Monsieur Lecoq

Policemen on patrol in a dangerous area of Paris hear a cry coming from the Poivrière bar and go to investigate. There is evidence of a struggle. Three dead men are lying on the floor, and a wounded man, who is certainly the murderer, stands in a doorway. He tries to escape, but gets caught. Senior inspector Gévrol thinks that the case is straightforward - a pub brawl that ended in murder, whereas his young colleague Lecoq thinks that there is more to the affair than meets the eye. Under interrogation, the suspect maintains that he is an acrobat named Mai, but Lecoq believes he might be the Duke of Sairmeuse and that he doesn't want his identity to be revealed, for his family pride.

Émile Gaboriau (1832-1873) was a French writer, novelist, journalist, and a pioneer of detective fiction. He became a secretary to Paul Féval, and after publishing some novels and miscellaneous writings, found his real gift in detective novels. Gaboriau's most famous character was Monsieur Lecoq, a young police officer who was the hero in several of his novels. He also wrote a long series of novels dealing with the annals of the police court which proved very popular.