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shiradest's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastic. Absolutely fantastic.
This book was a very pleasant surprise! Summarizing for Anglophones, as Francophones already know this author, this work preceded Sherlock Holmes, and is very good. While Holmes has adventure and intrigue, this book has inter-generational cooperation, and history (books)! Yes, history is important in solving criminal cases, kids! It also has language learning (ok, it has two trilingual and one at least bilingual characters, all of the languages, of course, figuring importantly in solving the case)! Apart from the mystery, obviously, there is also a case or two of impossible love, sacrifice, courage, and all of this against the backdrop of the Restoration, Napoleon, and memories of The Terrors during the French Revolution. I cannot imagine for the life of me why this work has not gained the level of appreciation that Dumas' Count of Monte Cristo has gained, as it is quite nearly as good. There is a lot of Latin cited, and this makes it worth reading again in print, which I will do via Project Gutenberg or one of the other Public Domain book sources (sorry, I have no idea whether this book is available other than in the original French, but I imagine that it must be available in at least English).
This book is very much worth learning French to read or listen to, imho.
This book was a very pleasant surprise! Summarizing for Anglophones, as Francophones already know this author, this work preceded Sherlock Holmes, and is very good. While Holmes has adventure and intrigue, this book has inter-generational cooperation, and history (books)! Yes, history is important in solving criminal cases, kids! It also has language learning (ok, it has two trilingual and one at least bilingual characters, all of the languages, of course, figuring importantly in solving the case)! Apart from the mystery, obviously, there is also a case or two of impossible love, sacrifice, courage, and all of this against the backdrop of the Restoration, Napoleon, and memories of The Terrors during the French Revolution. I cannot imagine for the life of me why this work has not gained the level of appreciation that Dumas' Count of Monte Cristo has gained, as it is quite nearly as good. There is a lot of Latin cited, and this makes it worth reading again in print, which I will do via Project Gutenberg or one of the other Public Domain book sources (sorry, I have no idea whether this book is available other than in the original French, but I imagine that it must be available in at least English).
This book is very much worth learning French to read or listen to, imho.
mollyfiddler's review against another edition
4.0
Λίγο φλύαρο σε κάποια σημεία που δεν χρειαζόταν κατά την γνώμη μου, και μια καλή ανατροπή που λόγω της φλυαρίας όμως δεν μου έδωσε αυτόν τον ενθουσιασμό και την αγωνία που συνήθως κάνουν οι αστυνομικές ιστορίες. Για τον χώρο και τον χρόνο που γράφτηκε είναι πολύ καλό.
vesper1931's review against another edition
mysterious
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
186- A triple murder has occurred in a wine shop in Paris, the guilty party states it was self- defence. But who is he, does he have accomplish. Why were they killed. Detective Lecoq is determined to find the answers no matter how long it takes.
Entertaining historical mystery
Entertaining historical mystery
bev_reads_mysteries's review against another edition
3.0
Monsieur Lecoq tells the story of murder done in a Paris backstreet barroom. Lecoq's police patrol,
led by Inspector Gevrol, is on their nightly rounds when they hear cries coming from a local bar. Upon investigation, they find two men dead and one dying with their apparent murderer standing with the murder weapon in his hand. Gevrol takes appearances of a barroom brawl at face value and prepares his report appropriately for the judge. But Lecoq has his doubts. He receives permission to investigate on his own--and finds himself in the middle of a story of vengeance and murder tying two wealthy families.
Monsieur Lecoq (1869) by Émile Gaboriau features Lecoq, a young police detective who Sherlock Holmes dismisses as "a miserable bungler." In this particular novel, one can see why Holmes might thave thought so. Despite the fact that this is the fourth (or fifth, depending on which list you pay attention to) Lecoq novel written, it is apparently a prequel and gives us Lecoq's first case. Maybe Holmes had this episode in mind when he spoke so disparagingly. When I read the previous novel File No. 113 in 2012, I was pretty impressed with Lecoq's skills as a detective and his ability to use the art of disguise. I was a bit disappointed with the detective as Gaboriau portrays him here.
He begins the case pretty full of himself. He spots indications and clues that lead him to believe that this is no mere barroom brawl that has resulted in murder--indications that complete escape the notice of his superior officer. When he's given leave to investigate further (and, so the superior officer thinks, waste his time and make a fool of himself), he leads off well--giving the reader a rather thorough performance as the sleuth-hound. He follows footprints in the snow, he picks up bits of brown wool, he describes the murderer's accomplice (whom he proves to have existed through the prints and wool, etc) in great detail just as Holmes would do some years later. It's really quite extraordinary. But he then goes on to commit a few blunders when the principal murderer escapes and he winds up consulting an amateur detective who points out the mistakes he has made and the numerous opportunities he had to follow up clues and solve the mystery. Still, the portion of the story that focuses on Lecoq is interesting and well-done. However, as with my reading of File No. 113, I found the long, drawn-out foray into the historical antecedents for murder quite tedious and, frankly, a bit convoluted. One could wish the Gaboriau had learned the art of succinct story-telling when relaying back-story information.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block
led by Inspector Gevrol, is on their nightly rounds when they hear cries coming from a local bar. Upon investigation, they find two men dead and one dying with their apparent murderer standing with the murder weapon in his hand. Gevrol takes appearances of a barroom brawl at face value and prepares his report appropriately for the judge. But Lecoq has his doubts. He receives permission to investigate on his own--and finds himself in the middle of a story of vengeance and murder tying two wealthy families.
Monsieur Lecoq (1869) by Émile Gaboriau features Lecoq, a young police detective who Sherlock Holmes dismisses as "a miserable bungler." In this particular novel, one can see why Holmes might thave thought so. Despite the fact that this is the fourth (or fifth, depending on which list you pay attention to) Lecoq novel written, it is apparently a prequel and gives us Lecoq's first case. Maybe Holmes had this episode in mind when he spoke so disparagingly. When I read the previous novel File No. 113 in 2012, I was pretty impressed with Lecoq's skills as a detective and his ability to use the art of disguise. I was a bit disappointed with the detective as Gaboriau portrays him here.
He begins the case pretty full of himself. He spots indications and clues that lead him to believe that this is no mere barroom brawl that has resulted in murder--indications that complete escape the notice of his superior officer. When he's given leave to investigate further (and, so the superior officer thinks, waste his time and make a fool of himself), he leads off well--giving the reader a rather thorough performance as the sleuth-hound. He follows footprints in the snow, he picks up bits of brown wool, he describes the murderer's accomplice (whom he proves to have existed through the prints and wool, etc) in great detail just as Holmes would do some years later. It's really quite extraordinary. But he then goes on to commit a few blunders when the principal murderer escapes and he winds up consulting an amateur detective who points out the mistakes he has made and the numerous opportunities he had to follow up clues and solve the mystery. Still, the portion of the story that focuses on Lecoq is interesting and well-done. However, as with my reading of File No. 113, I found the long, drawn-out foray into the historical antecedents for murder quite tedious and, frankly, a bit convoluted. One could wish the Gaboriau had learned the art of succinct story-telling when relaying back-story information.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block
bookishlybratty's review against another edition
5.0
Holy cow! What a ride! Monsieur Le Coq is a young detective trying to solve his first case. The end, though wanting, leaves you open and anxious for the next book. While some twists were foreseeable, the big ones weren't. I was captured by this book from the MOMENT I picked it up! Le Coq has his faults, but they endear him to you. I highly HIGLHLY recommend this book!
cindyc3689's review against another edition
4.0
Monsieur Lecoq adalah seorang polisi muda dari kesatuan Kota Paris di tahun 1860-an. Berbeda dengan polisi yang lain, ia cepat tanggap, tidak mudah mengeneralisasi kesimpulan tanpa bukti-bukti konkrit dan mau bersusah-payah mencari jawaban yang pas. Kesimpulan harus datang dari fakta, bukan fakta-fakta yang harus disesuaikan dengan kesimpulan. Metode-nya sendiri sangat avant-garde saat itu, deduksi logis dan metode ilmiah (mengingatkan pada jargon The Science of Deduction kah??). Hal-hal ini yang membuatnya sedikit terasing di antara rekan-rekannya.
Suatu malam, dalam tugas patroli rutin, pasukannya memergoki pembunuhan tiga orang pria di sebuah kedai minum. Seorang pria bernama May (tanpa nama belakang) berhasil ditangkap namun ia menyatakan pembunuhan ini adalah aksi membela diri. Penyelidikan awal oleh polisi Gevrol menyimpulkan kejadian ini adalah pertengkaran berbuntut pembunuhan. Namun Lecoq mendapatkan fakta-fakta yang berbicara lain. Kenyataan bahwa si tertuduh adalah seseorang yang sangat terpelajar, terlibatnya dua orang wanita misterius yang mati-matian disangkal oleh tertuduh serta seorang rekan terselubung yang muncul dimana-mana menyiratkan adanya kasus yang lebih besar daripada sekedar perkelahian akibat mabuk. Hakim yang dipanggil untuk memeriksa kasus tersebut awalnya sangat tertarik menyelidiki, namun 15 menit setelah menemui tertuduh, sang Hakim buru-buru pulang dan melimpahkan penyelidikan pada Hakim Pemeriksa lain. Tinggalah Lecoq, dan seorang polisi tua yang sedikit suka minum bernama Bapak Absinthe, berusaha meyakinkan Hakim baru dan kemudian mereka bertiga sekuat tenaga mengurai simpul-simpul misteri di balik kasus ini.
Novel detektif ini diterbitkan pertama kali pada tahun 1869, dan diakui oleh Sir Arthur Conan Doyle sebagai inspirator tokoh Sherlock Holmes, dan tokoh Lecoq sendiri diacu dalam kisah SH A Study in Scarlet di mana Sherlock menggambarkan Lecoq sebagai detektif yang 'brilliant but a bumbler'. Dan setelah menyimak buku ini dari awal sampai akhir, mau tak mau saya juga mengakui ke-hijau-an M. Lecoq seperti yang disampaikan oleh si tua Tirauclair di bab-bab akhir buku. Tepat sekali penggambaran seorang polisi muda yang bersemangat, cerdas namun masih sangat kurang pengalaman.
Untuk endingnya sendiri, ada dua hal yang teringat.Pertama, kasus yang diulur sepanjang buku, sampai akhir tidaklah terjawab. Siapa-siapa yang sebenarnya terbunuh dan apa motifnya, masihlah gelap. Dan anehnya, tampaknya hal ini bukanlah hal penting yang harus dijawab pengarang lewat tokoh-tokohnya. Pokoknya di akhir kisah kita semua tahu siapa si May itu sebenarnya. Selesai. Tamat. Eh?? Kedua.... ya itulah. Endingnya sangat tidak biasa. May, si tertuduh misterius lepas dari tangan Lecoq, hilang seperti asap. Namun, sebagai 'balas jasa', May memberi Lecoq seorang buronan paling berbahaya di Paris, hingga karier Lecoq sendiri tidak tercoreng. Penjahat budiman. Hahaha.....
Kesan yang saya dapat sehabis membaca buku ini sedikit banyak mirip saat membaca [b:Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Thief|141270|Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Thief|Maurice Leblanc|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172121766s/141270.jpg|136242]. Ada ketidakpuasan seperti saat membaca Sherlock atau Poirot, namun demikian harus diingat kembali bahwa kisah ini ditulis hampir satu setengah abad yang lalu. Jadi, dengan pertimbangan itu, saya tetap berpendapat bahwa kisah buku ini bintang 4.
Note untuk edisi terjemahan bahasa Indonesia.
Buku ini edisi terjemahan oleh Visimedia Pustaka. Karya penerbit tersebut yang pertama kali saya baca. Alih bahasanya cukup baik, mudah dipahami dan tuturannya mengalir (tidak aneh bin ajaib seperti penerbit yang satu itu *masih gondok*). Hanya saja typo masih bertaburan di mana-mana. Tidak sangat banyak hingga mengganggu tapi cukup untuk menarik perhatian mata pembaca (baca: saya). Semoga terbitan-terbitan selanjutnya penyunting dan proof-reader-nya lebih teliti ya.
Covernya.... saya agak kurang suka. Ilustrasi Lecoq yang polisi kok malah terlihat seperti gambaran vampire (sok) cakep. ~_~
sori..... :D :D :D
Suatu malam, dalam tugas patroli rutin, pasukannya memergoki pembunuhan tiga orang pria di sebuah kedai minum. Seorang pria bernama May (tanpa nama belakang) berhasil ditangkap namun ia menyatakan pembunuhan ini adalah aksi membela diri. Penyelidikan awal oleh polisi Gevrol menyimpulkan kejadian ini adalah pertengkaran berbuntut pembunuhan. Namun Lecoq mendapatkan fakta-fakta yang berbicara lain. Kenyataan bahwa si tertuduh adalah seseorang yang sangat terpelajar, terlibatnya dua orang wanita misterius yang mati-matian disangkal oleh tertuduh serta seorang rekan terselubung yang muncul dimana-mana menyiratkan adanya kasus yang lebih besar daripada sekedar perkelahian akibat mabuk. Hakim yang dipanggil untuk memeriksa kasus tersebut awalnya sangat tertarik menyelidiki, namun 15 menit setelah menemui tertuduh, sang Hakim buru-buru pulang dan melimpahkan penyelidikan pada Hakim Pemeriksa lain. Tinggalah Lecoq, dan seorang polisi tua yang sedikit suka minum bernama Bapak Absinthe, berusaha meyakinkan Hakim baru dan kemudian mereka bertiga sekuat tenaga mengurai simpul-simpul misteri di balik kasus ini.
Novel detektif ini diterbitkan pertama kali pada tahun 1869, dan diakui oleh Sir Arthur Conan Doyle sebagai inspirator tokoh Sherlock Holmes, dan tokoh Lecoq sendiri diacu dalam kisah SH A Study in Scarlet di mana Sherlock menggambarkan Lecoq sebagai detektif yang 'brilliant but a bumbler'. Dan setelah menyimak buku ini dari awal sampai akhir, mau tak mau saya juga mengakui ke-hijau-an M. Lecoq seperti yang disampaikan oleh si tua Tirauclair di bab-bab akhir buku. Tepat sekali penggambaran seorang polisi muda yang bersemangat, cerdas namun masih sangat kurang pengalaman.
Untuk endingnya sendiri, ada dua hal yang teringat.
Kesan yang saya dapat sehabis membaca buku ini sedikit banyak mirip saat membaca [b:Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Thief|141270|Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Thief|Maurice Leblanc|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172121766s/141270.jpg|136242]. Ada ketidakpuasan seperti saat membaca Sherlock atau Poirot, namun demikian harus diingat kembali bahwa kisah ini ditulis hampir satu setengah abad yang lalu. Jadi, dengan pertimbangan itu, saya tetap berpendapat bahwa kisah buku ini bintang 4.
Note untuk edisi terjemahan bahasa Indonesia.
Buku ini edisi terjemahan oleh Visimedia Pustaka. Karya penerbit tersebut yang pertama kali saya baca. Alih bahasanya cukup baik, mudah dipahami dan tuturannya mengalir (tidak aneh bin ajaib seperti penerbit yang satu itu *masih gondok*). Hanya saja typo masih bertaburan di mana-mana. Tidak sangat banyak hingga mengganggu tapi cukup untuk menarik perhatian mata pembaca (baca: saya). Semoga terbitan-terbitan selanjutnya penyunting dan proof-reader-nya lebih teliti ya.
Covernya.... saya agak kurang suka. Ilustrasi Lecoq yang polisi kok malah terlihat seperti gambaran vampire (sok) cakep. ~_~
sori..... :D :D :D
bzedan's review against another edition
3.0
Like most of Gaboriau's two-volume works, the first half here sets up a crime, our principal players and about a million pieces of evidence. It's all table setting for volume two (The Honour of the Name).
However, M. Lecoq is a green beginner here, nothing of the smooth and faultless skill displayed in earlier books. It's a bit of a joy to watch him stumble as he builds his detective skills. Like any good prequel that comes into existence after the primary tales, there are tonnes of fun bits here that are hella "a-HA" about character traits, full backgrounds for folks who were previously tertiary characters, etc.
However, M. Lecoq is a green beginner here, nothing of the smooth and faultless skill displayed in earlier books. It's a bit of a joy to watch him stumble as he builds his detective skills. Like any good prequel that comes into existence after the primary tales, there are tonnes of fun bits here that are hella "a-HA" about character traits, full backgrounds for folks who were previously tertiary characters, etc.
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