Through the wall

by Cleveland Moffett

Through the Wall by Cleveland Moffett Excerpt CHAPTER I A BLOOD-RED SKY It is worthy of note that the most remarkable criminal case in which the famous French detective, Paul Coquenil, was ever engaged, a case of more baffling mystery than the Palais Royal diamond robbery and of far greater peril to him than the Marseilles trunk drama-in short, a case that ranks with the most important ones of modern police history-would never have been undertaken by Coquenil (and in that event might never have been solved) but for the extraordinary faith this man had in certain strange intuitions or forms of half knowledge that came to him at critical moments of his life, bringing marvelous guidance. We are delighted to publish this classic book as part of our extensive Classic Library collection. Many of the books in our collection have been out of print for decades, and therefore have not been accessible to the general public. The aim of our publishing program is to facilitate rapid access to this vast reservoir of literature, and our view is that this is a significant literary work, which deserves to be brought back into print after many decades. The contents of the vast majority of titles in the Classic Library have been scanned from the original works. To ensure a high quality product, each title has been meticulously hand curated by our staff. Our philosophy has been guided by a desire to provide the reader with a book that is as close as possible to ownership of the original work. We hope that you will enjoy this wonderful classic work, and that for you it becomes an enriching experience.

Genres: Mystery

408 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1909

Reviews

[Bruce · Rating 2 out of 5]

I might have finished Through the Wall if I had more leisure, but after 60 pages I found the plotting a bit too convoluted and the characters not sufficiently believable.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: interconnected events take place in Paris in 1909, topped by a well-know man being murdered. A detective is central to all of them.

[Julie Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

#84 - 2010.

A noted detective is getting ready to go to Brazil for an important job. He drops by Notre Dame where a young woman he never met says a few sentences to him that leave him pale and canceling his trip. A young woman, deeply in love, spurns her lover's marriage proposal because she loves him too much. A international celebrity is found mysteriously killed in a variation of the locked room mystery. All these events are connected and are set in 1909 Paris, where the atmosphere is romantic and mysterious and the art of detective investigation is very much to the fore in the story.

This was on a list from Michael Grost's list for Mystery Scene magazine of classic mysteries that you should read but probably haven't. Here is a piece about this book. It is a locked room mystery, which I normally do not like, but the way the author slowly uncovers layers truth behind the mysterious situations is already very apparent. It has the effect of a book of one cliff-hanger after another and I am hooked.

Final word: what a splendid plot and telling. Truly this is the story of a master detective pitted against a master criminal, all wound around a tale of love and friendship. I will be reading this on Forgotten Classics.

[S.T. Karnick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic mystery story

A very interesting detective, strong and often dramatic story line, well-drawn characters, interesting setting in early 20th century Paris. A certain amount of sentimentality may be jarring to some, but the events justify it.

[Yan · Rating 1 out of 5]

don't.

[Betty · Rating 2 out of 5]

Of interest for its place in the development of the mystery genre.

[Margaret Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the Project Gutenberg edition at Giana's suggestion. It was a good mystery with a satisfying ending.

[Cathy]

According to the Haycraft-Queen list, a neglected highspot.