L'ingénieur aimait trop les chiffres

by Boileau-Narcejac

Un ingénieur spécialisé dans la recherche atomique a été assassiné et le prototype sur lequel il travaillait, dérobé. Pourtant, personne n’a pu sortir de son bureau ou y entrer sans être vu… Comment le criminel a-t-il pu s’enfuir avec un tube d’uranium pesant vingt kilos ? Sait-il seulement qu’il pourrait anéantir Paris en quelques secondes ? Voilà le commissaire Mareuil confronté à un véritable "mystère de la chambre close"…

Genres: French Literature, Crime, Mystery

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1958

About the author

Pierre Boileau and Pierre Ayraud (aka Thomas Narcejac) were French authors who specialized in police stories. They collaborated as "Boileau-Narcejac," with plots from Boileau. Narcejac provided most of the atmosphere and characterisations in each novel.

Each of them were highly successful alone before beginning their work together. The Prix du Roman d'Aventures, one of the most important literary awards in France, is given each year to the author of the best example of detective fiction in the world. Boileau won it in 1938 for Le Repos de Bacchus . Narcejac received it for La Mort est du Voyage in 1948. They met at the 1948 awards dinner.

While most of their works stand alone, they also wrote the "Sans Atout" series for young readers.

Two of their novels, Celle qui n'était plus and D'entre les morts , were adapted into films (respectively, Les Diaboliques and Vertigo)

Reviews

[Ezgi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fransız ikilinin neredeyse tüm kitapları filme uyarlanmış. Bir dönem çok popüler olmuşlar. Ne yazık ki bu ün kalmamış. Bu kitabın yeni baskısı yok, eskisini de bulamadım. Mecbur İngilizce çeviriden okudum. Polisiye olduğu için çeviride çok bir edebi kayıp yaşanacağını düşünmüyorum ama bu eğlenceli kitapların ulaşılır olmasını da isterdim. Roman kilitli oda polisiyelerinin daha modernist bir uyarlaması olmuş. En sevdiğim subgenre olabilir bu. Bir araştırma merkezinde bir bilim adamı öldürülür. Cinayet saatinde kapalı olan merkezde büyük bir muamma yaratır. Yalnızca cinayetle sınırlı kalmaz merkezden bomba da çalınmıştır. Atom bombası dünyanın gündemini işgal ettiği dönemler olduğu için çağına çok uygun bir roman. Polisiye kurgusunu da çok beğendim.

[Gaurdin · Rating 1 out of 5]

افتضاح بود، ترجمه‌ی افتضاح، مترجم شاید به ریزه‌کاری‌های زبان مبدا (یه صورت آکادمیک و بر اساس شنیده‌ها) آشنایی داشته باشد(که در این مورد هم شک دارم) ولی به هیچ عنوان نتوانسته از زیبایی زبانی مقصد بهره‌ای ببرد. تنها چیزی که برایم مشخص و واضح بود که این کتاب تحت نام مترجم حتی رنگ یک ویراستار را هم به خود ندیده.
درمورد کتاب باید بگویم که قدر مسلم کمترین امتیاز بی انصافی است چرا که با یک اثر خوب مواجه‌ایم که علیرغم تمامی کاستی‌های ترجمه‌ی بد باز هم کشش لازم تا به انتها بردن را فراهم می‌کند. تاسفم تنها زمانی بیشتر شد که در انتهای کتاب متوجه شدم که مترجم تابحال دوازده اثر دیگراز همین نویسنده ترجمه کرده است. از همین الان گوشه‌ی ذهنم جایی برای مترجم در نظرمی‌گیرم تا دیگر هیچ کتابی را با ترجمه‌ی ایشان نخوانم.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Tube/L'ingénieur aimait trop les chiffres [1958] – ★★★1/2

Boileau-Narcejac, a pen name of French crime writers Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac, may be known for their books D’entre les morts and Celle qui n'était plus, that were successfully adapted into major films Vertigo and Les Diaboliques, but their other thriller output is also worth checking out.

The Tube/L'ingénieur aimait trop les chiffres centres around an atomic energy research centre in Paris where one of the leading engineers, Sorbier, is found dead, presumably murdered by a gunshot. This seems to be an impossible crime since the murderer could not have possibly escaped after the crime - the window area below Sorbier’s office was guarded, and another exit also had eyewitnesses standing nearby. And, what about the mysterious letter received by the deceased just before he died? Can it shed clues as to the identity of the murderer? Moreover, a potentially dangerous object of some great research value is found stolen from Sorbier’s office – a tube/cylinder that can be activated to lead to a great explosion. Inspector Mareuil (not that dissimilar to Simenon’s Inspector Maigret) takes this case, questioning Sorbier’s co-workers Renardeau and Belliard, as well as Sorbier’s beautiful wife Linda. More mysteries emerge, including other “impossible” murders, and the point of Boileau-Narcejac was also probably to show the increased technocratization of the society where humane principles become sidelined and forgotten. The crime resolution is a little too straightforward and unbelievable in this case, but this detective thriller still presents an intriguing conundrum and is a page-turner with a unique setting.

[Luis Minski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Novela de misterio al estilo tradicional, dentro de lo que podemos llamar "crímenes de cuarto cerrado", y que incluye un MacGuffin al mejor modo hitchconiano. Todo comienza cuando un importante científico aparece muerto en su oficina, y de su caja fuerte, abierta, falta un componente altamente radioactivo que puede generar una poderosa explosión nuclear.

[Samane · Rating 2 out of 5]

اين كه مي گويند در لحظات بسيار خطير، فكر به شكل برق آسايي كار مي كند ، دروغ است. برعكس، فكر انگار منجمد مي شود....

[Cora Lang · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ce livre datant de 1958 m’a bien amusé. L’intrigue policière menée à l’ancienne, le policier qui court au bar pour téléphoner. Boileau Narcejac ont le sens de l’intrigue et, jusqu’à la fin, on meurt d’envie de connaître le mystère liant cette série de meurtres.

[Omid Hosseini · Rating 4 out of 5]

اولین داستان جنایی بود که خوندم.
روایت خوبی داره و خواننده رو به دنبال خودش می‌کِشه. اتفاقات مختلفی در داستان میفته که مدام ذهن شما رو درگیر می‌کنه تا حدس و گمان‌های مختلفی بزنید ولی داستان به شکلی پیش میره که تا آخرش نتونید حدس درست و دقیقی بزنید. پایان‌بندی خوبی هم داره