυτό τον φοβερό πύργο που συνέβαιναν τόσα παράξενα κι εκτίμησα τον νεαρό δημοσιογράφο, που αν και στην αρχή δεν με έπειθε όσον αφορά το νεαρό της ηλικίας του για τις ικανότητές του, τελικά συμπάθησα και θα ήθελα να διαβάσω ακόμη περισσότερα βιβλία όπου πρωταγωνιστεί.
Διαβάστε περισσότερα εδώ.
March 11, 2013
A locked room mystery which does not involve a murder, this 1907 French novel was written by the writer who gave The Phantom of the Opera to the world. It contains red herrings aplenty and a rather annoying detective: a smart-alecky 18 year old pipe-smoking genius who works as a journalist. The narrator is Dr Watson to his Sherlock Holmes - a stand-in for the reader who is there to have plot points explained in a way that the most obtuse can understand. There is little to no character development and the identity of the perpetrator comes out of left field. Sure, the clues are there, as the detective painstakingly points out to the narrator after the big reveal and I daresay a smart reader could work out the solution. However, I didn't work it out, which made for a more enjoyable reading experience.
I read this in French, which means that I read it more slowly than otherwise would have been the case. This is because when I read in French I feel the need to look up every unfamiliar word in the dictionary. I don't do this when I listen to a French audiobook. Rather, I work out the meaning of words I don't know from the context and manage just fine. I only wish I could leave the dictionary alone when I read! One advantage of reading in French is that it reacquaints me with the wonders of French verb tenses. I particularly love the literary simple past tense, which is not generally used in speech. Indeed, reading all those lovely verbs took me back to school, where my favourite reference book was L'Art de Conjuguer.
This is a competent example of the locked room mystery genre. It's not something I'll want to read again, but I'm glad to have read it once, particularly in the company of my friend Jemidar.
January 8, 2024
Ένα μυθιστόρημα μυστηρίου κλειδωμένων δωματίων, μία γραπτή σπαζοκεφαλιά όπου ο συγγραφέας δίνει διάσπαρτα τα κομμάτια του παζλ που οδηγούν στην λύση. Όσες υποθέσεις κι αν έκανα δεν τη βρήκα με τίποτε!
Παλαϊκή γραφή και όλα τα μέσα επίλυσης του μυστηρίου ανήκουν στον προηγούμενο αιώνα κι αυτά τα δύο μαζί με ταξίδεψαν και με έτερψαν απολαυστικά.
Προτείνεται!
Παλαϊκή γραφή και όλα τα μέσα επίλυσης του μυστηρίου ανήκουν στον προηγούμενο αιώνα κι αυτά τα δύο μαζί με ταξίδεψαν και με έτερψαν απολαυστικά.
Προτείνεται!
Want to read
January 3, 2025Tristan and the Classics Recommended this as a Murder Mystery! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quiSe...
November 8, 2015
Δεν είχα διαβάσει κανένα μυστήριο κλειδωμένου δωματίου πριν από αυτό. Γραμμένο στις αρχές του 20ού αιώνα, το μυθιστόρημα του Leroux αποτελεί ένα εξαιρετικό παράδειγμα του είδους, και του αστυνομικού γενικότερα, με την κλασική έννοια.
Η πλοκή είναι δομημένη, η γραφή απλή αλλά όχι απλοϊκή και κυρίως, το ενδιαφέρον προκαλείται στον αναγνώστη αυθόρμητα και απόλυτα, χωρίς καν να υπάρχει φόνος. O κεντρικός ήρωας είναι όσο πρέπει εξυπνάκιας, αλλά οι υπόλοιποι χαρακτήρες είναι κάπως φλατ και ελάχιστα γίνονται συμπαθείς ή αντιπαθείς -πράγμα που συμβάλλει ωστόσο στο μυστήριο.
Για όσους ψυχαναγκάζονται να βρουν το δολοφόνο πριν αποκαλυφθεί, αυτό το βιβλίο είναι σαν τον κύβο του Ρούμπικ: Ξέρεις ότι η λύση είναι εκεί, μπορείς να τη βρεις, αλλά δεν την βρίσκεις. Για τους υπόλοιπους που απλώς απολαμβάνουν ένα καλογραμμένο μυστήριο εποχής, το βιβλίο αυτό είναι 300 σελίδες καθαρής διασκέδασης.
Η πλοκή είναι δομημένη, η γραφή απλή αλλά όχι απλοϊκή και κυρίως, το ενδιαφέρον προκαλείται στον αναγνώστη αυθόρμητα και απόλυτα, χωρίς καν να υπάρχει φόνος. O κεντρικός ήρωας είναι όσο πρέπει εξυπνάκιας, αλλά οι υπόλοιποι χαρακτήρες είναι κάπως φλατ και ελάχιστα γίνονται συμπαθείς ή αντιπαθείς -πράγμα που συμβάλλει ωστόσο στο μυστήριο.
Για όσους ψυχαναγκάζονται να βρουν το δολοφόνο πριν αποκαλυφθεί, αυτό το βιβλίο είναι σαν τον κύβο του Ρούμπικ: Ξέρεις ότι η λύση είναι εκεί, μπορείς να τη βρεις, αλλά δεν την βρίσκεις. Για τους υπόλοιπους που απλώς απολαμβάνουν ένα καλογραμμένο μυστήριο εποχής, το βιβλίο αυτό είναι 300 σελίδες καθαρής διασκέδασης.
August 24, 2017
Για να πω την αλήθεια περίμενα περισσότερα από αυτό το βιβλίο έχοντας ακούσει τόσα πολλά. Αυτό βέβαια δεν σημαίνει πως δεν είναι καλό. Και φυσικά αν συνυπολογίσουμε το γεγονός ότι έχει γραφτεί πριν από 100 χρόνια μπορούμε εύκολα να καταλάβουμε γιατί έχει τέτοια θέση τόσο στη Γαλλική όσο και στην παγκόσμια λογοτεχνία.
Πολύ έξυπνη ιστορία αλλά δεν μου άρεσε πολύ η γραφή του Leroux. Είχε κάτι που με ξένισε και δεν με προδιάθετε να διαβάσω. Οπότε δεν νομίζω ότι θα διαβάσω κάτι άλλο δικό του.
Βέβαια, για να καταλάβει κανείς που βασίστηκαν πολλά αστυνομικά μυθιστορήματα από το 1900 και μετά, ας δώσει μία ευκαιρία στο Μυστήριο του κίτρινου δωματίου και στον δημοσιογράφο/ντετέκτιβ Ζοζέφ Ρουλεταμπίλ.
Πολύ έξυπνη ιστορία αλλά δεν μου άρεσε πολύ η γραφή του Leroux. Είχε κάτι που με ξένισε και δεν με προδιάθετε να διαβάσω. Οπότε δεν νομίζω ότι θα διαβάσω κάτι άλλο δικό του.
Βέβαια, για να καταλάβει κανείς που βασίστηκαν πολλά αστυνομικά μυθιστορήματα από το 1900 και μετά, ας δώσει μία ευκαιρία στο Μυστήριο του κίτρινου δωματίου και στον δημοσιογράφο/ντετέκτιβ Ζοζέφ Ρουλεταμπίλ.
April 6, 2009
First written in 1908, The Mystery of the Yellow Room is considered one of the classics of the "locked-room"/impossible crime genre. Believe me, by the time you finish reading about the crime (never mind the rest of the book), you'll be scratching your head saying "how on earth did this just happen?"
It seems that one Mathilde Stangerson goes off to her room (called The Yellow Room) in a pavilion where she and her father work at scientific experiments. The door is locked -- then she is heard to scream, followed by 2 gun shots. As her father and one of the servants rush to the door, they break it open and find only Mathilde, with fresh strangulation marks, a lump on the head and bloody handprints on the walls. But that's it. There's no one else there, and there's no way in the world whoever did this could have possibly escaped. Thus begins a very strange mystery. I can't say any more about it because I will totally wreck it if anyone's interested in reading it.
The characters are rather interesting, especially the main character, young (18) journalist with the paper "L'Epoque" -- a journalist with a detective bent. He shares his information with a M. Sinclair, the narrator of the story. Mathilde Stangerson is a woman with many secrets, and nothing is revealed until the end, keeping you hanging on. There are several suspects, many red herrings and multiple clues, so if you are okay with a somewhat rambling narrative (I think it can be excused given the date the book was written), you'll probably find this one to be quite well done. It's likely that modern readers may find this one a bit tedious since we often like to get to the point quickly. In this book, the who, how and why are not divulged until the last minute.
Overall, it's a bit rambly, but it's still a fine mystery and you're really just dying by the end to find out everything. Recommended for people who enjoy classic mysteries and locked-room mysteries.
It seems that one Mathilde Stangerson goes off to her room (called The Yellow Room) in a pavilion where she and her father work at scientific experiments. The door is locked -- then she is heard to scream, followed by 2 gun shots. As her father and one of the servants rush to the door, they break it open and find only Mathilde, with fresh strangulation marks, a lump on the head and bloody handprints on the walls. But that's it. There's no one else there, and there's no way in the world whoever did this could have possibly escaped. Thus begins a very strange mystery. I can't say any more about it because I will totally wreck it if anyone's interested in reading it.
The characters are rather interesting, especially the main character, young (18) journalist with the paper "L'Epoque" -- a journalist with a detective bent. He shares his information with a M. Sinclair, the narrator of the story. Mathilde Stangerson is a woman with many secrets, and nothing is revealed until the end, keeping you hanging on. There are several suspects, many red herrings and multiple clues, so if you are okay with a somewhat rambling narrative (I think it can be excused given the date the book was written), you'll probably find this one to be quite well done. It's likely that modern readers may find this one a bit tedious since we often like to get to the point quickly. In this book, the who, how and why are not divulged until the last minute.
Overall, it's a bit rambly, but it's still a fine mystery and you're really just dying by the end to find out everything. Recommended for people who enjoy classic mysteries and locked-room mysteries.
April 28, 2021
Joseph Rouletabille es, a la postre, un personaje similar al Profesor Challenger, a Dirk Gently o, achis, a John Carter. Es decir, el “segundo” personaje famoso que sin importar la fama que haya tenido en su momento, al día de hoy ésta es apabullantemente eclipsada por el personaje más famoso de su respectivo autor.
Lo cual en retrospectiva es una pena porque hay mucho que rescatar y disfrutar de estos personajes que también fueron célebres en su época. A mí me gusta pensarlos como parte del “universo literario” de cada autor.
En este caso se trata de una de las novelas de misterio de cuarto cerrado, y una de las más célebres. De una época en la que el estilo inglés del misterio tenía entre sus cumbres a muchos franceses. Hermética y apasionante, se convierte en un testamento fundacional de la época de oro del misterio.
Como novela policiaca tiene todos los clichés del libro: el detective genio que resuelve las cosas con pura deducción, que se pendejea a una policía incompetente y a un amigo/narrador pasmado, que se da el lujo de ser soberbio y que se saca la solución al final de pistas que a la mayoría de los lectores les pasan por encima. Pero por supuesto, si fue uno de los primeros en hacerlo no sería justo llamarlos clichés, verdad?
Y luego está el toque personal del autor. Si alguno de ustedes es como yo que no paró de tararear ‘Music of the night’ leyendo este libro, será recompensado al leer la vena exagerada y melodramática del autor. Una acción de nuestro detective, que por cierto es un niño genio, me pareció ilógica hasta la última parte, en que Leroux se saca un plot twist de telenovela. Un culebrón les digo.
En algún lado leí que la principal cualidad del Fantasma de la Ópera era su plasticidad, la cual la terminó elevando a las cumbres de la cultura popular. No sólo era esta novela: así era todo Leroux.
Lo cual en retrospectiva es una pena porque hay mucho que rescatar y disfrutar de estos personajes que también fueron célebres en su época. A mí me gusta pensarlos como parte del “universo literario” de cada autor.
En este caso se trata de una de las novelas de misterio de cuarto cerrado, y una de las más célebres. De una época en la que el estilo inglés del misterio tenía entre sus cumbres a muchos franceses. Hermética y apasionante, se convierte en un testamento fundacional de la época de oro del misterio.
Como novela policiaca tiene todos los clichés del libro: el detective genio que resuelve las cosas con pura deducción, que se pendejea a una policía incompetente y a un amigo/narrador pasmado, que se da el lujo de ser soberbio y que se saca la solución al final de pistas que a la mayoría de los lectores les pasan por encima. Pero por supuesto, si fue uno de los primeros en hacerlo no sería justo llamarlos clichés, verdad?
Y luego está el toque personal del autor. Si alguno de ustedes es como yo que no paró de tararear ‘Music of the night’ leyendo este libro, será recompensado al leer la vena exagerada y melodramática del autor. Una acción de nuestro detective, que por cierto es un niño genio, me pareció ilógica hasta la última parte, en que Leroux se saca un plot twist de telenovela. Un culebrón les digo.
En algún lado leí que la principal cualidad del Fantasma de la Ópera era su plasticidad, la cual la terminó elevando a las cumbres de la cultura popular. No sólo era esta novela: así era todo Leroux.
March 27, 2021
Polisiye ve gizemli okumalar sevenler, ekran başına!
Polisiyenin ilham perisi geldi! Agatha Christie 'ye ilham olduğu rivayet olunan Gaston Leroux' un en bilinen eseri, 'Sarı Odanın Esrarı', hiç düşmeyen temposu, sürükleyici anlatımı, akan diyalogları ile çağının oldukça ilerisinde bir roman. Sürprizli sonu da cabası.
Çok uzun yıllardır polisiye-gizem türünde okuma yapmaya fırsatım olmuyordu, fakat 20. Yüzyılın En İyi Klasik Polisiyesi seçilen bu kitaba hayır diyemedim.
Sadece polisiye sevenlerin değil, zamanın ötesinde kitabın nasıl olabileceğini anlamak isteyenlerin de okuması gereken bir roman olduğunu düşünüyorum, bu sebeple ısrarla tavsiye ediyorum.
Keyifli okumalar 🌼🌈
#readingismycardio #aslihanneokudu #okudumbitti #2021okumalarım #okuryorumu #kitaptavsiyesi #neokudum #işbankasıkültüyayınları #gastonleroux #polisiyegerilim #polisiyeklasik #klasikler
Polisiyenin ilham perisi geldi! Agatha Christie 'ye ilham olduğu rivayet olunan Gaston Leroux' un en bilinen eseri, 'Sarı Odanın Esrarı', hiç düşmeyen temposu, sürükleyici anlatımı, akan diyalogları ile çağının oldukça ilerisinde bir roman. Sürprizli sonu da cabası.
Çok uzun yıllardır polisiye-gizem türünde okuma yapmaya fırsatım olmuyordu, fakat 20. Yüzyılın En İyi Klasik Polisiyesi seçilen bu kitaba hayır diyemedim.
Sadece polisiye sevenlerin değil, zamanın ötesinde kitabın nasıl olabileceğini anlamak isteyenlerin de okuması gereken bir roman olduğunu düşünüyorum, bu sebeple ısrarla tavsiye ediyorum.
Keyifli okumalar 🌼🌈
#readingismycardio #aslihanneokudu #okudumbitti #2021okumalarım #okuryorumu #kitaptavsiyesi #neokudum #işbankasıkültüyayınları #gastonleroux #polisiyegerilim #polisiyeklasik #klasikler
February 26, 2016
Ο Γκαστόν Λερού (1868-1927) ήταν Γάλλος δημοσιογράφος και συγγραφέας, γνωστός για το έργο «Το φάντασμα της όπερας» που δημοσιεύτηκε το 1910. Μετά από σημαντικά ρεπορτάζ σε γαλλικές εφημερίδες της εποχής στράφηκε στη συγγραφή μυθιστορημάτων και στην παραγωγή κινηματογραφικών ταινιών. Εκτός από το «Φάντασμα της όπερας», ο Λερού δημοσίευσε αστυνομικά μυθιστορήματα με τον ήρωα Ζοζέφ Ρουλεταμπίλ, κάτι αντίστοιχο του Σέρλοκ Χολμς που είχε γράψει ο Σερ Άρθουρ Κόναν Ντόιλ. Έτσι λοιπόν, σχεδόν 100 χρόνια μετά, οι εκδόσεις Διόπτρα μας χαρίζουν την πρώτη εμφάνιση του πανέξυπνου έφηβου δημοσιογράφου Ρουλεταμπίλ, που καλείται να αντιμετωπίσει τη μυστηριώδη εξαφάνιση ενός επίδοξου δολοφόνου από ένα δωμάτιο κλειδωμένο και αμπαρωμένο από μέσα.
Φυσικά και δεν υπάρχει περίπτωση να ασκήσω κριτική αρνητική ή θετική για ένα κείμενο που δημοσιεύτηκε πάνω από έναν αιώνα πριν, ένα κείμενο που αγκαλιάστηκε θερμά από τους αναγνώστες της αστυνομικής λογοτεχνίας και θεωρήθηκε ένα από τα 100 καλύτερα παγκοσμίως, σύμφωνα με τον Τζον Ντίκσον Καρ, όπως αναφέρεται και στο οπισθόφυλλο του βιβλίου. Είναι πολύ δύσκολο να γράφεις εντυπώσεις για κάτι που γράφτηκε υπό άλλες συνθήκες, σε άλλες εποχές και απευθυνόταν σε κοινό που είχε άλλη λογοτεχνική εμπειρία. Θα γράψω όμως τι μου άρεσε: η αγωνία για το ποιος είναι ο δολοφόνος, ο χαρακτήρας του Ρουλεταμπίλ, η κλιμάκωση, που το κείμενο ειχε και σχεδιαγράμματα (αν και ποτέ μου δεν κατάλαβα σε τι χρησιμεύουν, αφού αν η λογοτεχνική πένα είναι άρτια, την εικόνα τη φτιάχνω μόνος μου ή σε άλλες περιπτώσεις δε με νοιάζει τι έκανε και πού περπάτησε, πες μου ποιος είναι!). Ευτυχώς, η λύση του μυστηρίου δεν ήταν υπερφυσική, γιατί όταν άρχισε να μιλάει για διάσπαση της ύλης, ότι ο δολοφόνος είναι εκεί και δεν είναι εκεί, αλλού πήγε το μυαλό μου αλλά ευτυχώς όλα καλά στο τέλος!
Αγωνία, ανατροπές και η κλασική γραφή της εποχής, με περιγραφές τοπίων, σπιτιών, χαρακτήρων, καλά κρυμμένα μυστικά, κλιμακώσεις κλπ. Οι φανατικοί του είδους δε θα απογοητευτούν!
Φυσικά και δεν υπάρχει περίπτωση να ασκήσω κριτική αρνητική ή θετική για ένα κείμενο που δημοσιεύτηκε πάνω από έναν αιώνα πριν, ένα κείμενο που αγκαλιάστηκε θερμά από τους αναγνώστες της αστυνομικής λογοτεχνίας και θεωρήθηκε ένα από τα 100 καλύτερα παγκοσμίως, σύμφωνα με τον Τζον Ντίκσον Καρ, όπως αναφέρεται και στο οπισθόφυλλο του βιβλίου. Είναι πολύ δύσκολο να γράφεις εντυπώσεις για κάτι που γράφτηκε υπό άλλες συνθήκες, σε άλλες εποχές και απευθυνόταν σε κοινό που είχε άλλη λογοτεχνική εμπειρία. Θα γράψω όμως τι μου άρεσε: η αγωνία για το ποιος είναι ο δολοφόνος, ο χαρακτήρας του Ρουλεταμπίλ, η κλιμάκωση, που το κείμενο ειχε και σχεδιαγράμματα (αν και ποτέ μου δεν κατάλαβα σε τι χρησιμεύουν, αφού αν η λογοτεχνική πένα είναι άρτια, την εικόνα τη φτιάχνω μόνος μου ή σε άλλες περιπτώσεις δε με νοιάζει τι έκανε και πού περπάτησε, πες μου ποιος είναι!). Ευτυχώς, η λύση του μυστηρίου δεν ήταν υπερφυσική, γιατί όταν άρχισε να μιλάει για διάσπαση της ύλης, ότι ο δολοφόνος είναι εκεί και δεν είναι εκεί, αλλού πήγε το μυαλό μου αλλά ευτυχώς όλα καλά στο τέλος!
Αγωνία, ανατροπές και η κλασική γραφή της εποχής, με περιγραφές τοπίων, σπιτιών, χαρακτήρων, καλά κρυμμένα μυστικά, κλιμακώσεις κλπ. Οι φανατικοί του είδους δε θα απογοητευτούν!
December 14, 2019
Zero stars, actually. According to the back cover, John Dickson Carr called this 'The best detective story ever written', while Arnold Bennett labeled it 'The most dazzlingly brilliant detective story I have ever read.' Clearly opinions differ. I found it long-winded, repetitious, and boring. The hero, Joe Roulette Table, rivals Hercule Poirot as perhaps the most annoyingly conceited, self-centered jerk ever to exist. Lord Peter Wimsey runs a close third. It reads as if Leroux assembled a locked room mystery first and then scrambled to find an explanation for it that includes everything and the lavatory sink. It's another of those mysteries where the thing could have been solved in ten minutes if the key characters had come out and admitted what they knew. The victims know what's going on and who did it but for whatever reason refuse to tell anyone; still they expect the cops to solve the crime. I'm sorry I wasted my time on this and would reccommend you save yourself the effort.
April 16, 2015
El Misterio del Cuarto Amarillo es un libro del cual me esperaba mucho más. Me resultó harto pesado: se me hizo muy difícil navegar por páginas pletóricas de narrativa enrevesada.
El final no me lo esperaba, eso sí tengo que conceder; no obstante, fue demasiado confuso y, en mi opinión, algo inverosímil.
El final no me lo esperaba, eso sí tengo que conceder; no obstante, fue demasiado confuso y, en mi opinión, algo inverosímil.
February 25, 2022
Me encantó este libro pero cuando lo leí tenía doce años. Me acuerdo bastante, sin embargo, y en mi memoria es una historia bastante ingenua.
Le pongo la calificación de mis 12 años.
Le pongo la calificación de mis 12 años.
April 12, 2017
Amazing story! Dense, but ingenious. I really enjoyed it!
January 4, 2018
Lu il y a une vingtaine d'années. Je me souviens que je l'ai trouvé trés intéressant, mais le final m'a beaucoup déçu.
August 6, 2018
Brilliantly baffling...
Mademoiselle Mathilde Stangerson is attacked in her yellow bedroom by a murderer wielding a mutton-bone. When her father and the other people in the house break down the door, Mlle S is on the floor and her murderer is nowhere to be found. There are three exceedingly strange things about this – one: how did the murderer get out of a room in which the only door and window were securely locked; and two: why does everyone keep calling him a murderer when Mlle S is still alive...; and three: a mutton-bone???
OK, to my great disappointment I discovered a mutton-bone is actually the name given to a club-like weapon much used by villains of the day, so that solves number three. Number 2 – the murderer with the living victim – becomes progressively more hysterical as the book goes on and Mlle S stubbornly refuses to die. I couldn’t help wondering what she felt every time a newspaper or one of the characters talked about her murder.
The real meat of the thing, though, is not on the mutton-bone, but in the question of how the murderer got out of the room. Enter our hero, Joseph Rouletabille, (a nickname meaning “Roll Your Marble”, given to him, presumably, on account of his large round red head), a young journalist who at the age of eighteen has already acquired a reputation as an inspired amateur detective. He is introduced to us by our narrator, Jean Sainclair, a young lawyer and friend who acts as Rouletabille’s sidekick.
Off they go to the Château du Glandier, where they will meet Mathilde and her father, her fiance, her loyal and devoted servant, and various assorted estate workers and villagers, all with or without alibis and motives, and all behaving suspiciously in one way or another. Even Frédéric Larsan, famed investigator of the Sûreté, will find himself hard put to it to come up with a solution to this baffling mystery, and when he does, it will be entirely different from Rouletabille’s solution. Who will prove to be right? And how will he (the one who’s right) prove he’s right? And will they catch the murderer before the murder victim is finally murdered???
This is a fabulous little romp that is more and more fun as it goes along. First published in French in 1907, I can’t find anything to tell me who the translator was. At first, I felt the language was quite stilted and thought it could do with a modern update. But as the book’s general mildly melodramatic tone began to come through, I realised the style of the translation is actually perfect for it. It makes it feel terribly French and very old-fashioned – both things which add considerably to its charm.
The plotting is great, enhanced by a couple of detailed floor plans allowing the reader to try to get to the solution before Rouletabille. (I failed miserably!) The initial mystery of the locked room is only one of the “impossible crime” features – there is another halfway through which is not only baffling but quite spooky, and there are other sections where Leroux creates a beautifully tense atmosphere. But overall the book leans more towards entertainment with lots of humour, especially in the rivalry between Rouletabille and Larsan. I love that the title of the first chapter is In Which We Begin Not to Understand – sets the light-hearted tone superbly before the book even begins. The villagers are about as welcoming as the ones in The Wicker Man, complete with a surly publican and a witchy old crone with an exceptionally scary cat called Bête du Bon Dieu, so some lovely almost Gothic touches sprinkled into the story.
Rouletabille’s ability to see through the fog of confusion to the truth that eludes all others is well-nigh miraculous, enhanced by Sainclair’s supreme admiration for his young friend. Rouletabille is the master of the enigmatic utterance, throwing suspects into terror while keeping Sainclair (and me) totally befuddled. But when all is revealed, we see that we have indeed had all the clues all along – well, all the important ones anyway – and it’s only our inferior brain-power that has left us trailing in Rouletabille’s brilliant wake...
Hercule Poirot wasn’t baffled, of course, when he read this book. He talks about it in The Clocks, saying...
“And here is The Mystery of the Yellow Room. That – that really is a classic! I approve of it from start to finish. Such a logical approach!... All through there is truth, concealed with a careful and cunning use of words... Definitely a masterpiece...”
… and Poirot (and Ms Christie) knew a thing or two about crime fiction. Poirot is not Rouletabille’s only admirer among the fictional detective classes – John Dickson Carr’s Gideon Fell refers to the book as “the best detective tale ever written”. I must say the physical book from the Collins Crime Club series is gorgeous too, with a great cover, including quotes from Poirot and Fell where normally there would be puffs from fellow writers. Made me laugh with delight before I even opened it.
I’m so glad to have had the chance to read this one, since I’ve seen it referred to often in my recent travels through vintage crime. And I’m even more glad to be able to say that I feel it fully deserves its reputation, both for the skill in the plotting and for the entertainment value in the storytelling. An essential read for vintage crime fans!
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Collins Crime Club.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
Mademoiselle Mathilde Stangerson is attacked in her yellow bedroom by a murderer wielding a mutton-bone. When her father and the other people in the house break down the door, Mlle S is on the floor and her murderer is nowhere to be found. There are three exceedingly strange things about this – one: how did the murderer get out of a room in which the only door and window were securely locked; and two: why does everyone keep calling him a murderer when Mlle S is still alive...; and three: a mutton-bone???
OK, to my great disappointment I discovered a mutton-bone is actually the name given to a club-like weapon much used by villains of the day, so that solves number three. Number 2 – the murderer with the living victim – becomes progressively more hysterical as the book goes on and Mlle S stubbornly refuses to die. I couldn’t help wondering what she felt every time a newspaper or one of the characters talked about her murder.
The real meat of the thing, though, is not on the mutton-bone, but in the question of how the murderer got out of the room. Enter our hero, Joseph Rouletabille, (a nickname meaning “Roll Your Marble”, given to him, presumably, on account of his large round red head), a young journalist who at the age of eighteen has already acquired a reputation as an inspired amateur detective. He is introduced to us by our narrator, Jean Sainclair, a young lawyer and friend who acts as Rouletabille’s sidekick.
Off they go to the Château du Glandier, where they will meet Mathilde and her father, her fiance, her loyal and devoted servant, and various assorted estate workers and villagers, all with or without alibis and motives, and all behaving suspiciously in one way or another. Even Frédéric Larsan, famed investigator of the Sûreté, will find himself hard put to it to come up with a solution to this baffling mystery, and when he does, it will be entirely different from Rouletabille’s solution. Who will prove to be right? And how will he (the one who’s right) prove he’s right? And will they catch the murderer before the murder victim is finally murdered???
This is a fabulous little romp that is more and more fun as it goes along. First published in French in 1907, I can’t find anything to tell me who the translator was. At first, I felt the language was quite stilted and thought it could do with a modern update. But as the book’s general mildly melodramatic tone began to come through, I realised the style of the translation is actually perfect for it. It makes it feel terribly French and very old-fashioned – both things which add considerably to its charm.
The plotting is great, enhanced by a couple of detailed floor plans allowing the reader to try to get to the solution before Rouletabille. (I failed miserably!) The initial mystery of the locked room is only one of the “impossible crime” features – there is another halfway through which is not only baffling but quite spooky, and there are other sections where Leroux creates a beautifully tense atmosphere. But overall the book leans more towards entertainment with lots of humour, especially in the rivalry between Rouletabille and Larsan. I love that the title of the first chapter is In Which We Begin Not to Understand – sets the light-hearted tone superbly before the book even begins. The villagers are about as welcoming as the ones in The Wicker Man, complete with a surly publican and a witchy old crone with an exceptionally scary cat called Bête du Bon Dieu, so some lovely almost Gothic touches sprinkled into the story.
Rouletabille’s ability to see through the fog of confusion to the truth that eludes all others is well-nigh miraculous, enhanced by Sainclair’s supreme admiration for his young friend. Rouletabille is the master of the enigmatic utterance, throwing suspects into terror while keeping Sainclair (and me) totally befuddled. But when all is revealed, we see that we have indeed had all the clues all along – well, all the important ones anyway – and it’s only our inferior brain-power that has left us trailing in Rouletabille’s brilliant wake...
Hercule Poirot wasn’t baffled, of course, when he read this book. He talks about it in The Clocks, saying...
“And here is The Mystery of the Yellow Room. That – that really is a classic! I approve of it from start to finish. Such a logical approach!... All through there is truth, concealed with a careful and cunning use of words... Definitely a masterpiece...”
… and Poirot (and Ms Christie) knew a thing or two about crime fiction. Poirot is not Rouletabille’s only admirer among the fictional detective classes – John Dickson Carr’s Gideon Fell refers to the book as “the best detective tale ever written”. I must say the physical book from the Collins Crime Club series is gorgeous too, with a great cover, including quotes from Poirot and Fell where normally there would be puffs from fellow writers. Made me laugh with delight before I even opened it.
I’m so glad to have had the chance to read this one, since I’ve seen it referred to often in my recent travels through vintage crime. And I’m even more glad to be able to say that I feel it fully deserves its reputation, both for the skill in the plotting and for the entertainment value in the storytelling. An essential read for vintage crime fans!
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Collins Crime Club.
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