14 h 10 minAudiobook2 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
In Orcival, a violent crime breaks the calm—and respectability offers no simple guide to the truth.
Orcival seems far from the dangers of Paris. Its country houses and local officials suggest a settled world where everyone knows everyone else. Then a violent crime at a country estate unsettles that confidence. In Émile Gaboriau’s The Mystery of Orcival, the investigation begins with urgent questions about the scene and who has entered the house.
Monsieur Lecoq refuses to accept apparent certainties without testing them. He weighs the stories people tell against the traces they leave behind. Beside him, Monsieur Plantat, a quietly intelligent local magistrate, connects evidence with his knowledge of Orcival. What lies beneath this respectable community matters as much as what first meets the investigator’s eye.
What you’ll discover
- Evidence worth a second look Follow Lecoq as he tests what seems obvious rather than trusting the first explanation.
- A magistrate who knows Orcival Meet Plantat, whose quiet manner conceals sharp intelligence and valuable knowledge of local people.
- Respectability under strain Look beneath country-house calm, where private wrongdoing shadows the community’s settled appearance.
- Stories against traces Watch the investigation measure what people say against the evidence they leave behind.
- Room for the history Discover a mystery that gives its people’s histories room beyond the sequence of clues.
Who will love it
For readers who love early detective fiction, close deductions, and country-house respectability shadowed by private wrongdoing.
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Das Geheimnis von Orcival
by Émile Gaboriau · 1867
A countess is dead, her husband is missing, and Monsieur Lecoq tests the evidence that unsettles a country community.
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From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 5
Orcival seems far removed from the dangers of Paris. Its country houses and local officials suggest a settled world where everyone knows everyone else. Then a violent crime at the home of the Count and Countess de Tremorel breaks that confidence. The countess is dead, her husband is missing, and the disturbed household appears to offer an explanation of what has happened. Yet appearances are exactly what this investigation must question.
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What is The Mystery of Orcival about?
A violent crime at the Tremorel estate disrupts a French country community. With the countess dead and her husband missing, Monsieur Lecoq investigates evidence that seems straightforward but demands closer examination. The case leads into the household’s relationships and private history.
Who is Monsieur Lecoq?
Monsieur Lecoq is Émile Gaboriau’s recurring detective, known for close observation and his ability to reconstruct a crime from scattered evidence. In The Mystery of Orcival, he challenges easy explanations and pays attention to both physical traces and the motives behind people’s statements.
Who is Monsieur Plantat in The Mystery of Orcival?
Monsieur Plantat is a local magistrate whose intelligence and knowledge of the community make him important to the investigation. His restrained manner contrasts with the urgency surrounding the crime, while his understanding of local lives helps Lecoq interpret what the evidence means.
The author
Émile Gaboriau
1832–1873 · French detective novelist
Émile Gaboriau (1832–1873) was a French writer born in Saujon, France. He later lived in Paris, where he died. He wrote novels and stories, including detective fiction featuring Monsieur Lecoq. The Lerouge Case appeared in 1866, followed by The Mystery of Orcival in 1867 and Monsieur Lecoq in 1868.
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