In March 1862 the neighbours of the Widow Lerouge, who lives alone in a cottage at La Jonchère, report that no one has seen her for two days. The police break in and find her murdered. The trail runs from the village to the household of the proud Count de Commarin and his heir, followed by the amateur sleuth Tabaret and an examining magistrate with private reasons to care.
Gaboriau’s first crime novel, and a direct ancestor of Sherlock Holmes, for readers interested in where the detective story began. Download the free EPUB.