Monsieur Lecoq

Monsieur Lecoq #5

by Émile Gaboriau

Un crime odieux a été commis dans un infâme bouge parisien baptisé La Poivrière . Après une longue filature, l'inspecteur Lecoq arrête un saltimbanque prétendant s'appeler Mai. Le policier se demande alors si ce curieux individu ne pourrait être le duc de Sairmeuse, mêlé à une ancienne et ténébreuse affaire.
L'enquête nous entraîne à rebrousse-temps vers le théâtre d'un complot entre deux familles et aux sources d'une énigme passionnante qui s'impose par l'analyse psychologique et la dimension historique.
Monsieur Lecoq est certainement le grand chef-d'oeuvre de son auteur, peintre authentique de la société du Second Empire. Toutes les astuces du roman-feuilleton s'associent à la création d'un genre dont Gaboriau reste le pionnier incontestable.

Emile Gaboriau (1832-1873) peut à juste titre être considéré comme le père de la fiction policière moderne. Ses chefs-d'oeuvre, Monsieur Lecoq , Le Dossier 113 ou L'Affaire Lerouge ont largement influencé des auteurs comme Conan Doyle ou Agatha Christie et méritent absolument d'être relus aujourd'hui.

Genres: Mystery, Classics, Fiction, France, Crime, Detective, Mystery Thriller

768 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1869

About the author

Gaboriau 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.

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written in 1867. 2.5 stars, as I found the story slowed incredibly in the middle and plodded toward a frustrating end. Emile Gaboriau was a pioneer of the detective novel and the first novelist in France to write in this new genre. He died at age 36 yet was influential in moving the genre forward. Lecoq is considered to be the fictional precursor of Sherlock Holmes. I did find in the beginning that he seemed to have those acute observation and deduction skills that remined me of Holmes but as the story unfolded, he appeared to be running in circles and flummoxed...definitely not something one would see in the Holmes character. In fact, in Doyle's A Study in Scarlet, Watson asks Holmes what he thinks of Gaboriau's work and Holmes is very dismissive of the LeCoq character!
My library has a number of Gaboriau's works that I may try again but not any time soon.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone who is a fan of Sherlock Holmes would probably enjoy this. Acknowledged by A. C. Doyle as a predecessor to Sherlock by Sherlock himself in A Study in Scarlet, Sherlock probably says it best when he calls Monseiur LeCoq a bumbler. Brilliant, but a bumbler.

Let's start at the beginning - of detective fiction, that is. "Monsieur LeCoq" the character is considered among the earliest of fictional detectives, and "Monsieur LeCoq" is perhaps the first book focused entirely on a detective trying to solve a crime.

Within the first few pages a triple murder is committed, and even more astonishingly, the murderer is captured. The mystery is this: who is he? If they can't identify him, they can't charge him with the crime. The remaining, and might I say, entertaining, hundreds of pages are a battle of wits between the deductive LeCoq and his mysterious prisoner.

To be sure, it is a little dated, but again, it was written 150 years ago. Astonishingly, most modern detective/crime fiction still follows the same pattern. A crime is committed, clues are followed and tension builds until the final revelation. You might as well call this the original CSI, you know "CSI: Paris-1869"

[Elizabeth (Alaska) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so much more than I anticipated. It opens with the police patrolling at midnight in one of the most dangerous neigborhoods in Paris. A shriek draws them to a small drinking den where a triple murder has occured. Two men have been shot and the third had his head bashed in. Before the latter dies, he exclaims "Revenge - Lachenour". A man with a revolver is barricaded behind a table. This man professes his innocence. He also refuses to divulge his identity.

One of the police is none other than Lecoq, relatively new on the force. We are given his background. When I read this part I felt this must be the first in the series yet Goodreads shows it as the fourth. Upon investigation, it is the 4th one published. I don't know if Gaboriau provides this same introduction in earlier installments, but I'm hoping to find out!

This novel was originally published in two volumes. The first volume includes the murder and investigation. Although the case did not reach a complete and satisfactory conclusion at the end of this first volume, I was happy with the way it had progressed to that point and looked forward to more of the same in Volume two. Volume two is what provides the reader with the "much more". This second part begins some 35 years or so earlier. For nearly all of it is like reading a novel by Dumas or the like. There is treachery and intrigue. There are families who hate each other and who fill their lives avenging wrongs. It is written marvelously and I had a hard time putting it down. And at the end all is wrapped up and the reader knows all.

A word about this edition: The text says 233 pages. But that 233 pages comes at about 45%, and I'd estimate this to be closer to 500 pages. I'm glad I didn't know that, else I might have chosen something else to read at this particular time and I would have missed out. Without misgivings, I'm happy to give this 5-stars, though where it fits in that group I'm not willing to say.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This 1868 book in English is available from Amazon for 60 cents. Conan Doyle stated he had been inspired or influenced by this early detective narration.
It is fun to read if you have the time and patience for its slow rolling out of every thought and action of policeman Lecoq who desires promotion and recognition.

Books by Gaboriau are available on Project Gutenberg in English or French for free, of course. Some nifty stuff considering how they can hold one's interest 150 years down the road.

[Batgrl (Book Data Kept Elsewhere) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Find the ebook here at Gutenberg.
Wikipedia links: author Émile Gaboriau, and his fictional detective Lecoq (in five novels and one short story.)

How did I bump into this book? I read a reference somewhere citing Lecoq as one of the early detectives in literature, comparing him to Sherlock Holmes. That was enough to make me want to read more. This particular book was published in 1869 and the first Sherlock Holmes story came out in 1887 - but the two detectives are far from carbon copies. There's a lot that's similar to compare because both are concerned with criminal investigations using the technology of their times, though each detective has a unique ability to think through a crime scene. Lecoq is definitely a different sort of character than Homes. For instance, Lecoq is not the unemotional type - he frequently is not only eager and impatient, but also wrong. He has to work to keep from showing how excited or emotional he is about certain things, and the reader is let in on these feelings. In this Lecoq seems a lot more human than Holmes, but then the mainly unemotional (on the surface), always acting-with-restraint character was seen as a very English thing. Not to mention that, since we see everything from Watson's perspective, we end up knowing all about Watson's emotions and much less about Holmes'.

There's also the fact that Lecoq takes up the profession because he's an orphan and thus needs to work for a living, and the fact that he's wrong more than once, that also make him quite different than Holmes.

This story is heavy on the details, like any police procedural, but for the modern reader it's especially interesting because of the time period. I've tossed in several quotes below to give you a taste of that as well.

The end I did not see coming because I was sure we'd get another scene. So abrupt is the word I'd use, and now I'm wondering what Lecoq's other cases are like. (Those of you who liked all endings neatly tied up with justice always triumphing? Well, you may not be totally satisfied here. But plotwise and for the world that the characters live in? Yeah, the ending works.) I think I enjoyed this so much because there was much about it that reminded me of Holmes - but yet used the same set-ups in different ways. So this was different enough for me to suddenly find myself really enjoying it. And I'm somewhat amazed that the BBC hasn't done a film of this for us to enjoy here on PBS. Perhaps the French have beat them to it and made a better film - I'll need to research that.

...After that section on the Morgue (see long quote below) I'm really into the idea of the detective novel as something that allows the reader to be ghoulish - to peer at the dead bodies and be terribly ghoulish in savoring the details - at the same time remembering that it's not nice to do so, we're supposed to be politely horrified at all this and avert our eyes. Yeah we're supposed to - but then we look anyway. I think Gaboriau is very aware of this judging by the scenes where he chooses to show such particular, crime-related details. (COPS 1900! CSI Victorian! Now imagining Lecoq wearing shades and slowly removing them...)


Quotes:

Chapter II, Lecoq prior to his days on the police force:

Alone in his garret, after a day of unremitting toil, assailed by the thousand longings of youth, Lecoq endeavored to devise some means of suddenly making himself rich. All reasonable methods being beyond his reach, it was not long before he was engaged in devising the worst expedients. In short, this naturally moral and honest young man spent much of his time in perpetrating—in fancy—the most abominable crimes. Sometimes he himself was frightened by the work of his imagination: for an hour of recklessness might suffice to make him pass from the idea to the fact, from theory to practise. This is the case with all monomaniacs; an hour comes in which the strange conceptions that have filled their brains can be no longer held in check.

One day he could not refrain from exposing to his patron a little plan he had conceived, which would enable him to obtain five or six hundred francs from London. Two letters and a telegram were all that was necessary, and the game was won. It was impossible to fail, and there was no danger of arousing suspicion.

The astronomer, amazed at the simplicity of the plan, could but admire it. On reflection, however, he concluded that it would not be prudent for him to retain so ingenious a secretary in his service. This was why, on the following day, he gave him a month's pay in advance, and dismissed him, saying: "When one has your disposition, and is poor, one may either become a famous thief or a great detective. Choose."

This reminds me of an aside of Watson's somewhere when he considers it's lucky Sherlock Holmes didn't chose a career in crime.

Chapter VI, M. Maurice d'Escorval, the investigating magistrate, a man Lecoq wants to impress:

He was now about forty-two years of age, but appeared much younger, although a few furrows already crossed his brow. One would have admired his face, had it not been for the puzzling immobility that marred its beauty, the sarcastic curl of his thin lips, and the gloomy expression of his pale-blue eyes. To say that he was cold and grave, did not express the truth, it was saying too little. He was gravity and coldness personified, with a shade of hauteur added.

Chapter VI, Lecoq:

He literally flew over the ground, and strange to say he no longer experienced any fatigue from the labors of the preceding night. Never had he felt so strong and alert, either in body or mind. He was very hopeful of success. He had every confidence in himself, and his happiness would indeed have been complete if he had had another judge to deal with. But M. d'Escorval overawed him to such a degree that he became almost paralyzed in his presence. With what a disdainful glance the magistrate had surveyed him! With what an imperious tone he had imposed silence upon him—and that, too, when he had found his work deserving of commendation.

"Still, never mind," the young detective mentally exclaimed, "no one ever tastes perfect happiness here below."

Chapter VI, part of a long scene where Lecoq travels along with the prisoners who are transported from the police station to the prefecture, and we see how new prisoners are checked in. Read this and think of similar procedures you've seen/read in other media - much of this is familiar.:

The prisoner did not offer the slightest objection when he was ordered to undress, and to exchange his soiled and bloodstained garments for the clothing furnished by the Government. Not a muscle of his face moved while he submitted his person to one of those ignominous examinations which make the blood rush to the forehead of the lowest criminal. It was with perfect indifference that he allowed an inspector to comb his hair and beard, and to examine the inside of his mouth, so as to make sure that he had not concealed either some fragment of glass, by the aid of which captives can sever the strongest bars, or one of those microscopical bits of lead with which prisoners write the notes they exchange, rolled up in a morsel of bread, and called "postilions."

Chapter VIII, the Morgue, which I'm quoting a lot of because we know that some of us readers are just as ghoulish as the Parisians, right?:

When a mysterious crime has been perpetrated, or a great catastrophe has happened, and the identity of the victims has not been established, "a great day" invariably follows at the Morgue. The attendants are so accustomed to the horrors of the place that the most sickly sight fails to impress them; and even under the most distressing circumstances, they hasten gaily to and fro, exchanging jests well calculated to make an ordinary mortal's flesh creep. As a rule, they are far less interested in the corpses laid out for public view on the marble slabs in the principal hall than in the people of every age and station in life who congregate here all day long; at times coming in search of some lost relative or friend, but far more frequently impelled by idle curiosity.

... The shop and work girls who reside in the neighborhood readily go out of their way to catch a glimpse of the corpses which crime, accident, and suicide bring to this horrible place. A few, the more sensitive among them, may come no further than the door, but the others enter, and after a long stare return and recount their impressions to their less courageous companions.

If there should be no corpse exhibited; if all the marble slabs are unoccupied, strange as it may seem, the visitors turn hastily away with an expression of disappointment or discontent. There was no fear of their doing so, however, on the morrow of the tragedy at Poivriere, for the mysterious murderer whose identity Lecoq was trying to establish had furnished three victims for their delectation. Panting with curiosity, they paid but little attention to the unhealthy atmosphere: and yet a damp chill came from beyond the iron railings, while from the crowd itself rose an infectious vapor, impregnated with the stench of the chloride of lime used as a disinfectant.

As a continuous accompaniment to the exclamations, sighs, and whispered comments of the bystanders came the murmur of the water trickling from a spigot at the head of each slab; a tiny stream that flowed forth only to fall in fine spray upon the marble. Through the small arched windows a gray light stole in on the exposed bodies, bringing each muscle into bold relief, revealing the ghastly tints of the lifeless flesh, and imparting a sinister aspect to the tattered clothing hung around the room to aid in the identification of the corpses. This clothing, after a certain time, is sold — for nothing is wasted at the Morgue.

...Unable to explain the cause of his comrade's absence, Lecoq addressed himself to the head keeper: "It would seem that no one has recognized the victims," he remarked.

"No one. And yet, ever since opening, we have had an immense crowd. If I were master here, on days like this, I would charge an admission fee of two sous a head, with half-price for children. It would bring in a round sum, more than enough to cover the expenses."

Chapter IX, M. Segmuller, magistrate:

Still, the tone of his voice was so paternal, and the subtle purport of his questions so veiled by his seeming frankness, that most of those whom he examined forgot the necessity of protecting themselves, and unawares confessed their guilt. Thus, it frequently happened that while some unsuspecting culprit was complacently congratulating himself upon getting the best of the judge, the poor wretch was really being turned inside out like a glove.

Chapter XVIII:

So it is with the events of our daily life, however momentous they may appear at the hour of their occurrence. It seems as if their impressions would last for years; but no, they speedily sink into the depths of the past, and time obliterates their passage—just as the water of the lake closes over and hides the stone, for an instant the cause of such commotion.

Chapter XIX, Lecoq:

A detective who can't equal the most skilful actor in the matter of make-up is no better than an ordinary policeman. I have only practised at it for a twelvemonth, but I can easily make myself look old or young, dark or light, or assume the manner of a man of the world, or of some frightful ruffian of the barrieres.

Chapter XXII, see if the description of this detective - "Pere Tirauclair," or "Father Bring-to-Light" - reminds you of anyone:

...It came to him one evening after reading the memoirs of a celebrated detective, one of those men of subtle penetration, soft as silk, and supple as steel, whom justice sometimes sets upon the trail of crime.

"And I also am a detective!" he exclaimed.

This, however, he must prove. From that day forward he perused with feverish interest every book he could find that had any connection with the organization of the police service and the investigation of crime. Reports and pamphlets, letters and memoirs, he eagerly turned from one to the other, in his desire to master his subject. Such learning as he might find in books did not suffice, however, to perfect his education. Hence, whenever a crime came to his knowledge he started out in quest of the particulars and worked up the case by himself.

Soon these platonic investigations did not suffice, and one evening, at dusk, he summoned all his resolution, and, going on foot to the Prefecture de Police, humbly begged employment from the officials there. He was not very favorably received, for applicants were numerous. But he pleaded his cause so adroitly that at last he was charged with some trifling commissions. He performed them admirably. The great difficulty was then overcome. Other matters were entrusted to him, and he soon displayed a wonderful aptitude for his chosen work.

The case of Madame B——, the rich banker's wife, made him virtually famous. Consulted at a moment when the police had abandoned all hope of solving the mystery, he proved by A plus B—by a mathematical deduction, so to speak—that the dear lady must have stolen her own property; and events soon proved that he had told the truth. After this success he was always called upon to advise in obscure and difficult cases.

It would be difficult to tell his exact status at the Prefecture. When a person is employed, salary or compensation of some kind is understood, but this strange man had never consented to receive a penny. What he did he did for his own pleasure — for the gratification of a passion which had become his very life. When the funds allowed him for expenses seemed insufficient, he at once opened his private purse; and the men who worked with him never went away without some substantial token of his liberality. Of course, such a man had many enemies. He did as much work—and far better work than any two inspectors of police; and he didn't receive a sou of salary. Hence, in calling him "spoil-trade," his rivals were not far from right.

[Andrei Bădică · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gaboriau mi-a oferit un deliciu literar prin această carte polițistă și, mai bine de jumătate, romantică. Stăteam și mă gândeam, după finalizarea lecturii, la următorul lucru: dacă aș fi citit, mai întâi cea de-a doua parte („Onoarea numelui”), urmată de prima („Ancheta”) și terminând cu epilogul („Primul succes”), aș fi intuit, mult mai bine, intriga. Cu toate acestea, am fost plăcut surprins de abilitatea lui Mai de a-l păcăli pe „polițistul abil, ingenios și perseverent”, în persoana lui Lecoq.

„Deseori, criminalii se opun în primul moment tuturor întrebărilor, păstrînd o tăcere absolută. Aceștia sînt cei mai experimentați, cei abili, cei care pregătesc nopți albe judecătorilor de instrucție.”

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Monsieur Lecoq tells the story of murder done in a Paris backstreet barroom. Lecoq's police patrol,
led by Inspector Gevrol, is on their nightly rounds when they hear cries coming from a local bar. Upon investigation, they find two men dead and one dying with their apparent murderer standing with the murder weapon in his hand. Gevrol takes appearances of a barroom brawl at face value and prepares his report appropriately for the judge. But Lecoq has his doubts. He receives permission to investigate on his own--and finds himself in the middle of a story of vengeance and murder tying two wealthy families.

Monsieur Lecoq (1869) by Émile Gaboriau features Lecoq, a young police detective who Sherlock Holmes dismisses as "a miserable bungler." In this particular novel, one can see why Holmes might thave thought so. Despite the fact that this is the fourth (or fifth, depending on which list you pay attention to) Lecoq novel written, it is apparently a prequel and gives us Lecoq's first case. Maybe Holmes had this episode in mind when he spoke so disparagingly. When I read the previous novel File No. 113 in 2012, I was pretty impressed with Lecoq's skills as a detective and his ability to use the art of disguise. I was a bit disappointed with the detective as Gaboriau portrays him here.

He begins the case pretty full of himself. He spots indications and clues that lead him to believe that this is no mere barroom brawl that has resulted in murder--indications that complete escape the notice of his superior officer. When he's given leave to investigate further (and, so the superior officer thinks, waste his time and make a fool of himself), he leads off well--giving the reader a rather thorough performance as the sleuth-hound. He follows footprints in the snow, he picks up bits of brown wool, he describes the murderer's accomplice (whom he proves to have existed through the prints and wool, etc) in great detail just as Holmes would do some years later. It's really quite extraordinary. But he then goes on to commit a few blunders when the principal murderer escapes and he winds up consulting an amateur detective who points out the mistakes he has made and the numerous opportunities he had to follow up clues and solve the mystery. Still, the portion of the story that focuses on Lecoq is interesting and well-done. However, as with my reading of File No. 113, I found the long, drawn-out foray into the historical antecedents for murder quite tedious and, frankly, a bit convoluted. One could wish the Gaboriau had learned the art of succinct story-telling when relaying back-story information.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block

[Scot · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is intriguing to me for the influence this classical detective hero would have on the later formation of Sherlock Holmes as created by Arthur Conan Doyle, and because we know Gaboriau read and enjoyed Poe’s tales with his logical detective Dupin. Although this is the fifth novel that Gaboriau published featuring Lecoq (it was published in 1869), this tale, the first of any about him I ever read, is a prequel that introduces the young detective just starting out, so there was no problem beginning here rather than in the first book, The Lerouge Case, which debuted in 1866.

Laying out the classical detective model, the story moves ahead at what might seem a sluggish pace for a modern reader, as again and again we have Lecoq eyeing a setting or situation for evidence, recognizing something or things that others do not, and then we learn the information by hearing him explain it to a befuddled supporting character—usually his sidekick Father Absinthe, a charming old fellow who now and then drinks too much, which can lead to amusement or problems, but in any case makes him more diverting than Watson.

Lecoq’s precociousness must be guarded, for his superior, Gevrol, would sooner undermine anyone he perceives as a possible contender for his job position than make sure that justice is served. Because Gevrol happens upon the scene of a triple murder in a rundown drinking establishment in a dangerous neighborhood of Paris not long after it occurred, he quickly assumes who is responsible and why based on his ideas about norms, so he sloughs the task of final collection of predictable details and clues onto Lecoq, and so our pursuit of truth begins.

I don’t know who translated this, but the language is lovely to read, and it was fun to get the mid-19th century French sensibility of appropriate behaviors and attitudes for the different social classes coming together in this tale, and to see what police procedural was like in that time and place. The book includes a wise old bedridden mentor character named Tabaret, an elderly genius whom Lecoq seeks out when he himself is truly perplexed—which is rare, indeed!—and I am sure Tabaret, who can provide the same function as a deus ex machina, must turn up in some of the other Lecoq novels as well.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Published in 1869, Monsieur Lecoq predates A Study in Scarlet by 18 years and is acknowledged as an influence on Arthur Conan Doyle specifically, but also on the development of detective fiction in general. This entertaining novel has two parts. The first begins with a crime and follows the Parisian detective, Monsieur Lecoq, as he tries to unravel its intricacies. The second begins decades earlier, tracing the somewhat melodramatic affairs of some country folks and landed aristocracy whose turmoils eventually lead to the crime committed at the beginning of the first book. In other words, the entire novel in two parts ends where it begins. Although I enjoyed the first part with its focus on crime detection immensely more than the second melodramatic part, taken as a whole it has a very satisfying narrative construction. Gaboriau had a distinct flair for character and plot construction. I would happily read another Monsieur Lecoq adventure.

[Laurence Giliotti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unlike The Widow Lerouge, in this novel Gaboriau abandons the over-the-top reliance on coincidence and replaces it with Lecoq's 'If at first you don't succeed try, try again' approach to investigation.
In the first Sherlock Holmes novel, A Study In Scarlet, Watson asks Holmes, "Does Lecoq come up to your idea of a detective?"
Holmes replied, "Lecoq was a miserable bungler...he had only one thing to recommend him, and that was his energy. That book made me positively ill. The question was to identify an unknown prisoner. I could have done it in twenty-four hours. Lecoq took six months or so. It might be made a textbook for detectives to teach them what to avoid."
Monsieur Lecoq did not make me "ill." Actually I rather enjoyed it.

[Kelvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a 1869 novel by French novelist Emile Gaboriau and is the fifth book in his famous Paris police detective Monsieur Lecoq series. This is probably the most famous book written by Gaboriau. It is a very long book, divided into two volumes (a current day crime mystery stapled with a historic fiction story from decades before). Like many old novels of the Victorian era, they can get tedious and frustrating to read, with a lot of 19th century sentiments that seem odd to modern readers. This is, however, a very significant book in the history of detective mystery fiction.

Gaboriau is a very important writer in the annuls of detective fiction. After Edgar Allan Poe invented the detective story genre in 1841 with the short story The Murder in the Rue Morgue, detective mystery began to flourish. Gaboriau is famous for inventing the French form of detective fiction (the roman policier) (detective story) later made famous by Georges Simenon. Gaboriau’s influence on future crime authors is immense. Arthur Conon Doyle was influenced by him when he created Sherlock Holmes. In fact, the similarity between this 1869 book (Monsieur Lecoq) and the first Sherlock Holmes story published in 1887 (a Study in Scarlet) is striking. In a Study in Scarlet, Doyle used the same two-part structure used by Gaboriau in Monsieur Lecoq, with the first part of the book (which is a detective story) describing the crime and the investigation; then the book jumped to the second part (which is a historic fiction) describing events that happened decades ago which was the root cause of the present-day crime. There is also striking similarities between Sherlock Holmes and Monsieur Lecoq (and Lecoq’s teacher old Monsieur Tabaret (aka Tirauclair or Father Bring-to-Light). Tabaret was a private consulting detective who advised the Paris police on difficult cases (just like Holmes). However, since Tabaret was old and suffered from gout which made him home-bound, Lecoq was the one who did the on detection on the ground. In fact, a lot of the detection methods used by Doyle in his Sherlock Holmes stories can be seen in this book as used by Lecoq. In this book, Lecoq was a master in disguise just like Holmes; he was also very observant and was into forensic science. For example, Lecoq was able to determine a person’s height, age, and sex by reading footprints left in snow, as well as to determine a person’s height using his hand mark on the wall. There is also an episode where a double book cipher was used by the suspect which Lecoq was able to break and used the code to write his own cipher message to try to trap the suspect, very much like what Holmes did in a couple of his cases. Another major writer who was heavily influenced by Gaboriau is the pioneering Australian mystery author Fergus Hume who was famous for the international best seller The Mystery of a Hansom Cab published in 1886. Before writing his first crime novel, Hume read a full set of Emile Gaboriau crime novels (which was very popular in Melbourne at the time) to learn how to write them. The result was the now famous and historically significant The Mystery of a Hansom Cab.

Spoiler Alert. This book used a two-part, (two-volume) structure with Volume One describing a triple homicide in a wine shop near Paris one year in the 1860s. Late at night, three people were killed in a wine shop called Poivriere, run by an old widow called Chupin. The suspect was cornered and arrested by police inside the wine shop but he refused to give them any details as to what happened except by telling them he shot in self-defense and his first name is May with no last name. While the top police inspector in charge (Gevrol) believed it was a simple case of bar fight and murder by career criminals and vagabonds, Lecoq (who was a rookie detective at the time) believed the suspect May was not what he pretended to be (a destitute drunk). Lecoq believes May is really a person of high social status disguising as a poor person. Lecoq also uncovered a lot of physical forensic evidence (torn clothes fabric, footmarks in snow, etc.) missed by the other police officers. What followed was Lecoq’s efforts to unmask the true identify of May and to solve the crime. However, Lecoq (together with investigating magistrate Segmuller) were consistently beaten by May and his accomplices. This Volume One is pretty much a police procedural book with quite a bit of forensic sciences and police interrogation and interview scenes. In Volume II, the story flashbacked fifty years to the year 1816. That was the year after Napoleon’s return from the Island of Elba after his exile and his final defeat after the Hundred Day War in 1815. 1816 marked the beginning of the Second Restoration period in France history when Emperor Louis XVIII was restored to the throne. With that historical background, Gaboriau created a story that involved a power struggle among three politically prominent French families that went back years. One of the families, led by its patriarch Lacheneur, started an uprising against Emperor Louis XVIII and tried to take over the district of Montaignac. Two other families, led by the politically powerful Duc de Sairmeuse and Marquis de Courtornieu, who were military and political rulers of the district, crushed the revolution. In its aftermath, the two formed a military commission to try and execute many who were involved. In the process, they exceeded their authority and wrongfully punished many innocent people, including Marquis d’Escorval, father of Maurice d’Escorval. Jean Lacheneur, the son of Lacheneur, also swore revenge against the two politicians for killing his father. In the meantime, the two politicians solidified their political union by the marriage of their son (Marquis Martial de Sairmeuse) and daughter (Blanche de Courtornieu). Martial, however, was really in love with the daughter of Lacheneur, Marie-Anne, even though she was in love with the son of Maurice d’Escorval and ended up marrying him. Blanche, a very jealous woman, murdered Marie-Anne by poisoning her. From that time on, various people who knew about the poisoning (including various members of the Chupin family) has been blackmailing Blanche. That led us up to 1860s. What happened during that fateful night was Jean Lacheneur, who as part of his revenge, after having killed Duc de Sairmeuse and drove Marquis de Courtornieu insane years ago, now want to take revenge on the next generation. He knew Martial de Sairmeuse did not know his wife Blanche poisoned the woman Martial loved, and if he were to know, he might kill Blanche. Jean tried to set up a meeting in the wine shop so Martial can discover the fact. Things did not go according to plan. The people hired by Jean to set them up got greedy when they saw the expensive diamond earrings wore by Blanche. Instead of executing the plan, they decided to rob Blanche. Martial, who was in disguise as a poor person and was secretly spying on the wine shop, intervened to protect Blanche. After he shot the robbers and police arrived, Martial tried to protect his family name by pretending to be a vagabond called May. Later, Lecoq finally discovered who he was and found a way to prove it. Blanche who suspected her husband now would know about her murder of Marie-Anne, committed suicide by poison. Lecoq and the police determined Martial’s shooting the three robbers were justified and hushed it up for him. After this case, Lecoq was promoted to be an inspector.

[S. L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sherlockians will find similarities between these two novels ( Monsieur Lecoq and The Honor of the Name) and A Study in Scarlet. They will also recognize this as the particular case of Lecoq which Holmes complains about; he supposedly 'could have solved it in 24 hours'. This is also the book which contains the most personal information about Lecoq ; he tends to make cameo appearances in the other mysteries.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Monsieur Lecoq, a French private detective, reminds me a bit of Sherlock Holmes. Doyle readers will notice similarities. The crime is committed early and Lecoq's relentless search for the culprit(s) gives an interesting view of Parisian society and the city. Early forensic practices are mentioned. An entertaining read/listen.

[Serena · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Rating System:
* couldn't finish, ** wouldn't recommend, *** would recommend, **** would read again, ***** have read again.

[Nia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. Absolutely fantastic.

This book was a very pleasant surprise! Summarizing for Anglophones, as Francophones already know this author, this work preceded Sherlock Holmes, and is very good. While Holmes has adventure and intrigue, this book has inter-generational cooperation, and history (books)! Yes, history is important in solving criminal cases, kids! It also has language learning (ok, it has two trilingual and one at least bilingual characters, all of the languages, of course, figuring importantly in solving the case)! Apart from the mystery, obviously, there is also a case or two of impossible love, sacrifice, courage, and all of this against the backdrop of the Restoration, Napoleon, and memories of The Terrors during the French Revolution. I cannot imagine for the life of me why this work has not gained the level of appreciation that Dumas' Count of Monte Cristo has gained, as it is quite nearly as good. There is a lot of Latin cited, and this makes it worth reading again in print, which I will do via Project Gutenberg or one of the other Public Domain book sources (sorry, I have no idea whether this book is available other than in the original French, but I imagine that it must be available in at least English).

This book is very much worth learning French to read or listen to, imho.

[Hung Nguyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truyện kể về Lecoq thời trẻ, nhiệt tình, hăng hái và cũng mắc nhiều sai lầm nên bị thủ phạm quay như chong chóng 🤣. 4⭐

[cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Monsieur Lecoq adalah seorang polisi muda dari kesatuan Kota Paris di tahun 1860-an. Berbeda dengan polisi yang lain, ia cepat tanggap, tidak mudah mengeneralisasi kesimpulan tanpa bukti-bukti konkrit dan mau bersusah-payah mencari jawaban yang pas. Kesimpulan harus datang dari fakta, bukan fakta-fakta yang harus disesuaikan dengan kesimpulan. Metode-nya sendiri sangat avant-garde saat itu, deduksi logis dan metode ilmiah (mengingatkan pada jargon The Science of Deduction kah??). Hal-hal ini yang membuatnya sedikit terasing di antara rekan-rekannya.

Suatu malam, dalam tugas patroli rutin, pasukannya memergoki pembunuhan tiga orang pria di sebuah kedai minum. Seorang pria bernama May (tanpa nama belakang) berhasil ditangkap namun ia menyatakan pembunuhan ini adalah aksi membela diri. Penyelidikan awal oleh polisi Gevrol menyimpulkan kejadian ini adalah pertengkaran berbuntut pembunuhan. Namun Lecoq mendapatkan fakta-fakta yang berbicara lain. Kenyataan bahwa si tertuduh adalah seseorang yang sangat terpelajar, terlibatnya dua orang wanita misterius yang mati-matian disangkal oleh tertuduh serta seorang rekan terselubung yang muncul dimana-mana menyiratkan adanya kasus yang lebih besar daripada sekedar perkelahian akibat mabuk. Hakim yang dipanggil untuk memeriksa kasus tersebut awalnya sangat tertarik menyelidiki, namun 15 menit setelah menemui tertuduh, sang Hakim buru-buru pulang dan melimpahkan penyelidikan pada Hakim Pemeriksa lain. Tinggalah Lecoq, dan seorang polisi tua yang sedikit suka minum bernama Bapak Absinthe, berusaha meyakinkan Hakim baru dan kemudian mereka bertiga sekuat tenaga mengurai simpul-simpul misteri di balik kasus ini.

Novel detektif ini diterbitkan pertama kali pada tahun 1869, dan diakui oleh Sir Arthur Conan Doyle sebagai inspirator tokoh Sherlock Holmes, dan tokoh Lecoq sendiri diacu dalam kisah SH A Study in Scarlet di mana Sherlock menggambarkan Lecoq sebagai detektif yang 'brilliant but a bumbler'. Dan setelah menyimak buku ini dari awal sampai akhir, mau tak mau saya juga mengakui ke-hijau-an M. Lecoq seperti yang disampaikan oleh si tua Tirauclair di bab-bab akhir buku. Tepat sekali penggambaran seorang polisi muda yang bersemangat, cerdas namun masih sangat kurang pengalaman.

Untuk endingnya sendiri, ada dua hal yang teringat. Pertama, kasus yang diulur sepanjang buku, sampai akhir tidaklah terjawab. Siapa-siapa yang sebenarnya terbunuh dan apa motifnya, masihlah gelap. Dan anehnya, tampaknya hal ini bukanlah hal penting yang harus dijawab pengarang lewat tokoh-tokohnya. Pokoknya di akhir kisah kita semua tahu siapa si May itu sebenarnya. Selesai. Tamat. Eh?? Kedua.... ya itulah. Endingnya sangat tidak biasa. May, si tertuduh misterius lepas dari tangan Lecoq, hilang seperti asap. Namun, sebagai 'balas jasa', May memberi Lecoq seorang buronan paling berbahaya di Paris, hingga karier Lecoq sendiri tidak tercoreng. Penjahat budiman. Hahaha.....

Kesan yang saya dapat sehabis membaca buku ini sedikit banyak mirip saat membaca Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Thief. Ada ketidakpuasan seperti saat membaca Sherlock atau Poirot, namun demikian harus diingat kembali bahwa kisah ini ditulis hampir satu setengah abad yang lalu. Jadi, dengan pertimbangan itu, saya tetap berpendapat bahwa kisah buku ini bintang 4.

Note untuk edisi terjemahan bahasa Indonesia.
Buku ini edisi terjemahan oleh Visimedia Pustaka. Karya penerbit tersebut yang pertama kali saya baca. Alih bahasanya cukup baik, mudah dipahami dan tuturannya mengalir (tidak aneh bin ajaib seperti penerbit yang satu itu *masih gondok*). Hanya saja typo masih bertaburan di mana-mana. Tidak sangat banyak hingga mengganggu tapi cukup untuk menarik perhatian mata pembaca (baca: saya). Semoga terbitan-terbitan selanjutnya penyunting dan proof-reader-nya lebih teliti ya.

Covernya.... saya agak kurang suka. Ilustrasi Lecoq yang polisi kok malah terlihat seperti gambaran vampire (sok) cakep. ~_~
sori..... :D :D :D

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I certainly can see where Emile Gaboriau had a great influence on Conan Doyle when the latter created Sherlock Holmes.

Having read all the Sherlock stories I would have to say that I do prefer those, however.
Whether you choose Sherlock or Lecoq, remains a personal preference. Either British or French, both are quirky.

With Lecoq I also see a similarity to the show Endeavor.
The young detective bent on proving himself, much to the dismay of his superior officer.
And accompanied by the much older seasoned veteran to whom he is always surprising with his amazing powers of deduction.

Favorite lines:

Always distrust what seems probable.

Justice is human; that is, she is indulgent toward certain crimes. She has fathomed the depth of the abyss into which blind passion may hurl even an honest man.

[B. Zedan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like most of Gaboriau's two-volume works, the first half here sets up a crime, our principal players and about a million pieces of evidence. It's all table setting for volume two (The Honour of the Name).

However, M. Lecoq is a green beginner here, nothing of the smooth and faultless skill displayed in earlier books. It's a bit of a joy to watch him stumble as he builds his detective skills. Like any good prequel that comes into existence after the primary tales, there are tonnes of fun bits here that are hella "a-HA" about character traits, full backgrounds for folks who were previously tertiary characters, etc.

[mzbeastle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is Emile Gaboriau truly the "father of detective fiction"? Well, lets just say he works Monsieur Lecoq to the bone to solve the mystery. He flogs the poor fellow into becoming the savvy detective he will blossom into later in other books. The story involves a lot of detail, the solution to the mystery is just beyond reach, the bureaucratic in-fighting is almost expected, but it really does set a pattern for future detective novels, which hasn't changed much for over 100 years! So, perhaps, I will agree that this book sets a standard which mystery buffs have benefitted from for such a long time. I'm ready for more by this author.

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A baffling double murder occurs in a tavern in a bad neighborhood stumps the French police and becomes the obsession of Young Lecoq and the older constable that he takes on as his sidekick.
great settings, heroes and atmosphere make up for a really convoluted jumble of a mystery that starts strong and never seems to do more than meander around as cops and crooks try to outwit each other.

important as it's one of the mystery genres first big detective novels and establishes one of Frances' big mystery characters.

[Robyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Free Early Bird Book Deal | Drags and becomes nonsensical | The first part was terribly slow, but still interesting as an early detective story. Every single detail was included, even long descriptions of leads Lecoq followed that didn't pan out. Then part two began, and everything went sideways. Even if it hadn't become the deepest, most dramatic melodrama, it still was hard to follow. It's as if a chapter introducing the characters and locales was missing. 40% of the book just wasn't worth reading.

[arg/machine · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the earliest instances of detective fiction, Monsieur Lecoq is in the public domain, with a free electronic copy available here.

[Andrew Phoenix · Rating 3 out of 5]

Remembering when it was written, it brought a new style of crime and detective fiction to the world. Underdog detective vs 'the system' is replaceable.
Good story but a bit difficult to follow at times. The second book brings you to the 'prolog' years before, and follows events to conclusion. I did enjoy

[Rae Shue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy cow! What a ride! Monsieur Le Coq is a young detective trying to solve his first case. The end, though wanting, leaves you open and anxious for the next book. While some twists were foreseeable, the big ones weren't. I was captured by this book from the MOMENT I picked it up! Le Coq has his faults, but they endear him to you. I highly HIGLHLY recommend this book!

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun to read but a bit slow-moving. Didn't realize that this was a 2-parter, so the resolution (or lack thereof) was a bit disappointing. Enjoyed the characters, the plot, and the writing style though, so will definitely be checking out part 2.

[gwen graves · Rating 2 out of 5]

BORING

Even If Arthur Conan Doyle like this book and because of it wrote Sherlock Holmes, I found it boring. Love Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. It might be the writing style of the time but I found it to verbose.

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can see elements of all detective stories here and it amazes me! Plus the philosophy of life in big droplets makes me re-read sentences. Completely gripping puzzle.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Police procedural set in Paris wherein a young detective struggles to learn the true identity of a man accused of three murders.

[Venum · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me by my bestie and I truly enjoyed this book. We buddied up it was truly a fun ride.
I highly recommend this book for those who enjoy Sherlock novels :)