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Monsieur Lecoq #1
L’affaire Lerouge
Inspiré d'une histoire vraie...
Considéré comme le père du roman policier français, Émile Gaboriau s’inspire, comme il le fera dans d’autres récits, d’un fait divers dramatique qui défraya la chronique en 1865. Il y relate ainsi la trépidante enquête menée autour de l’assassinat de Célestine Lerouge, sauvagement égorgée dans le quartier de la place d’Italie, à Paris.
L’intérêt de l’oeuvre présentée dans cette édition est double. D’une part, il s’agit d’un roman novateur pour son époque, au point qu’il influencera notamment Arthur Conan Doyle et son célèbre Sherlock Holmes. D’une autre, il est aussi question d’une histoire savamment racontée au sein de laquelle l’auteur fait preuve d’un sens aiguisé de l’observation comparable sur le plan méthodologique à celui que l’on retrouve chez les journalistes de terrains ou chez les ethnologues, les moindres détails de l’enquête étant dévoilés avec minutie. Par ailleurs, si le lecteur éprouvera sans nul doute un grand plaisir à lire cette histoire formidablement écrite, il y notera qu’il y est question, comme dans toutes grandes oeuvres littéraires, de porter un regard critique sur son temps, en dénonçant par exemple les travers d’une justice qui reste, cent cinquante années après la première publication des pages qui suivent, largement perfectible.
Considéré comme le père du roman policier français, Émile Gaboriau s’inspire, comme il le fera dans d’autres récits, d’un fait divers dramatique qui défraya la chronique en 1865. Il y relate ainsi la trépidante enquête menée autour de l’assassinat de Célestine Lerouge, sauvagement égorgée dans le quartier de la place d’Italie, à Paris.
L’intérêt de l’oeuvre présentée dans cette édition est double. D’une part, il s’agit d’un roman novateur pour son époque, au point qu’il influencera notamment Arthur Conan Doyle et son célèbre Sherlock Holmes. D’une autre, il est aussi question d’une histoire savamment racontée au sein de laquelle l’auteur fait preuve d’un sens aiguisé de l’observation comparable sur le plan méthodologique à celui que l’on retrouve chez les journalistes de terrains ou chez les ethnologues, les moindres détails de l’enquête étant dévoilés avec minutie. Par ailleurs, si le lecteur éprouvera sans nul doute un grand plaisir à lire cette histoire formidablement écrite, il y notera qu’il y est question, comme dans toutes grandes oeuvres littéraires, de porter un regard critique sur son temps, en dénonçant par exemple les travers d’une justice qui reste, cent cinquante années après la première publication des pages qui suivent, largement perfectible.
341 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1863
117 people are currently reading
967 people want to read
About the author
Émile Gaboriau
473 books55 followersGaboriau was born in the small town of Saujon, Charente-Maritime. He became a secretary to Paul Féval, and after publishing some novels and miscellaneous writings, found his real gift in L'Affaire Lerouge (1866).
The book, which was Gaboriau's first detective novel, introduced an amateur detective. It also introduced a young police officer named Monsieur Lecoq, who was the hero in three of Gaboriau's later detective novels. The character of Lecoq was based on a real-life thief turned police officer, Eugène François Vidocq (1775–1857), whose own memoirs, Les Vrais Mémoires de Vidocq, mixed fiction and fact. It may also have been influenced by the villainous Monsieur Lecoq, one of the main protagonists of Féval's Les Habits Noirs book series.
The book was published in "Le Siècle" and at once made his reputation. Gaboriau gained a huge following, but when Arthur Conan Doyle created Sherlock Holmes, Monsieur Lecoq's international fame declined. The story was produced on the stage in 1872. A long series of novels dealing with the annals of the police court followed, and proved very popular. Gaboriau died in Paris of pulmonary apoplexy.
Gaboriau's books were generally well received. About the Mystery of the Orcival, Harper's wrote in 1872 "Of its class of romance - French sensational - this is a remarkable and unique specimen". A film version of Le Dossier n° 113 (File No. 113) was released in 1932.
The book, which was Gaboriau's first detective novel, introduced an amateur detective. It also introduced a young police officer named Monsieur Lecoq, who was the hero in three of Gaboriau's later detective novels. The character of Lecoq was based on a real-life thief turned police officer, Eugène François Vidocq (1775–1857), whose own memoirs, Les Vrais Mémoires de Vidocq, mixed fiction and fact. It may also have been influenced by the villainous Monsieur Lecoq, one of the main protagonists of Féval's Les Habits Noirs book series.
The book was published in "Le Siècle" and at once made his reputation. Gaboriau gained a huge following, but when Arthur Conan Doyle created Sherlock Holmes, Monsieur Lecoq's international fame declined. The story was produced on the stage in 1872. A long series of novels dealing with the annals of the police court followed, and proved very popular. Gaboriau died in Paris of pulmonary apoplexy.
Gaboriau's books were generally well received. About the Mystery of the Orcival, Harper's wrote in 1872 "Of its class of romance - French sensational - this is a remarkable and unique specimen". A film version of Le Dossier n° 113 (File No. 113) was released in 1932.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
December 24, 2025
Es importante poner esta novela (para muchos, la primera del género detectivesco) en el contexto del siglo XIX y en un contexto en el que se escribe algo que no se ha hecho nunca.
A partir de aquí, la novela es interesante. Tiene un ritmo rápido y una trama eficaz aunque un poco rocambolesca que cuesta mucho de creer.
Aun así, la investigación del detective aficionado, Tabaret, a partir del método inductivo (de lo conocido a lo desconocido) es original.
Los personajes están muy bien caracterizados, aunque el final te deja un poco desorientado y se precipita de manera demasiado rápida. El inicio es pausado y el final es como un suspiro y pasa mucho en pocas páginas.
Teniendo en cuenta cuando se escribió esta novela es una muy buena lectura para los amantes del género.
-------------------------------
It is important to place this novel (for many, the first of the detective genre) in the context of the 19th century and in a context in which something that has never been done before is being written.
From this point on, the novel is interesting. It has a fast pace and an effective plot, although it is a little far-fetched and hard to believe.
Even so, the investigation by the amateur detective, Tabaret, based on the inductive method (from the known to the unknown) is original.
The characters are very well developed, although the ending leaves you a little confused and feels rushed. The beginning is slow-paced and the ending is like a sigh, with a lot happening in just a few pages.
Considering when this novel was written, it is a very good read for lovers of the genre.
A partir de aquí, la novela es interesante. Tiene un ritmo rápido y una trama eficaz aunque un poco rocambolesca que cuesta mucho de creer.
Aun así, la investigación del detective aficionado, Tabaret, a partir del método inductivo (de lo conocido a lo desconocido) es original.
Los personajes están muy bien caracterizados, aunque el final te deja un poco desorientado y se precipita de manera demasiado rápida. El inicio es pausado y el final es como un suspiro y pasa mucho en pocas páginas.
Teniendo en cuenta cuando se escribió esta novela es una muy buena lectura para los amantes del género.
-------------------------------
It is important to place this novel (for many, the first of the detective genre) in the context of the 19th century and in a context in which something that has never been done before is being written.
From this point on, the novel is interesting. It has a fast pace and an effective plot, although it is a little far-fetched and hard to believe.
Even so, the investigation by the amateur detective, Tabaret, based on the inductive method (from the known to the unknown) is original.
The characters are very well developed, although the ending leaves you a little confused and feels rushed. The beginning is slow-paced and the ending is like a sigh, with a lot happening in just a few pages.
Considering when this novel was written, it is a very good read for lovers of the genre.
April 23, 2020
Είναι το πρώτο βιβλίο που διαβάζω του Emile Gaboriau. Θεωρείται ο πατέρας του Γαλλικού μυθιστορήματος. Τον είπαν ο Edgar Alan Poe της Γαλλίας. Σε 13 χρόνια έγραψε 21 μυθιστορήματα. Το συγκεκριμένο δημοσιεύτηκε το 1863 σε εφημερίδα και ξανά το 1866 σε άλλη εφημερίδα με αλλαγές. Δεν θα αναφερθώ καθόλου στην πλοκή η οποία ήταν ενδιαφέρουσα και πρωτοποριακή για την εποχή του. Το μυστήριο με κράτησε καθηλωμένη ως το τέλος. Ο συγγραφέας με ένα μοναδικό τρόπο μας παρουσιάζει την σταδιακή ψυχολογική κατάσταση των ηρώων και ταυτόχρονα δεν λείπουν τα αντίστοιχα κοινωνικά σχόλια. Ο Gaboriau υπήρξε πηγή έμπνευσης του Ζωρζ Σιμενον καθώς και Αρθουρ Κοναν Ντοιλ και του Μορις Λεμπλανκ. Δεν γνωρίζω αν θεωρείται το καλύτερο του βιβλίο. Σίγουρα θα διαβάσω και άλλο του κάποια στιγμή.
October 10, 2022
Μια περίπλοκη, ενδιαφέρουσα και όμορφη αστυνομική ιστορία
Read
September 21, 2017because of the end it's a 3.5 for me.
I wish you could have seen the joy on my face while reading this book; then again, I seem to be much happier these days reading in the past so I'm not at all surprised. Despite the crappy ending, The Widow Lerouge is a solid mystery story centered around the investigation into the death of the titular character, and even though I hated how Gaboriau brought it to a close, for me it's all about the journey and that was terrific. The story that goes on to parallel and underpin the case itself is an engrossing sort of adventure that completely captured my attention to the point where I didn't want to stop reading. There's also a lot going on here that speaks to human nature, which why I read crime in the first place.
I hit on a bit of plot (spoiler free, I promise) at my reading journal, so anyone interested in what happens in this book, plus a bit of the history behind it can click
here.
It's a shame really, that these wonderful authors of yesteryear whose books I've been reading in this year's history of crime fiction/mystery project are just falling by the wayside and are somewhat neglected, because as in other genres, what came before has certainly influenced the journey to the present in the crime/mystery field, and I can certainly make that case for Gaboriau, even after reading just this one book. Numerous scholars have also said the same thing, so it's not just my amateur reader self talking here. Yes, it's old, yes, it's not the best, but it is still worth every second of time given to it.
recommended for sure.
I wish you could have seen the joy on my face while reading this book; then again, I seem to be much happier these days reading in the past so I'm not at all surprised. Despite the crappy ending, The Widow Lerouge is a solid mystery story centered around the investigation into the death of the titular character, and even though I hated how Gaboriau brought it to a close, for me it's all about the journey and that was terrific. The story that goes on to parallel and underpin the case itself is an engrossing sort of adventure that completely captured my attention to the point where I didn't want to stop reading. There's also a lot going on here that speaks to human nature, which why I read crime in the first place.
I hit on a bit of plot (spoiler free, I promise) at my reading journal, so anyone interested in what happens in this book, plus a bit of the history behind it can click
here.
It's a shame really, that these wonderful authors of yesteryear whose books I've been reading in this year's history of crime fiction/mystery project are just falling by the wayside and are somewhat neglected, because as in other genres, what came before has certainly influenced the journey to the present in the crime/mystery field, and I can certainly make that case for Gaboriau, even after reading just this one book. Numerous scholars have also said the same thing, so it's not just my amateur reader self talking here. Yes, it's old, yes, it's not the best, but it is still worth every second of time given to it.
recommended for sure.
April 29, 2021
Παρ'όλο που βασιζόμενη στη περίοδο που γράφτηκε δεν έτρεφα προσδοκίες για καταιγιστική δράση και γρήγορη πλοκή απογοητευτικά από τρόπο που εξιστορείται η ιστορία!
Είναι έξυπνος ο τρόπος που οι χαρακτήρες συνδέονται με την υπόθεση αλλά οι πολλές λεπτομέρειες με κούρασαν! Επίσης στα αρνητικά για μένα ήταν πως μπόρεσα να καταλάβω τον δολοφόνο αρκετά νωρίς όπως και το κίνητρο όποτε δεν είχα την ανάγκη να διαβάσω να δω τι θα γίνει παρακάτω. Συμπαθητικό ανάγνωσμα αλλά για μένα προσωπικά όχι κάτι ιδιαίτερο!
Based on the era it was written I didn't have great expectations for a fast paced plot but even so I was disappointed with the writing style!
The way the characters were linked to the plot was clever but the many details managed to bore me!
Another negative in my reading experience is that i figured early on the motive and who did the murder!
It's a nice read but for me nothing extraordinary!
Είναι έξυπνος ο τρόπος που οι χαρακτήρες συνδέονται με την υπόθεση αλλά οι πολλές λεπτομέρειες με κούρασαν! Επίσης στα αρνητικά για μένα ήταν πως μπόρεσα να καταλάβω τον δολοφόνο αρκετά νωρίς όπως και το κίνητρο όποτε δεν είχα την ανάγκη να διαβάσω να δω τι θα γίνει παρακάτω. Συμπαθητικό ανάγνωσμα αλλά για μένα προσωπικά όχι κάτι ιδιαίτερο!
Based on the era it was written I didn't have great expectations for a fast paced plot but even so I was disappointed with the writing style!
The way the characters were linked to the plot was clever but the many details managed to bore me!
Another negative in my reading experience is that i figured early on the motive and who did the murder!
It's a nice read but for me nothing extraordinary!
April 15, 2019
Δεν ξέρω εάν κάποιος που δεν είναι λάτρης της αστυνομικής λογοτεχνίας θα το έβρισκε εξίσου ενδιαφέρον, πάντως είναι ένα πολύ καλό πρώιμο δείγμα του είδους. Αν και προφανώς παρωχημένο, αν παραβλέψει κανείς το μελοδραματικό στυλ, χαρακτηριστικό των γαλλικών μυθιστορημάτων του 19ου αιώνα, αντέχει αξιοπρεπώς στο χρόνο και διαβάζεται ευχάριστα.
August 30, 2018
Αν αναζητάτε ένα μυθιστόρημα με έντονη δράση, σασπένς, με αφηγηματικό λόγο σκληρό και ωμό, θα απογοητευτείτε.
Θυμηθείτε όμως, πως ένα βιβλίο αστυνομικής μυθιστορίας δεν είναι μόνο τα παραπάνω!
Δύο μέρες μετά τη Μαρντί Γκρα (γαλλικό καρναβάλι ) του 1862, ανακαλύπτεται το πτώμα της χήρας Κλοντίν Λερούζ σε μια μικρή πόλη κοντά στο Παρίσι. Η χήρα ζούσε εκεί, κοντά δύο χρόνια και κανείς δεν γνώριζε το παρελθόν της. Η χωροφυλακή στο πρώτο στάδιο των ερευνών αποφαίνεται πως έπεσε θύμα κάποιου κοινού κλέφτη, καθώς τα πάντα συνηγορούν υπέρ αυτού.
Στον τόπο του εγκλήματος καταφθάνει ο αρχηγός της ασφάλειας Ζεβρόλ, ένας άνθρωπος χωρίς φαντασία που περιορίζεται στο να ασκεί τα καθήκοντά του μέσα στα πλαίσια μιας τυπικής διαδικασίας. Έτσι, οδηγείται σε λάθος συμπεράσματα που τα καταρρίπτει ο βοηθός του, Λεκόκ, πρώην μέλος του υποκόσμου.
Υπεύθυνος για την υπόθεση είναι ο ανακριτής Νταμπιρόν, γνωστός για τον μη ριψοκίνδυνο χαρακτήρα του, όσον αφορά την άσκηση των καθηκόντων του. Ποτέ δεν αρκείται σε πιθανολογίες ή απλές ενδείξεις αλλά αναζητά τη βεβαιότητα. Ο Ζεβρόλ αναγκάζεται, μετά από την πρόταση του βοηθού του μπροστά στον ανακριτή, να καταφύγει στη βοήθεια του Ταμπαρέ, ενός πρώην υπάλληλου ενεχυροδανειστηρίου, που έχει σαν χόμπι τη διαλεύκανση των εγκλημάτων. Ο Ταμπαρέ χαρακτηρίζεται για την ευφυία του, πράγμα που … δεν χαρακτηρίζει τον αρχηγό της Αστυνομίας.
Η ετερόκλητη αυτή ομάδα αναλαμβάνει να βρει τον δολοφόνο. Ο καθένας, σχεδόν, ενεργεί για λογαριασμό του, ενώ ο πρώην υπάλληλος του ενεχυροδανειστηρίου αυτοανακηρύσσεται επικεφαλής της ομάδας.
Σε μια εποχή που δεν υπάρχει τρόπος ούτε καν για δακτυλικά αποτυπώματα, το κουβάρι που οδηγεί στον δολοφόνο ξετυλίγεται σιγά σιγά και πότε δένεται σε κόμπους, πότε παραστρατεί. Ο Ταμπαρέ στηρίζεται στα πειστήρια που βρίσκει, στην οξύνοια του πνεύματός του και στο ένστικτό του. Ο ανακριτής ψάχνει να βρει το κρυμμένο κίνητρο της δολοφονίας. Ο Ζεβρόλ ψάχνει γενικά και αόριστα. Κι όλοι μαζί αναζητούν τον δολοφόνο!
Το βιβλίο, άτυπα, χωρίζεται σε δύο μέρη. Στο πρώτο μέρος έχουμε να κάνουμε με το έγκλημα και την αρχή της έρευνας. Στο δεύτερο μέρος ξεδιπλώνεται το παρελθόν των ηρώων που έχουν τον μεγαλύτερο ρόλο μέσα στο βιβλίο και φυσικά η συνέχεια των ερευνών από τον Ταμπαρέ υπό την επίβλεψη του ανακριτή.
Ο ερασιτέχνης ντετέκτιβ συλλέγει τα πειστήρια του εγκλήματος ( απολαυστικές οι περιγραφές), αναλύει τις πιθανότητες και τις δυνατότητες, ανασκαλεύει το παρελθόν και είναι έτοιμος να οδηγηθεί στη λύση του εγκλήματος.
Θα πρέπει να τονιστεί εδώ, πως η μεγάλη καινοτομία του πρωτοπόρου, στο αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα, συγγραφέα είναι η επιλογή ενός ερασιτέχνη ντετέκτιβ και φυσικά αυτή θα ακολουθηθεί από μεταγενέστερους συγγραφείς με επιτυχία.
Μέσα από την ιστορία, εκτός από το αστυνομικό κομμάτι, βλέπουμε να προβάλλεται η κατώτερη θέση της γυναίκας στην κοινωνία, οι δυσκολίες σε αλλαγές των κοινωνικών στάτους αλλά, και με γλαφυρές περιγραφές το Παρίσι με τα κρυφά γοητευτικά πάθη του. Κι όλα αυτά με κάποιους μελοδραματικούς τόνους και κάποιες, ίσως, υπερβολές που είναι χαρακτηριστικά γνωρίσματα των μυθιστοριογράφων της εποχής εκείνης.
Παράλληλα έχουμε την ευκαιρία να δούμε την κοινωνία της τότε εποχής, με μια σκουριασμένη αλλά ακόμη αγέρωχη αριστοκρατία να μη θέλει να δει τα χαμένα μεγαλεία της και από την άλλη πλευρά μια αστική τάξη να έχει ισχυροποιηθεί, αλλά και να μην είναι αναγνωρίσιμη από την πρώτη. Ο συγγραφέας βρίσκει, επίσης, την ευκαιρία να διακηρύξει τη δύναμη της δικαστικής εξουσίας που έχει αποκοπεί από την επιρροή της αυτοκρατορικής εξουσίας (Ναπολέων Γ΄), και έχει αφήσει μακριά της τις εποχές εκείνες της πλήρους εξάρτησης και της αδρανοποίησης ακόμη και του νομοθετικού σώματος.
'' Ανάμεσα στον ανακριτή κα�� τον κατηγορούμενο παρεμβάλλεται ένα υπέρτατο δικαστήριο, θεσμός αξιοθαύμαστος, που εγγυάται την ελευθερία όλων μας, μια εξουσία ουσιωδώς συμβιβαστική : Το σώμα των ενόρκων. Και δόξα τω θεώ, οι ένορκοι δεν αρκούνται σε μια κοινότυπη απόδειξη. ''
Η γλώσσα του κειμένου είναι γλαφυρή, η άριστη αφηγηματική ικανότητα του συγγραφέα εμφανής και η ανάπτυξη των χαρακτήρων πλήρης.
Υ.Γ. Θα πρέπει να αναφερθεί πως το βιβλίο Η υπόθεση Λερούζ ανήκει στη σειρά Aldina, που εμπνεύστηκε και οργάνωσε ο Δημήτρης Αρμάος.
Η δε μετάφραση του γαλλικού κειμένου, από τον Ωρίωνα Αρκομάνη και την Τιτίκα Δημητρούλια, είναι εξαιρετική.
Θυμηθείτε όμως, πως ένα βιβλίο αστυνομικής μυθιστορίας δεν είναι μόνο τα παραπάνω!
Δύο μέρες μετά τη Μαρντί Γκρα (γαλλικό καρναβάλι ) του 1862, ανακαλύπτεται το πτώμα της χήρας Κλοντίν Λερούζ σε μια μικρή πόλη κοντά στο Παρίσι. Η χήρα ζούσε εκεί, κοντά δύο χρόνια και κανείς δεν γνώριζε το παρελθόν της. Η χωροφυλακή στο πρώτο στάδιο των ερευνών αποφαίνεται πως έπεσε θύμα κάποιου κοινού κλέφτη, καθώς τα πάντα συνηγορούν υπέρ αυτού.
Στον τόπο του εγκλήματος καταφθάνει ο αρχηγός της ασφάλειας Ζεβρόλ, ένας άνθρωπος χωρίς φαντασία που περιορίζεται στο να ασκεί τα καθήκοντά του μέσα στα πλαίσια μιας τυπικής διαδικασίας. Έτσι, οδηγείται σε λάθος συμπεράσματα που τα καταρρίπτει ο βοηθός του, Λεκόκ, πρώην μέλος του υποκόσμου.
Υπεύθυνος για την υπόθεση είναι ο ανακριτής Νταμπιρόν, γνωστός για τον μη ριψοκίνδυνο χαρακτήρα του, όσον αφορά την άσκηση των καθηκόντων του. Ποτέ δεν αρκείται σε πιθανολογίες ή απλές ενδείξεις αλλά αναζητά τη βεβαιότητα. Ο Ζεβρόλ αναγκάζεται, μετά από την πρόταση του βοηθού του μπροστά στον ανακριτή, να καταφύγει στη βοήθεια του Ταμπαρέ, ενός πρώην υπάλληλου ενεχυροδανειστηρίου, που έχει σαν χόμπι τη διαλεύκανση των εγκλημάτων. Ο Ταμπαρέ χαρακτηρίζεται για την ευφυία του, πράγμα που … δεν χαρακτηρίζει τον αρχηγό της Αστυνομίας.
Η ετερόκλητη αυτή ομάδα αναλαμβάνει να βρει τον δολοφόνο. Ο καθένας, σχεδόν, ενεργεί για λογαριασμό του, ενώ ο πρώην υπάλληλος του ενεχυροδανειστηρίου αυτοανακηρύσσεται επικεφαλής της ομάδας.
Σε μια εποχή που δεν υπάρχει τρόπος ούτε καν για δακτυλικά αποτυπώματα, το κουβάρι που οδηγεί στον δολοφόνο ξετυλίγεται σιγά σιγά και πότε δένεται σε κόμπους, πότε παραστρατεί. Ο Ταμπαρέ στηρίζεται στα πειστήρια που βρίσκει, στην οξύνοια του πνεύματός του και στο ένστικτό του. Ο ανακριτής ψάχνει να βρει το κρυμμένο κίνητρο της δολοφονίας. Ο Ζεβρόλ ψάχνει γενικά και αόριστα. Κι όλοι μαζί αναζητούν τον δολοφόνο!
Το βιβλίο, άτυπα, χωρίζεται σε δύο μέρη. Στο πρώτο μέρος έχουμε να κάνουμε με το έγκλημα και την αρχή της έρευνας. Στο δεύτερο μέρος ξεδιπλώνεται το παρελθόν των ηρώων που έχουν τον μεγαλύτερο ρόλο μέσα στο βιβλίο και φυσικά η συνέχεια των ερευνών από τον Ταμπαρέ υπό την επίβλεψη του ανακριτή.
Ο ερασιτέχνης ντετέκτιβ συλλέγει τα πειστήρια του εγκλήματος ( απολαυστικές οι περιγραφές), αναλύει τις πιθανότητες και τις δυνατότητες, ανασκαλεύει το παρελθόν και είναι έτοιμος να οδηγηθεί στη λύση του εγκλήματος.
Θα πρέπει να τονιστεί εδώ, πως η μεγάλη καινοτομία του πρωτοπόρου, στο αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα, συγγραφέα είναι η επιλογή ενός ερασιτέχνη ντετέκτιβ και φυσικά αυτή θα ακολουθηθεί από μεταγενέστερους συγγραφείς με επιτυχία.
Μέσα από την ιστορία, εκτός από το αστυνομικό κομμάτι, βλέπουμε να προβάλλεται η κατώτερη θέση της γυναίκας στην κοινωνία, οι δυσκολίες σε αλλαγές των κοινωνικών στάτους αλλά, και με γλαφυρές περιγραφές το Παρίσι με τα κρυφά γοητευτικά πάθη του. Κι όλα αυτά με κάποιους μελοδραματικούς τόνους και κάποιες, ίσως, υπερβολές που είναι χαρακτηριστικά γνωρίσματα των μυθιστοριογράφων της εποχής εκείνης.
Παράλληλα έχουμε την ευκαιρία να δούμε την κοινωνία της τότε εποχής, με μια σκουριασμένη αλλά ακόμη αγέρωχη αριστοκρατία να μη θέλει να δει τα χαμένα μεγαλεία της και από την άλλη πλευρά μια αστική τάξη να έχει ισχυροποιηθεί, αλλά και να μην είναι αναγνωρίσιμη από την πρώτη. Ο συγγραφέας βρίσκει, επίσης, την ευκαιρία να διακηρύξει τη δύναμη της δικαστικής εξουσίας που έχει αποκοπεί από την επιρροή της αυτοκρατορικής εξουσίας (Ναπολέων Γ΄), και έχει αφήσει μακριά της τις εποχές εκείνες της πλήρους εξάρτησης και της αδρανοποίησης ακόμη και του νομοθετικού σώματος.
'' Ανάμεσα στον ανακριτή κα�� τον κατηγορούμενο παρεμβάλλεται ένα υπέρτατο δικαστήριο, θεσμός αξιοθαύμαστος, που εγγυάται την ελευθερία όλων μας, μια εξουσία ουσιωδώς συμβιβαστική : Το σώμα των ενόρκων. Και δόξα τω θεώ, οι ένορκοι δεν αρκούνται σε μια κοινότυπη απόδειξη. ''
Η γλώσσα του κειμένου είναι γλαφυρή, η άριστη αφηγηματική ικανότητα του συγγραφέα εμφανής και η ανάπτυξη των χαρακτήρων πλήρης.
Υ.Γ. Θα πρέπει να αναφερθεί πως το βιβλίο Η υπόθεση Λερούζ ανήκει στη σειρά Aldina, που εμπνεύστηκε και οργάνωσε ο Δημήτρης Αρμάος.
Η δε μετάφραση του γαλλικού κειμένου, από τον Ωρίωνα Αρκομάνη και την Τιτίκα Δημητρούλια, είναι εξαιρετική.
August 26, 2018
Ο μοναδικός πατέρας του αστυνομικού μυθιστορήματος είναι οι Δολοφονίες της οδού Μοργκ του Έντγκαρ Άλαν Πόε. Αν η Υπόθεση Λερούζ είχε γραφτεί σήμερα, θα λέγαμε πως είναι ένα αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα όπου ο συγγραφέας τα έχει χαμένα. Ανήκει σ’ ένα άλλο είδος που εξελίχτηκε παράλληλα και προσομοιάζει το αστυνομικό, ενίοτε το παντρεύεται, γεννάει τα παιδιά του, χωρίς ποτέ να ταυτίζεται. Είναι το είδος του Μπάνβιλ, του Μονταλμπάν, κάποιων έργων του Σιμενόν. Είναι ένας πατέρας που δε θα μπορέσει να πάρει τις δάφνες των παιδιών του, αλλά έθεσε τις βάσεις.
Χρησιμοποιεί τα ‘’τρικ’’ που έκαναν διάσημους τον Τσβάϊχ και το Στεντάλ απ’ τη μια πλευρά, με την ελλειπτική, υπαινικτική λιτότητα απ’ τη μια και την άλλη στιγμή εισβάλλει στην μπαλζακική ευφράδεια που στοχεύει πάντοτε να δίνει κλειδιά, χωρίς κλειδαριές και πολύ καπνό που από κάτω δε φαίνεται τίποτα.
Το βασικό του προτέρημα δεν είναι ο γρίφος, ούτε έχει να δρέψει κάποιο ιδιαίτερο έπαινο πρωτοτυπίας, ή έξυπνης πλοκής. Καταγγέλλει. Αυτή είναι η μεγάλη του αρετή. Πρόκειται για δικαστική πλάνη και εξυφαίνει ένα υπέροχο ιστό γύρω απ’ τα κίνητρα, τα αίτια και κάποιες αιτίες. Καταγγέλλει πολλά περισσότερα απ’ αυτό, συμπεριλαμβανομένης της θανατικής ποινής.
Τέλος, ο συγγραφέας ρισκάρει εισάγοντας μελοδραματικά στοιχεία που όμως χειρίζεται με μεγάλη επιδεξιότητα και η οξυδέρκεια και παρατηρητικότητα του είναι αυτές που συνθέτουν ένα ποτ πουρί αδικιών και πρακτικών που μόνο την ανισότητα προώθησαν πάντοτε. Στήνει μια ιστορία πάνω σε αυτά τα υλικά και το φαγητό του είναι πολύ νόστιμο, παρότι κάποιες φορές θυμίζει περισσότερο το καλοχτυπημένο αφρόγαλο. Μοιάζει γεμάτο, πλούσιο, αφράτο και σιγά σιγά καθίζει. Παρόλ’ αυτά, ανήκει στην κατηγορία εκείνη που θα μπορούσε να εξελιχτεί σε σπουδαίο ανατόμο.
Είχα σκεφτεί να μην ξαναγράψω καμία άλλη κριτική, διότι προφανώς το να βλέπω κάτι άλλο στα βιβλία απ’ αυτά που θα έπρεπε να βλέπω, ή θα έπρεπε να τονίζω, ενοχλεί πολύ. Αλλά δεν θα το κάνω, παρότι η συμπεριφορά ορισμένων με έχει πικράνει. Ποτέ δε ζήτησα σε κανέναν να διαβάσει τις κριτικές μου, ούτε πούλησα μούρη σε κανέναν γι’ αυτά που βλέπω ή δε βλέπω. Εγώ εδώ είμαι και θα παραμείνω. Θα συνεχίσω να γράφω αυτά που νιώθω και βλέπω, θα συνεχίσω να κάνω σχόλια και όταν με ενοχλούν οι πρακτικές εκφοβισμού, ή μανία και η ανοησία κάποιων, όπως και εκείνων που πιστεύω ότι αναλώνονται σε βιβλία που δεν τους ταιριάζουν, θα συνεχίσω να το λέω. Όποιος διαβάζει λέξεις και βλέπει αυτό ας μείνει σε αυτό. Εγώ δε βλέπω αυτό, δε μ’ ενδιαφέρει αυτό και δε θα απολογηθώ άλλη φορά σε κανέναν, σχετικά με αυτό.
Μου άρεσε το βιβλίο, θα επανέλθω στο συγγραφέα, θα ήθελα να είχα γράψει όλα όσα έχω στο νου μου, να βάλω κάποια αποσπάσματα που άξιζαν τον κόπο, αυτή τη φορά όμως δε θα το κάνω γιατί επηρεάστηκα και δε μπορώ να τη δω αλλιώς. Καλή συνέχεια σε όλους.
3+
Χρησιμοποιεί τα ‘’τρικ’’ που έκαναν διάσημους τον Τσβάϊχ και το Στεντάλ απ’ τη μια πλευρά, με την ελλειπτική, υπαινικτική λιτότητα απ’ τη μια και την άλλη στιγμή εισβάλλει στην μπαλζακική ευφράδεια που στοχεύει πάντοτε να δίνει κλειδιά, χωρίς κλειδαριές και πολύ καπνό που από κάτω δε φαίνεται τίποτα.
Το βασικό του προτέρημα δεν είναι ο γρίφος, ούτε έχει να δρέψει κάποιο ιδιαίτερο έπαινο πρωτοτυπίας, ή έξυπνης πλοκής. Καταγγέλλει. Αυτή είναι η μεγάλη του αρετή. Πρόκειται για δικαστική πλάνη και εξυφαίνει ένα υπέροχο ιστό γύρω απ’ τα κίνητρα, τα αίτια και κάποιες αιτίες. Καταγγέλλει πολλά περισσότερα απ’ αυτό, συμπεριλαμβανομένης της θανατικής ποινής.
Τέλος, ο συγγραφέας ρισκάρει εισάγοντας μελοδραματικά στοιχεία που όμως χειρίζεται με μεγάλη επιδεξιότητα και η οξυδέρκεια και παρατηρητικότητα του είναι αυτές που συνθέτουν ένα ποτ πουρί αδικιών και πρακτικών που μόνο την ανισότητα προώθησαν πάντοτε. Στήνει μια ιστορία πάνω σε αυτά τα υλικά και το φαγητό του είναι πολύ νόστιμο, παρότι κάποιες φορές θυμίζει περισσότερο το καλοχτυπημένο αφρόγαλο. Μοιάζει γεμάτο, πλούσιο, αφράτο και σιγά σιγά καθίζει. Παρόλ’ αυτά, ανήκει στην κατηγορία εκείνη που θα μπορούσε να εξελιχτεί σε σπουδαίο ανατόμο.
Είχα σκεφτεί να μην ξαναγράψω καμία άλλη κριτική, διότι προφανώς το να βλέπω κάτι άλλο στα βιβλία απ’ αυτά που θα έπρεπε να βλέπω, ή θα έπρεπε να τονίζω, ενοχλεί πολύ. Αλλά δεν θα το κάνω, παρότι η συμπεριφορά ορισμένων με έχει πικράνει. Ποτέ δε ζήτησα σε κανέναν να διαβάσει τις κριτικές μου, ούτε πούλησα μούρη σε κανέναν γι’ αυτά που βλέπω ή δε βλέπω. Εγώ εδώ είμαι και θα παραμείνω. Θα συνεχίσω να γράφω αυτά που νιώθω και βλέπω, θα συνεχίσω να κάνω σχόλια και όταν με ενοχλούν οι πρακτικές εκφοβισμού, ή μανία και η ανοησία κάποιων, όπως και εκείνων που πιστεύω ότι αναλώνονται σε βιβλία που δεν τους ταιριάζουν, θα συνεχίσω να το λέω. Όποιος διαβάζει λέξεις και βλέπει αυτό ας μείνει σε αυτό. Εγώ δε βλέπω αυτό, δε μ’ ενδιαφέρει αυτό και δε θα απολογηθώ άλλη φορά σε κανέναν, σχετικά με αυτό.
Μου άρεσε το βιβλίο, θα επανέλθω στο συγγραφέα, θα ήθελα να είχα γράψει όλα όσα έχω στο νου μου, να βάλω κάποια αποσπάσματα που άξιζαν τον κόπο, αυτή τη φορά όμως δε θα το κάνω γιατί επηρεάστηκα και δε μπορώ να τη δω αλλιώς. Καλή συνέχεια σε όλους.
3+
April 24, 2020
The Lerouge Case
is a detective novel written by Émile Gaboriau in 1866. It says on the back of my book that Émile Gaboriau was a French writer, novelist, journalist, and a pioneer of detective fiction. Reading that made me think, no kidding, but I put it here anyway. Gaboriau wrote a lot, he wrote a lot of books, twelve of them, and a lot of short stories, and some of them were made into films, and I've never heard of any of them, including this one. But now that I've read this one I would read another of his, if I ever come across one that is. This is how our book begins:
On Thursday, the 6th of March, 1862, two days after Shrove Tuesday, five women belonging to the village of La Jonchere presented themselves at the police station at Bougival.
They stated that for two days past no one had seen the Widow Lerouge, one of their neighbours, who lived by herself in an isolated cottage. They had several times knocked at the door, but all in vain. The window-shutters as well as the door were closed; and it was impossible to obtain even a glimpse of the interior.
So the women go back to the cottage, and the police go to the cottage, and a locksmith goes to the cottage, and a young boy comes to the cottage with the key. He found it in a ditch by the roadside, how it got there you will find out when you read the book. Inside they find the place is a mess, the furniture has been knocked over, the drawers have been broken open, and in the bedroom is the Widow Lerouge laying near the fireplace with her face in the ashes. So now we have to figure out who killed the widow. It not only takes the investigating magistrate, M. Daburon, the chief of detective police Gevrol and his "subordinate," Lecoq, it also takes a certain M. Tabaret, or Tirauclair, take your pick. Tabaret is an amateur sleuth, who "goes for playing the detective by way of amusement." Without him we still wouldn't know which of the two sons of a particular Count was legitimate and which was by his mistress, or who it was that the mistress was seeing behind the Count's back, or who the Widow really was, or who the killer really was, or....well, read the book.
I really want to give this book five stars because I really enjoyed it, but I don't think I can, here is why. It is that time of the year, the time when I am decorating trees, putting up garland and setting up Christmas villages. My Christmas houses for these villages have to be at different heights, I don't want streets that just go in a row never changing, so I make hills, some small hills, some big hills, you get the idea, and for my hills I use books. Since I wasn't thinking of what I was reading, but of villages and trees, it never occurred to me that since one of my villages has more buildings this year the platform will also be bigger, and it was all done and everything in place before I realized the cabinet with my already read books was behind the new platform not to be reached until sometime in January. That means I had to use books I haven't read yet or use some of my son's books. I did both, but it seems a little strange to have Stephen King horror novels as hills in the living room village. Anyway, as I was getting out my books for hills I came across The Lerouge Case which looked familiar, but I didn't know why. I couldn't remember buying it, I couldn't remember it being given to me, I couldn't even remember putting it on the shelf, so I was intrigued enough to read it. So yesterday when I was finished my last book I started reading, and now comes the reason I don't think I can give it five stars. When I got to about the fourth or fifth chapter I was almost certain that I had read it before, when I was half way, I not only was sure I read it before, but I had a pretty good idea who did the murder or murders however you want to look at it, and long before the end I was sure who did the crime or crimes I suppose, again depending on how you want to look at it. Oh, and by the end I knew I was right. I think to be a five star book I should have known I already read it long before I was half way through, but then again, I did keep reading, and when I was getting close to the end I couldn't put it down and was awake long after midnight until we finally got the right killer caught. So it's four stars for now. On to the next book, after I finish the village anyway. Happy reading.
On Thursday, the 6th of March, 1862, two days after Shrove Tuesday, five women belonging to the village of La Jonchere presented themselves at the police station at Bougival.
They stated that for two days past no one had seen the Widow Lerouge, one of their neighbours, who lived by herself in an isolated cottage. They had several times knocked at the door, but all in vain. The window-shutters as well as the door were closed; and it was impossible to obtain even a glimpse of the interior.
So the women go back to the cottage, and the police go to the cottage, and a locksmith goes to the cottage, and a young boy comes to the cottage with the key. He found it in a ditch by the roadside, how it got there you will find out when you read the book. Inside they find the place is a mess, the furniture has been knocked over, the drawers have been broken open, and in the bedroom is the Widow Lerouge laying near the fireplace with her face in the ashes. So now we have to figure out who killed the widow. It not only takes the investigating magistrate, M. Daburon, the chief of detective police Gevrol and his "subordinate," Lecoq, it also takes a certain M. Tabaret, or Tirauclair, take your pick. Tabaret is an amateur sleuth, who "goes for playing the detective by way of amusement." Without him we still wouldn't know which of the two sons of a particular Count was legitimate and which was by his mistress, or who it was that the mistress was seeing behind the Count's back, or who the Widow really was, or who the killer really was, or....well, read the book.
I really want to give this book five stars because I really enjoyed it, but I don't think I can, here is why. It is that time of the year, the time when I am decorating trees, putting up garland and setting up Christmas villages. My Christmas houses for these villages have to be at different heights, I don't want streets that just go in a row never changing, so I make hills, some small hills, some big hills, you get the idea, and for my hills I use books. Since I wasn't thinking of what I was reading, but of villages and trees, it never occurred to me that since one of my villages has more buildings this year the platform will also be bigger, and it was all done and everything in place before I realized the cabinet with my already read books was behind the new platform not to be reached until sometime in January. That means I had to use books I haven't read yet or use some of my son's books. I did both, but it seems a little strange to have Stephen King horror novels as hills in the living room village. Anyway, as I was getting out my books for hills I came across The Lerouge Case which looked familiar, but I didn't know why. I couldn't remember buying it, I couldn't remember it being given to me, I couldn't even remember putting it on the shelf, so I was intrigued enough to read it. So yesterday when I was finished my last book I started reading, and now comes the reason I don't think I can give it five stars. When I got to about the fourth or fifth chapter I was almost certain that I had read it before, when I was half way, I not only was sure I read it before, but I had a pretty good idea who did the murder or murders however you want to look at it, and long before the end I was sure who did the crime or crimes I suppose, again depending on how you want to look at it. Oh, and by the end I knew I was right. I think to be a five star book I should have known I already read it long before I was half way through, but then again, I did keep reading, and when I was getting close to the end I couldn't put it down and was awake long after midnight until we finally got the right killer caught. So it's four stars for now. On to the next book, after I finish the village anyway. Happy reading.
January 26, 2024
2.5
Tưởng là nói về thanh tra Lecoq nhưng Lecog trong cuốn này chỉ là một tay cảnh sát mới vào nghề và xuất hiện được khoảng 2 trang rồi mất hút. Người điều tra chính trong truyện là một lão già về hưu nhàn rỗi tên là Tabaret có sở thích làm công việc cảnh sát. Phần đầu khi mà Tabaret quan sát và suy luận ra đặc điểm của hung thủ khá là hay, sau đó mình mới biết là chính cách suy luận này của Tabaret tạo cảm hứng cho Sir Conan Doyle làm tiền đề cho phương pháp suy luận của Sherlock Holmes sau này - công nhận khả năng quan sát phi thường của Tabaret.
Tuy nhiên thì cái hay nhất của truyện dừng lại ở chỗ đó. Về sau thì rất tiếc là không thấy có suy luận gì thêm. Lão Tabaret làm việc hơi cảm tính, chưa rõ ràng gì mà cứ khăng khăng bảo ông thẩm phán đi bắt hung thủ ngay. Còn ông thẩm phán nữa, lý tình không rạch ròi gì, cứ mù mờ mà làm theo, rồi tự dưng làm khó mình về sau. Để gọi là điều tra suy luận thì rất tiếc cuốn này chẳng có gì, y hệt như Hồ sơ số 113. Phần lớn câu chuyện được viết theo kiểu drama kịch tính lồng ghép với vụ án tạo cảm giác trinh thám nhưng thực ra là tác giả kể chuyện các nhân vật và họ liên quan dính dáng đến nhau như thế nào. Cái nổi bật nhất ở cuốn này là miêu tả tâm lý nhân vật, họ đã làm gì, họ cảm thấy thế nào, tại sao họ như vậy - đó là phần thú vị nhất của truyện.
Một đặc điểm nữa trong cách viết là sự lan man dài dòng kể sướt mướt - sướt mướt không phải theo nghĩa ngôn tình mà ý là drama hóa, kịch hóa lên như phim Hàn ấy. Mọi chuyện được đẩy đến cao trào nhất, rồi sự xuất hiện của nhiều nhân vật khiến vở kịch trở nên rối tung rối mù, nhưng dần dần người đọc gỡ bỏ được những lớp lang phức tạp đó để đoán ra được hung thủ thực sự (dễ thôi). Dù sao thì truyện là dạng tường thuật kể lể sướt mướt, không có suy luận, điều tra nên khi một nhân vật đột nhiên có mặt và gỡ rối toàn bộ câu chuyện thì mình cũng không quá ngạc nhiên, tuy vậy thì nó thuận tiện quá, chả phải nghĩ ngợi gì. Kết truyện đậm đầy sự hành động thi vị và tính kịch hóa, không khác gì cuốn Hồ sơ số 113.
Tưởng là nói về thanh tra Lecoq nhưng Lecog trong cuốn này chỉ là một tay cảnh sát mới vào nghề và xuất hiện được khoảng 2 trang rồi mất hút. Người điều tra chính trong truyện là một lão già về hưu nhàn rỗi tên là Tabaret có sở thích làm công việc cảnh sát. Phần đầu khi mà Tabaret quan sát và suy luận ra đặc điểm của hung thủ khá là hay, sau đó mình mới biết là chính cách suy luận này của Tabaret tạo cảm hứng cho Sir Conan Doyle làm tiền đề cho phương pháp suy luận của Sherlock Holmes sau này - công nhận khả năng quan sát phi thường của Tabaret.
Tuy nhiên thì cái hay nhất của truyện dừng lại ở chỗ đó. Về sau thì rất tiếc là không thấy có suy luận gì thêm. Lão Tabaret làm việc hơi cảm tính, chưa rõ ràng gì mà cứ khăng khăng bảo ông thẩm phán đi bắt hung thủ ngay. Còn ông thẩm phán nữa, lý tình không rạch ròi gì, cứ mù mờ mà làm theo, rồi tự dưng làm khó mình về sau. Để gọi là điều tra suy luận thì rất tiếc cuốn này chẳng có gì, y hệt như Hồ sơ số 113. Phần lớn câu chuyện được viết theo kiểu drama kịch tính lồng ghép với vụ án tạo cảm giác trinh thám nhưng thực ra là tác giả kể chuyện các nhân vật và họ liên quan dính dáng đến nhau như thế nào. Cái nổi bật nhất ở cuốn này là miêu tả tâm lý nhân vật, họ đã làm gì, họ cảm thấy thế nào, tại sao họ như vậy - đó là phần thú vị nhất của truyện.
Một đặc điểm nữa trong cách viết là sự lan man dài dòng kể sướt mướt - sướt mướt không phải theo nghĩa ngôn tình mà ý là drama hóa, kịch hóa lên như phim Hàn ấy. Mọi chuyện được đẩy đến cao trào nhất, rồi sự xuất hiện của nhiều nhân vật khiến vở kịch trở nên rối tung rối mù, nhưng dần dần người đọc gỡ bỏ được những lớp lang phức tạp đó để đoán ra được hung thủ thực sự (dễ thôi). Dù sao thì truyện là dạng tường thuật kể lể sướt mướt, không có suy luận, điều tra nên khi một nhân vật đột nhiên có mặt và gỡ rối toàn bộ câu chuyện thì mình cũng không quá ngạc nhiên, tuy vậy thì nó thuận tiện quá, chả phải nghĩ ngợi gì. Kết truyện đậm đầy sự hành động thi vị và tính kịch hóa, không khác gì cuốn Hồ sơ số 113.
April 9, 2020
Αργό, αλλά με πλήρως σκιαγραφημένους χαρακτήρες, ανατροπές, αυτό το τόσο πρώιμο αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα καταφέρνει να είναι δυνατό και να σε κρατά συνέχεια σε μόνιμη απορία.
January 21, 2019
The Widow Lerouge The Widow Lerouge by Emile Gaboriau. This is the first book to introduce Gaboriau's fictional detective LeCoq. Granted LeCoq is only referenced in a few lines, so do not read this expecting to find the personage that inspired Sherlock Holmes.
Abandon all modern conventions of mystery fiction that have been thrust upon contemporary authors by creative writing professors, professional critics, and the like: Avoid shifting points of view, choose 1st, 2nd, or 3rd person point of view, avoid or at least minimize the use of coincidence...etc...
This is story telling. Nothing gets in the way. Information dumps, coincidence, omniscient narrator, multiple points of view, they are all here in mass. Relax. Enjoy. Pretend you are living in the 1860's and reading a detective novel for the first time.
Abandon all modern conventions of mystery fiction that have been thrust upon contemporary authors by creative writing professors, professional critics, and the like: Avoid shifting points of view, choose 1st, 2nd, or 3rd person point of view, avoid or at least minimize the use of coincidence...etc...
This is story telling. Nothing gets in the way. Information dumps, coincidence, omniscient narrator, multiple points of view, they are all here in mass. Relax. Enjoy. Pretend you are living in the 1860's and reading a detective novel for the first time.
July 31, 2023
Spectaculaire. Renversant. Hilarant. J’adore, j’adore, j’adore. Peut-être un jour j’écrirai un plus long commentaire. Pratiquement la seule raison pour laquelle je n’ai pas mis 5 étoile est que 583 pages est malheureusement trop long pour mon petit cerveau de petite lectrice.
Don’t be fooled, 19th century boy can surely write.
Don’t be fooled, 19th century boy can surely write.
April 28, 2017
I purchased a 6-book collection for my kindle by this author, and this was the first in the list as well as the first mystery published by this French author in 1866. I won't be rushing to read the next in the lineup, but will hold off until something wakes me in the night and I need to read myself back to sleep.
Historically this man was the first (or so it is reported) to write about the gathering of evidence to solve murders. It is replete with exclamatory remarks, hysterically premature assumptions and emotionally wrought death scenes. There is also one enthusiastic amateur detective in the game.
At the core of this story there are two sons of a particular Count, one legitimate and one by his mistress. Intrigue in the making.
It is of interest historically, as well as amusing. Louisa Mae Alcott was writing melodramas at the same time, so perhaps it was a global thing.
Historically this man was the first (or so it is reported) to write about the gathering of evidence to solve murders. It is replete with exclamatory remarks, hysterically premature assumptions and emotionally wrought death scenes. There is also one enthusiastic amateur detective in the game.
At the core of this story there are two sons of a particular Count, one legitimate and one by his mistress. Intrigue in the making.
It is of interest historically, as well as amusing. Louisa Mae Alcott was writing melodramas at the same time, so perhaps it was a global thing.
Read
November 7, 2019I mean, tall women *are* unnatural, and ugly old women only have lovers *because* they're rich and... yeah, the misogyny might be a product of its time, but I don't see why I should subject myself to its reading.
The writing style is old and I highly doubt the plot is going to blow my mind.
DNF
The writing style is old and I highly doubt the plot is going to blow my mind.
DNF
July 17, 2025
coup de cœur monumental !!! je suis encore choquée de la qualité de l'écriture et de l'enquête, tenir en haleine de cette manière tout en prenant le temps d'aller au fond des détails ?? trop fan !!! à voir si la suite de la série est aussi prenante !
February 22, 2021
Văn phong đúng kiểu cổ điển, pha lẫn tâm lý xã hội và trinh thám. Không thật sự nổi trội, do theo kiểu cổ điển nên thủ phạm không khó đoán ra. Trên 3 nhưng chưa đạt đến 4.
October 14, 2021
The English version can be found at Project Gutenberg.
The French version can be found at Project Gutenberg.
Openin lines:
On Thursday, the 6th of March, 1862, two days after Shrove Tuesday, five women belonging to the village of La Jonchere presented themselves at the police station at Bougival.
The French version can be found at Project Gutenberg.
Openin lines:
On Thursday, the 6th of March, 1862, two days after Shrove Tuesday, five women belonging to the village of La Jonchere presented themselves at the police station at Bougival.
August 19, 2019
Lecoq chỉ đóng vai cameo trong cuốn này -một cảnh sát trẻ mới vào nghềphải cầu đến sự giúp đỡ của thám tử già Tabaret. Truyện này khác 2 cuốn Hồ sơ 113 và Tọi ác ở Orcival ở chỗ hung thủ chỉ được tiết lộ ở cuối. Tình tiết và thủ phạm khá dễ đoán, nhiều đoạn hơi dài dòng, bù lại văn phong dịch khá nuột dễ đọc và nhân văn.
Đây là tiểu thuyết trinh thám đầu tay cua Gaboriau và cũng gần như đầu tiên của thếgiới nên vẫn đáng ghi nhận, đọc cũng không phí time.
chấm 7.25/10
Đây là tiểu thuyết trinh thám đầu tay cua Gaboriau và cũng gần như đầu tiên của thếgiới nên vẫn đáng ghi nhận, đọc cũng không phí time.
chấm 7.25/10
July 31, 2017
Passionnant et très bien écrit.
July 6, 2018
Entertaining who-dunnit. I enjoyed it immensely.
August 19, 2020
Coming in at 11th place on our 2019 rankings, a time capsule from the 19th century, is Émile Gaboriau's The Lerouge Case or ‘L’Affaire Lerouge’. Centred around a quintessential, sudden murder in the countryside, beginning with the stamping of police boots on the floorboards and the calling of the allegedly reputable detective, Tabaret, to solve a crime and generally meddle in the political dealings of the French aristocracy, including someone who is probably a vampire.
Our tale begins with the death of The Widow Lerouge, found slain, alone in her home. Given the dubious history of her arrival in town, the threat of the unknown riles up the whole village as the Gendarmes swoop in to stomp their muddy boots all over the case. Recommended by the young upstart officer, Lecoq, our detective Tabaret resolves to not just determine “how was the crime committed” but indeed to determine the poor woman’s history, in the hopes this will unveil both the culprit and motive. Much of the story is devoted to the discussion of her history, an appropriate parallel to the age of this novel.
We predominantly follow Tabaret as he interrogates witnesses and gathers clues like magic, summoning evidence from seemingly nothing, which the police begrudgingly accept without question, apparently quickly acclimated to the ways of Tabaret. The methods scream of Sherlock Holmes, who Sir Arthur Conan Doyle based on the writings of Gaboriau.
Predicating that Doylian style, wherein the detective has a love hate relationship with the official investigation, we often follow Tabaret chasing leads and racing the police to key witnesses and evidence in his battle both against and towards justice. In and of himself Tabaret isn’t too remarkable, as the spotlight focuses on the supporting cast so that the reader can immerse themselves into the tumultuous atmosphere of post-revolution France.
The novel also introduces us to Gaboriau’s most famous detective, one Monsieur Lecoq, who is the French inspiration for Sherlock Holmes himself, and who is, in Holmes own words “a bumbling fool”. Despite only being in the text for the sum of two or three chapters, as the aforementioned young upstart of the Gendarmes, it is fascinating to see the origins of such fantastic characters and to trace the roots of the mighty Holmes all the way to 19th century France in our murder mystery world tour.
The Lerouge Case follows few rules of its own, being untouched by either the ten or twenty rules of detective fiction. Written in the mid-19th century only 20 years after Edgar Allen Poe’s pioneering “Murder of the Rue Morgue” The Lerouge Case is a defining stone on the founding of the murder mystery genre. With character perspective playing musical chairs and narration switching from first to third perspective at the drop of the hat, this is not what I would call a neat and tidy affair, but it is certainly an entertaining one, in no small part thanks to its release structure.
As with most novels of its era, L’Affaire Lerouge was created in serial, a new installment being released in each new edition of the paper. To keep enticing his readers back, Gaboriau ends each chapter on some cliffhanger or reveal, keeping the sales coming and ensuring no chapter feels filler. This lends itself well to a reader looking for a novel that reads like a play. You can imagine the actors changing their costumes and the set between chapters as we move through France from place to place.
The aspect I most appreciated is the subplots focusing on the romance that some characters share. As a story focused on the aristocracy of a country mere years removed from decapitating its wealthy in the French Revolution, those elements are prominent and the aura of nobility and family are central to the tale. I appreciate a story that delivers a good puzzle but the best detective fiction stories incorporate strong characters and their relationships with each other in order to explain the mystery and to lead to an exciting conclusion. The story tugged at my heartstrings more than once during the reading, I would highly recommend this to anyone who wishes for an underlying tone of romantic drama in their rules-laden hyper-focused genre of storytelling that Detective fiction so often falls into.
As much fun as we had reading this story, we can’t rank it higher for this year since there are so many novels published after it that have improved on what The Lerouge Case does. With its messy storytelling, entertaining but not engaging detective, and being overshadowed by the much more famous Monsieur Lecoq in Gaboriau’s later works, this novel may be a founding stone of Murder Mystery fiction, but it’s a founding stone deservedly hidden away behind its finer-carved brethren.
For the Lerouge Case it may be low in our ranking but it is high in our hearts and for that I give it 4 hearts pierced with a blade out of five. You can catch our full thoughts on Death of the Reader!
Our tale begins with the death of The Widow Lerouge, found slain, alone in her home. Given the dubious history of her arrival in town, the threat of the unknown riles up the whole village as the Gendarmes swoop in to stomp their muddy boots all over the case. Recommended by the young upstart officer, Lecoq, our detective Tabaret resolves to not just determine “how was the crime committed” but indeed to determine the poor woman’s history, in the hopes this will unveil both the culprit and motive. Much of the story is devoted to the discussion of her history, an appropriate parallel to the age of this novel.
We predominantly follow Tabaret as he interrogates witnesses and gathers clues like magic, summoning evidence from seemingly nothing, which the police begrudgingly accept without question, apparently quickly acclimated to the ways of Tabaret. The methods scream of Sherlock Holmes, who Sir Arthur Conan Doyle based on the writings of Gaboriau.
Predicating that Doylian style, wherein the detective has a love hate relationship with the official investigation, we often follow Tabaret chasing leads and racing the police to key witnesses and evidence in his battle both against and towards justice. In and of himself Tabaret isn’t too remarkable, as the spotlight focuses on the supporting cast so that the reader can immerse themselves into the tumultuous atmosphere of post-revolution France.
The novel also introduces us to Gaboriau’s most famous detective, one Monsieur Lecoq, who is the French inspiration for Sherlock Holmes himself, and who is, in Holmes own words “a bumbling fool”. Despite only being in the text for the sum of two or three chapters, as the aforementioned young upstart of the Gendarmes, it is fascinating to see the origins of such fantastic characters and to trace the roots of the mighty Holmes all the way to 19th century France in our murder mystery world tour.
The Lerouge Case follows few rules of its own, being untouched by either the ten or twenty rules of detective fiction. Written in the mid-19th century only 20 years after Edgar Allen Poe’s pioneering “Murder of the Rue Morgue” The Lerouge Case is a defining stone on the founding of the murder mystery genre. With character perspective playing musical chairs and narration switching from first to third perspective at the drop of the hat, this is not what I would call a neat and tidy affair, but it is certainly an entertaining one, in no small part thanks to its release structure.
As with most novels of its era, L’Affaire Lerouge was created in serial, a new installment being released in each new edition of the paper. To keep enticing his readers back, Gaboriau ends each chapter on some cliffhanger or reveal, keeping the sales coming and ensuring no chapter feels filler. This lends itself well to a reader looking for a novel that reads like a play. You can imagine the actors changing their costumes and the set between chapters as we move through France from place to place.
The aspect I most appreciated is the subplots focusing on the romance that some characters share. As a story focused on the aristocracy of a country mere years removed from decapitating its wealthy in the French Revolution, those elements are prominent and the aura of nobility and family are central to the tale. I appreciate a story that delivers a good puzzle but the best detective fiction stories incorporate strong characters and their relationships with each other in order to explain the mystery and to lead to an exciting conclusion. The story tugged at my heartstrings more than once during the reading, I would highly recommend this to anyone who wishes for an underlying tone of romantic drama in their rules-laden hyper-focused genre of storytelling that Detective fiction so often falls into.
As much fun as we had reading this story, we can’t rank it higher for this year since there are so many novels published after it that have improved on what The Lerouge Case does. With its messy storytelling, entertaining but not engaging detective, and being overshadowed by the much more famous Monsieur Lecoq in Gaboriau’s later works, this novel may be a founding stone of Murder Mystery fiction, but it’s a founding stone deservedly hidden away behind its finer-carved brethren.
For the Lerouge Case it may be low in our ranking but it is high in our hearts and for that I give it 4 hearts pierced with a blade out of five. You can catch our full thoughts on Death of the Reader!
January 11, 2020
Mình thích cuốn này hơn là Hồ sơ 113, có lẽ do ít bị dài dòng hơn. Yếu tố phá án suy luận không mạnh lắm, nhưng cách tác giả xây dựng nhân vật và mối quan hệ giữa họ khá là ấn tượng.
August 17, 2021
Meu deus q NOVELÃO DRAMÁTICO
December 22, 2025
No idea why this book isn’t as famous as any by Conan Doyle! Much better written than the Sherlockian stories, and so much more lively characterization! Loved every minute.
March 21, 2025
This 1863 mystery is so very, very French. There are two mistresses central to the plot, one of them particularly awful, and the other one has an illegitimate son, upon whose identity the plot hinges. Everyone is very excitable. Someone literally dies of shame; someone else, rejected by his love interest, runs out to murder the man she prefers to him, can't do it, and falls into a delirium for six weeks. (Said love interest, incidentally, is about 19 at the time of the main events, since it's roughly two years since events, including the rejected suitor's offer, that took place when she was stated to be 17. However, her successful suitor, who is 33, has been trying to convince his father to let him marry her for the past five years, meaning when he started she was 14 and he was 28. Those aren't good numbers by modern standards, though in 1863 France nobody would have turned a hair; that was the year that the age of consent was raised from 11 to 13.)
The inciting incident is that an elderly woman is murdered in a village near Paris. The amateur detective thinks over the scenario, and concludes that obviously she was a former servant who was blackmailing her former employer over an illegitimate child, which turns out to be correct. The detective, by the way, is not Lecoq, even though this is considered the first Lecoq novel; Lecoq appears only briefly at the beginning, with another brief mention late in the book, and his sole role is to bring the amateur detective, Tabaret, into the story. In later books, apparently, Tabaret is his mentor, and Lecoq takes a more active role.
Tabaret then goes to see his neighbour, who by complete coincidence is closely connected with the crime, thus short-circuiting a great deal of tedious investigation and getting straight to the drama and sensation, which was presumably what the original audience was there for. Plus! The investigating magistrate also has a coincidental connection to the prime suspect, one that will give that punctilious official a good deal of angst, because he's not sure he can be fair and impartial. This development, at least, uses coincidence to create difficulties rather than remove them, but I still don't love it. (Though it will later turn out that, in a way, the first coincidence also caused difficulties...) The author lampshades the convenience of the coincidences, and also the ridiculousness of the hackneyed baby-swap backstory, which, of course, doesn't justify either one.
It soon appears that the prime suspect has been expertly and comprehensively framed, with a lot of physical evidence clearly pointing to him. The physical evidence is subtle enough that a bungling police officer, such as the one who's investigating, would miss it, but Tabaret picks up on it because he's very smart (if eccentric). Tabaret is then convinced of the suspect's innocence by the fact that he has (or at least proffers) no alibi, and someone who was as careful as the criminal they're looking for would definitely have one, but also we, the readers, are privy to the suspect's thoughts, and he is not thinking "I done it, it's a fair cop" (or the aristocratic French equivalent).
And then the supposedly bungling officer tracks down his completely different suspect, and there's a twist that gets us re-evaluating the significance for this case of the old forensic maxim "Who benefits?," and makes it pretty clear who the criminal must be (and we've already seen their motive). Cue manic pursuit and dénouement, including another coincidence to help the detective along, and it turns out the murderer wasn't actually as clever or as careful as Tabaret had thought.
This isn't a "procedural" in the English style at all. It's full of Gallic high drama, and the whole book is driven by character interaction, by people desiring things intensely and taking often ill-advised steps to obtain or keep them. It's a roller-coaster ride of emotional beats that, if they were music, would be speed metal. The forensic aspects of the investigation are misleading more than they are helpful (), and the investigators, far from being the problem-solving plot mechanisms that most English detective novelists would produce starting half a century or more later, are flawed human beings with their own quirks and foibles that impact the plot as well as themselves. The narrator retains a stance of the inevitability of Justice, but the characters come to doubt it, and themselves, deeply.
I'm not sure who translated this particular version, or if they were English or French; the Project Gutenberg text doesn't credit a translator. The phraseology often reflects the original French more closely than a truly idiomatic English translation would, and there are some misplaced or missing commas (for example, comma before the main verb or before "that," or no comma before a term of address). The quotation marks need another going-over as well, since a number of them are missing, while others are where they shouldn't be. Some sentences phrased as questions are missing question marks, while a couple of sentences not phrased as questions do have question marks. There's even an its/it's error. Not a great edition, in other words, and Project Gutenberg is likely not to blame for most of it; they follow the original texts pretty accurately, on the whole.
Although I'm not a fan of the massive role of coincidence in the plot and the over-the-top melodrama, it was a thrilling ride for sure. I'm going to be a bit generous and include it in my annual recommendation list, though right at the bottom of the lowest tier. And I may venture on another Lecoq book, though if it's just like this it will be the last.
The inciting incident is that an elderly woman is murdered in a village near Paris. The amateur detective thinks over the scenario, and concludes that obviously she was a former servant who was blackmailing her former employer over an illegitimate child, which turns out to be correct. The detective, by the way, is not Lecoq, even though this is considered the first Lecoq novel; Lecoq appears only briefly at the beginning, with another brief mention late in the book, and his sole role is to bring the amateur detective, Tabaret, into the story. In later books, apparently, Tabaret is his mentor, and Lecoq takes a more active role.
Tabaret then goes to see his neighbour, who by complete coincidence is closely connected with the crime, thus short-circuiting a great deal of tedious investigation and getting straight to the drama and sensation, which was presumably what the original audience was there for. Plus! The investigating magistrate also has a coincidental connection to the prime suspect, one that will give that punctilious official a good deal of angst, because he's not sure he can be fair and impartial. This development, at least, uses coincidence to create difficulties rather than remove them, but I still don't love it. (Though it will later turn out that, in a way, the first coincidence also caused difficulties...) The author lampshades the convenience of the coincidences, and also the ridiculousness of the hackneyed baby-swap backstory, which, of course, doesn't justify either one.
It soon appears that the prime suspect has been expertly and comprehensively framed, with a lot of physical evidence clearly pointing to him. The physical evidence is subtle enough that a bungling police officer, such as the one who's investigating, would miss it, but Tabaret picks up on it because he's very smart (if eccentric). Tabaret is then convinced of the suspect's innocence by the fact that he has (or at least proffers) no alibi, and someone who was as careful as the criminal they're looking for would definitely have one, but also we, the readers, are privy to the suspect's thoughts, and he is not thinking "I done it, it's a fair cop" (or the aristocratic French equivalent).
And then the supposedly bungling officer tracks down his completely different suspect, and there's a twist that gets us re-evaluating the significance for this case of the old forensic maxim "Who benefits?," and makes it pretty clear who the criminal must be (and we've already seen their motive). Cue manic pursuit and dénouement, including another coincidence to help the detective along, and it turns out the murderer wasn't actually as clever or as careful as Tabaret had thought.
This isn't a "procedural" in the English style at all. It's full of Gallic high drama, and the whole book is driven by character interaction, by people desiring things intensely and taking often ill-advised steps to obtain or keep them. It's a roller-coaster ride of emotional beats that, if they were music, would be speed metal. The forensic aspects of the investigation are misleading more than they are helpful (), and the investigators, far from being the problem-solving plot mechanisms that most English detective novelists would produce starting half a century or more later, are flawed human beings with their own quirks and foibles that impact the plot as well as themselves. The narrator retains a stance of the inevitability of Justice, but the characters come to doubt it, and themselves, deeply.
I'm not sure who translated this particular version, or if they were English or French; the Project Gutenberg text doesn't credit a translator. The phraseology often reflects the original French more closely than a truly idiomatic English translation would, and there are some misplaced or missing commas (for example, comma before the main verb or before "that," or no comma before a term of address). The quotation marks need another going-over as well, since a number of them are missing, while others are where they shouldn't be. Some sentences phrased as questions are missing question marks, while a couple of sentences not phrased as questions do have question marks. There's even an its/it's error. Not a great edition, in other words, and Project Gutenberg is likely not to blame for most of it; they follow the original texts pretty accurately, on the whole.
Although I'm not a fan of the massive role of coincidence in the plot and the over-the-top melodrama, it was a thrilling ride for sure. I'm going to be a bit generous and include it in my annual recommendation list, though right at the bottom of the lowest tier. And I may venture on another Lecoq book, though if it's just like this it will be the last.
August 30, 2025
This is supposed to be the first ever detective novel in world literature. The Lerouge Case is listed as Monseiur Lecoq 1(This categorization was done later), however Lecoq barely appears in this book. The one playing the role of detective in this book is Monseiur Tabaret. He will become the super sleuth in later books, once Lecoq becomes the main detective.
The structure and narration of the book is a bit different from what we see in later detective novels. There are no red herrings, it rather focusses more on the storytelling, character portrayals and is still a good read. It is quite apparent that Doyle was inspired by the investigation methods portrayed in Garibou's works.
This is a certainly the pioneer of detective fiction and a nice book as well!
The structure and narration of the book is a bit different from what we see in later detective novels. There are no red herrings, it rather focusses more on the storytelling, character portrayals and is still a good read. It is quite apparent that Doyle was inspired by the investigation methods portrayed in Garibou's works.
This is a certainly the pioneer of detective fiction and a nice book as well!
November 23, 2017
Probably my favorite of the old school French/Frenchified mysteries I've been reading on my recent kick. It's only kind of a mystery, like any good French novel of its era, it's mostly about upper class problems with money and marrying well.
November 7, 2017
My Rating System:
* couldn't finish, ** wouldn't recommend, *** would recommend, **** would read again, ***** have read again.
* couldn't finish, ** wouldn't recommend, *** would recommend, **** would read again, ***** have read again.
October 11, 2020
Very good first book of the Monsieur Lecoq series - though he’s hardly in it.
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