A smart, cleverly paced, and well-written thriller. I look forward to reading more of Leroux's Rouletabille mysteries after this one. ( )

As a bookmark, pp. 328-329, there was a copy of Le telegramme: horaire des marees 1971 d'Audierne a La Trinite

The Mystery Of The Yellow Room (1907) by Gaston Leroux. This is one of the first “Locked Room Mystery” stories. Having been written in 1907, just prior to the “Golden Age” of the mystery story, it set a precedent for this sub-genre of the mystery. The rules are put in place and they are very definite. There is a crime committed where no crime could have been committed, i.e., within a sealed room with no possibility that the villain could either enter or exit without being seen. In this case, it is a yellow room. The daughter/assistant of Professor Stangerson, after finishing up in the lab with her father and the older assistant, left the two men and retired to her adjoining sleeping chamber. A short while later come the sounds of a terrible struggle, complete with gun shots. She cried out “Murder! Murder! Help!” and the two men rush to the double locked door.
Two more of the staff arrive and together they managed to break open the door to find the daughter on the floor, weakened but alive. And there was no sign of her attacker within the small room and none of the four rescuers saw anyone escape. Further investigation found no other way into or out of the room, the only window being very tightly secured and unmolested. And the young woman can recall nothing about her attacker.
All of France is left marveling at this mystery, all but one man. He is the young reporter and amateur sleuth, Joseph Rouletabille who will go on to star in several other adventures by this same author. He is soon off to the site of the mystery along with his sidekick/narrator Jean Sainclair, a young lawyer and friend, At the professor’s chateau the famous police detective Frédéric Larsan, who is officially investigating the case, awaits to turn a cold shoulder to the amateur.
More intriguing than the original mystery is that of the disappearance at the crossed hallways. While Rouletabillie is chasing the “Assassin” down one hallway, having placed his friend in one spot and the detective around the corner, the fiend turns the corner, all the men come together, but the “Assassin” has disappeared.
If you are expecting a quick paced novel, forget it. This was written in a time long before TV and radio, when you had hours each day to fill with other amusements. But this was not, nor is it now, just a time filler. This is a look at the original rules of the “Locked Room Mystery” as they were devised by one of the great minds of literature. And it is a true puzzler that will have you wondering just what is happening. Besides this and many other mysteries and stories, Gaston Leroux is best known for that work of romantic horror, The Phantom Of The Opera.
This, to my modern eyes, as a drawn out work that could have used a little more editing as to length, but a fine, classic piece of detective fiction that stands regally yet. ( )

This locked-room mystery kept me hooked throughout... ( )

The first in a series of detective stories of a young reporter. A true locked room mystery which kept me guessing until the denouement. ( )