Book Cover of The Mystery of the Yellow Room

The Mystery of the Yellow Room

by Gaston Leroux

One of the first locked room mysteries, The Mystery of the Yellow Room focuses on a supposedly impossible crime which has been committed within a locked room. The novel was initially published in the French periodical L’illustration, and was later published as a book in 1908. It is the first of a series of novels featuring the famous fictional reporter Joseph Rouletabille. The mystery begins when Joseph Rouletabille, a reporter and amateur sleuth is sent to investigate a crime scene at the Château du Glandier, home to renowned chemist Joseph Stangerson. In the focus of the crime is none other than professor Stangerson’s daughter Mathilde. She has been viciously attacked and almost killed in her room, or as the title suggests – the yellow room. What makes the crime so bewildering is the fact that it took place in a room locked from the inside with no apparent exit for the perpetrator. As Miss Stangerson is found alone lying on the floor, the assailant seems to have left significant clues behind, including a bloody mutton bone, a bloody handprint on the wall, and some old boots. Accompanied by his friend and lawyer Sainclair, Rouletabille gains access to the crime scene and interrogates some suspicious characters. The official detective assigned to the case is Frederick Larson, who becomes somewhat of a friendly rival to Rouletabille, and suspects Miss Stangerson’s fiancé Robert Darzac to be involved in the crime. As the mystery unfolds, the darkest secrets and twisted nature of the characters are slowly revealed. A novel portraying the many facets of deception, hazardous ambition and foul play, The Mystery of the Yellow Room sets the benchmark for detective fiction. Furthermore, readers are intellectually challenged to follow the many clues left behind, pushing them into the role of detective in hope of unraveling the mystery. Nevertheless, intriguing and nail biting to the very end, Leroux has effectively masterminded a perplexing mystery, widely celebrated to this very day.

Book Details

Language

English

Original Language

French

Published In

1907

Genre/Category

Tags/Keywords

Author

Gaston Leroux image

Gaston Louis Alfred Leroux was a French journalist and author of detective fiction. In the English-speaking world, he is best known for writing the novel The Phantom of the Opera (Le Fantôme de...

More on Gaston Leroux

Listen/Download Audiobook

Read by:
00:00
Playback Speed 1.0
00:00
  • Select Speed

Related books

The Mystery Girl Cover image

The Mystery Girl by Carolyn Wells

In the quaint college town of Corinth, a mysterious young woman arrives, her beauty and enigmatic aura captivating the hearts of the townsfolk. But am...

The Voyagers: Being Legends and Romances of Atlantic Discovery Cover image

The Voyagers: Being Legends and Romances of Atlantic Discovery by Padraic Colum

Embark on a thrilling journey through time and legend with "The Voyagers: Being Legends and Romances of Atlantic Discovery" by Pádraic Colum. This mes...

Captain Sparkle, Pirate Cover image

Captain Sparkle, Pirate by Nicholas Carter

This book follows the courageous Captain Sparkle and his crew as they embark on daring quests, encounter formidable foes, and search for hidden treasu...

Double Crossed Cover image

Double Crossed by Wilfrid Douglas Newton

It follows a young woman named Beatrice Wray who becomes embroiled in a dangerous game of espionage and deceit. When her fiancé, who is a British secr...

Phoebe Daring Cover image

Phoebe Daring by L. Frank Baum

When a mysterious stranger is accused of a crime he didn't commit, it's up to Phoebe Daring, the bravest girl in town, to clear his name. Phoebe Dari...

The Boy Scouts at the Battle of Saratoga Cover image

The Boy Scouts at the Battle of Saratoga by St. George Henry Rathborne

Three young men, Dan, Joe and Late, are on an errand for General Schuyler. They are to meet up with a mysterious stranger, who gives them reports of e...

The Broad Highway Cover image

The Broad Highway by John Jeffery Farnol

In the enchanting world of early 20th-century England, amidst the fading echoes of horse-drawn carriages and gas-lit streets, John Jeffery Farnol weav...

Stories of the Royal Humane Society Cover image

Stories of the Royal Humane Society by Frank Mundell

In "Stories of the Royal Humane Society" by Frank Mundell, prepare to embark on a remarkable journey into the extraordinary realm of heroism and compa...

The Middle of Things Cover image

The Middle of Things by J. S. Fletcher

Crome Yellow is the first novel by British author Aldous Huxley, published by Chatto & Windus in 1921, followed by a U.S. edition by George H. Doran C...

The Markenmore Mystery Cover image

The Markenmore Mystery by J. S. Fletcher

After seven years of silence, Guy Markenmore returns to his family home at Markenmore Court. Knowing his father Sir Anthony to be close to death, he i...

Reviews for The Mystery of the Yellow Room

No reviews posted or approved, yet...