Émile Gaboriau (1833–1873)
Author of The Widow Lerouge
About the Author
Disambiguation Notice:
Among English editions, "Monsieur Lecoq" can refer to either the translation of both volumes of that work, or to just the first part (the translation of "L'Enquête"). In the latter case, part two goes by "The Honor of the Name."
Image credit: Photo by Alphonse J. Liébert
Series
Works by Émile Gaboriau
Pán Lecoq. Zv. 3, Pán Lecoq 2 copies
The Monsieur Lecoq of the Sûreté Mysteries: Volume 2- File No. 113 & A Disappearance (2019) 2 copies
"Monsieur Lecoq, v. 1" 2 copies
Domnul Lecoq 1 copy
Spectrul spânzurătorii 1 copy
Les esclaves de Paris 3 1 copy
The Accursed House 1 copy
A Vizsgálat 1 copy
Le petit vieux des Batignolles [édition intégrale revue et mise à jour] (French Edition) (2013) 1 copy
L'agente Lecoq 1 copy
O caso Lerouge v.1 1 copy
O caso Lerouge v.2 1 copy
The Honor Of The Name 1 copy
A Lerouge- gy 1 copy
Il signor Lecoq - Vol.1 1 copy
Il signor Lecoq 1 copy
Los esclavos de la culpa 1 copy
In Peril of His Life 1 copy
Gaboriau's Sensational Novels, The Intrigues of a Poisoner and Captain Coutanceau (2008) 1 copy, 1 review
I ribelli di Montaignac 1 copy
Greseala unei mame 1 copy
Leruj Davası 1 copy
Other Peoples' Money, The Widow Lerouge, File No. 113, The Honor of the Name, Monsieur Lecoq (Five Matching Volumes (2010) 1 copy
L'Argent des autres 1 copy
Within An Inch Of His Life 1 copy
Court in the Net 1 copy
El señor Lecoq 1 copy
Associated Works
The Dead Witness: A Connoisseur's Collection of Victorian Detective Stories (2011) — Contributor — 164 copies, 5 reviews
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes: A Collection of Victorian Detective Tales (2008) — Contributor — 140 copies, 1 review
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes: The Greatest Detective Stories: 1837-1914 (2019) — Contributor — 37 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Gaboriau, Émile
- Birthdate
- 1833-11-09
- Date of death
- 1873-28-09
- Gender
- male
- Education
- Tarascon Sur-Rhône secondary school
- Occupations
- clerk
soldier
secretary
novelist - Relationships
- Féval, Paul (employer)
- Short biography
- Émile Gaboriau, French novelist, was born at Saujon (Charente Inférieure). He became secretary to Paul Féval, and, after publishing some novels and miscellaneous writings, found his real gift in _L'Affaire Lerouge_ (1866), a detective novel which was published in the _Pays_ and at once made his reputation. 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. He died at 40 of pulmonary apoplexy in Paris, and his final works were published posthumously.
- Nationality
- France
- Birthplace
- Saujon, Charente-Maritime, France
- Places of residence
- Paris, Île-de-France, France
- Place of death
- Paris, Île-de-France, France
- Burial location
- Cimetière de Montmartre, Paris, France
- Disambiguation notice
- Among English editions, "Monsieur Lecoq" can refer to either the translation of both volumes of that work, or to just the first part (the translation of "L'Enquête"). In the latter case, part two goes by "The Honor of the Name."
- Associated Place (for map)
- France
Members
Reviews
This is the first in a series of crime novels written in the third quarter of the 19th century by this French author, who died tragically young aged only 40. It is widely considered to be the first French detective novel. I really enjoyed this - there was an economy of style and a crispness about the narrative that I relished. The murder of the Widow Lerouge was discovered and reported to the police in the first couple of paragraphs and the crime was seemingly resolved by chapter 4; only to show more give rise to unravellings of various characters' lives and pasts, with different motivating factors affecting their possible involvement in the cause of Lerouge's murder. There are inevitably echoes of the origins of Sherlock Holmes - "The misfortune is that the art is becoming lost. Great crimes are now so rare." This crime concerns not only murder but infant substitution and lifelong deceit. A great read and I am glad there are many more in this series (I thought until a few minutes ago it was a five book series, but I now realise it is some 10-11). show less
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.
Before Arthur Conan Doyle was Emile Gaboriau. This detective novel is a rollicking good read featuring Inspector Lecoq who out-Sherlocks Sherlock Holmes a couple of decades before A Study in Scarlet debuted in 1887. An ingenious plot centered around a bank robbery and a young couple in love who go too far and suffer lifelong regrets pits some very attractive characters against the evil machinations of the Marquis de Clameran and the handsome but spurious Raoul Lagors. In the end young love show more triumphs thanks to the indefatigable Inspector Lecoq and his allies - one of whom is the charming Gypsy who provides an unexpected romantic interest for the Inspector himself! show less
While I admit the historical importance of Monsieur Lecoq, it left me feeling frustrated. The premise: a young and ambitious policeman thinks a triple-murder at a low drinking-house in a Paris slum is not all it seems. A chance remark at the scene of the crime suggests to Lecoq that the culprit is an educated man, not a run of the mill criminal. Lecoq uses many ingenious tactics to learn the truth, but is thwarted at every turn by bad luck, the murderer's sneaky accomplice, and his (Lecoq's) show more own incompetence. The guilt of the suspect is never in doubt; it's his identity and the motive that are in question. This novel certainly kept me reading in suspense, but there are some serious weaknesses.
I am a big fan of detective novels and I like learning where the genre came from. The Moonstone is probably still my favorite of the early examples, and Mary Elizabeth Braddon's The Trail of the Serpent is a close second. In these novels, we have perceptive and clever protagonists who use a combination of logic and subterfuge to solve crimes. This would appear to be the case in Monsieur Lecoq, which appeared just a few years after these British examples. The deductive powers of Lecoq show a lot of promise. Early in the novel there's a passage that surely inspired Arthur Conan Doyle, in which the detective surmises from some marks in the snow that a suspect must be a tall, middle-aged man dressed in a certain kind of hat and suit. He makes a few other similarly awesome moves, and then flounders around impotently for the rest of the novel. I have to agree with Sherlock Holmes that "Lecoq was a miserable bungler." This, for me, was the first black mark against the book. Not that a detective can't make mistakes--in fact, they're more interesting when they do! But I couldn't believe the same person who made such brilliant hypotheses in the beginning should become so apparently stupid later in the same book. It's a matter of continuity.
Also, I wish I had received some warning that the mystery was not going to be resolved. The novel ends with Lecoq learning the identity of the criminal but not the motive or means of the crime. For that, Gaboriau apparently wrote a sequel, a 600-page historical novel, The Honor of the Name, explaining the complicated family history of the murderer. In the Dover edition of Monsieur Lecoq, the editors summarize the plot of this novel and then excerpt about 20 pages that explain the crime and how/why it was committed. This was a singularly unsatisfying way to have the mystery solved for me. I'm not sure if I should blame Gaboriau or myself, but this disappointing end really soured the whole experience of reading Monsieur Lecoq.
So, on the balance, I am glad I read it, and I enjoyed parts. But I can't truly say that I recommend it. show less
I am a big fan of detective novels and I like learning where the genre came from. The Moonstone is probably still my favorite of the early examples, and Mary Elizabeth Braddon's The Trail of the Serpent is a close second. In these novels, we have perceptive and clever protagonists who use a combination of logic and subterfuge to solve crimes. This would appear to be the case in Monsieur Lecoq, which appeared just a few years after these British examples. The deductive powers of Lecoq show a lot of promise. Early in the novel there's a passage that surely inspired Arthur Conan Doyle, in which the detective surmises from some marks in the snow that a suspect must be a tall, middle-aged man dressed in a certain kind of hat and suit. He makes a few other similarly awesome moves, and then flounders around impotently for the rest of the novel. I have to agree with Sherlock Holmes that "Lecoq was a miserable bungler." This, for me, was the first black mark against the book. Not that a detective can't make mistakes--in fact, they're more interesting when they do! But I couldn't believe the same person who made such brilliant hypotheses in the beginning should become so apparently stupid later in the same book. It's a matter of continuity.
Also, I wish I had received some warning that the mystery was not going to be resolved. The novel ends with Lecoq learning the identity of the criminal but not the motive or means of the crime. For that, Gaboriau apparently wrote a sequel, a 600-page historical novel, The Honor of the Name, explaining the complicated family history of the murderer. In the Dover edition of Monsieur Lecoq, the editors summarize the plot of this novel and then excerpt about 20 pages that explain the crime and how/why it was committed. This was a singularly unsatisfying way to have the mystery solved for me. I'm not sure if I should blame Gaboriau or myself, but this disappointing end really soured the whole experience of reading Monsieur Lecoq.
So, on the balance, I am glad I read it, and I enjoyed parts. But I can't truly say that I recommend it. show less
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Statistics
- Works
- 80
- Also by
- 15
- Members
- 1,094
- Popularity
- #23,490
- Rating
- 3.5
- Reviews
- 25
- ISBNs
- 456
- Languages
- 9
- Favorited
- 2