#Paris In July Gaboriau

- Author: Émile Gaboriau (1832-1873)
- Genre: Crime fiction (pg 612)
- Trivia: French writer, novelist, journalist,
- …pioneer of detective fiction
- Title: Dossier 113
- Published: 1867
- #ParisInJuly
- On the surface, the crime seems simple.
- A bank’s secure safe is robbed.
- One of the two men who holds the key must be guilty.
- One key-holder is the bank’s owner who lives above the bank.
- The other is the bank’s trusted manager
- …a man like a son to the owner.
- What if neither is guilty?
- How did this safe, with every security measure known
- and employed at the time, get robbed?
- Leave it to Monsieur Lecoq of the Surete, a policeman of many disguises.
- Book in 5 words:
- Truth – deceit – betrayal – lies – murder.
Last thoughts:
- Strong point: What a convoluted plot!!
- I wanted to read something I could sink my teeth into
- …well I got it!
- Strong point: M. Lecoq seems to be 2 steps ahead of everyone!
- The book is filled with all the delights of detective CF:
- Letters:
- Plot turns on the bundle of letters.
- They are passed from character to character.
- The reader feels tension about the letters
- …concealment, interception, destruction or revelation ?
- Eavesdropping behind curtains
- Spying through keyholes
- Secretly removing bullets from a gun
- Carriage (fiacre) trick (…very clever!)
- Disguise!
- M. Lecoq is a master in disguise.
- This reader had to really concentrate
- Another name, description …”Is this Lecoq or not?”
- The sleuth even managed to disguise himself
- …while he was already in another costume.
- When I think of M. Lecoq the best description
- …he is a series of Russian babushka dolls!
- The reader is always waiting to see when the
- outer layer will disappear!
- It is a pity the name Émile Gaboriau has been
- rather forgotten in the list of great detectives.
- He was a source of inspiration for Conan Doyle.
- I find his novels are anchored in reality
- his investigations are skillfully crafted and
- …in the end Gaboriau ties up all the loose ends!
- The book also paints a naturalist
- …painting of the ‘belle epoque’ in Paris!
- Don’t hesitate to try one of Gaboriau’s books
- I read in in French and it took me 10 days.
- The language was easy to read but I read word for word
- …not wanting to miss a clue!
- Book is available in English on Amazon.
5 Comments
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How interesting that this detective was an inspiration for Arthur Conan Doyle!
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This book is really quite a puzzle!
I’ve read Gaboriau’s other books “M. Lecoq” and “L’affaire rouge”.
Both are very good and also available in English.!
Thanks for your comment!
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Thank you! I love a good mystery. I will add this to my requested list at my library. Cheers.
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You’re welcome!
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Sounds a bit like a Feydeau farce in a way. Do you think he was a source for Simenon? Seems likely?
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