10 h 57 minAudiobook4 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 a court full of watchers, can one young reporter trust reason more than fear?
Joseph Rouletabille leaves Paris for a dangerous case in the Russia of the Tsar. Very young and sharply observant, he approaches a mystery like a mathematician facing an equation. But here, the problem unfolds in a tense political world, where the court lives under the threat of plots.
In The Secret of the Night, Gaston Leroux sets a logical mind against secrecy, spies and sudden threats. Rouletabille relies on reasoning rather than rumour as he follows the case. Short chapters keep the story moving, while Leroux's taste for strange detail gives this detective puzzle the energy of an old-fashioned adventure.
What you’ll discover
- A sharp young mind Follow Rouletabille as he brings a reporter's curiosity and precise reasoning to a dangerous mystery.
- Under the Tsar's shadow Enter a Russian court where political unrest and the threat of plots sharpen the tension.
- Reason against fear Watch a hero trust logic in a world shaped by secrecy, spies and rumour.
- A reporter's eye Discover the strange details and brisk storytelling of a novelist who first works as a journalist.
- Theatrical suspense Feel the pace of short chapters and bold drama as the mystery draws you onward.
Who will love it
For readers who love classic detective puzzles, adventure and stories set in a tense political world, with fast, theatrical storytelling and a hero who trusts reason over rumour.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A boy reporter with a logical mind
- A mystery set in the shadow of the Tsar
- Reason against secrecy and fear
- Leroux's style of fast, theatrical storytelling
Who’s who
- Joseph RouletabilleA very young and sharp newspaper reporter who solves mysteries by pure reasoning and goes to Russia to follow a dangerous case.
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- Hardcover
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El secreto de la noche
by Gaston Leroux · 1912
Young reporter Rouletabille seeks the truth at the Russian court, where politics, secrecy and fear surround a mystery.
Medium level10–20 hours to read25 languages
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In short
The Secret of the Night is a detective novel by Gaston Leroux, the French writer who also created The Phantom of the Opera. It belongs to the series about Joseph Rouletabille, a very young and very sharp newspaper reporter who solves crimes by thinking harder than the police do.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A boy reporter with a logical mind
Joseph Rouletabille is the heart of the series, and the book depends on him. He is a young reporter who looks at a problem the way a mathematician looks at an equation. He does not rely on a magnifying glass or on guesses. He relies on what he calls good sense, the habit of asking what must be true if the facts are true.
Leroux gives him a sharp tongue and a restless energy. He is small in rank but never small in confidence, and older men with titles often find him hard to ignore. That contrast between youth and authority runs through the book and gives it much of its humor.
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What is The Secret of the Night about?
It is a detective novel in which the young reporter Joseph Rouletabille travels to Russia and faces a mystery tied to the dangers around the Tsar's court. The story mixes puzzle-solving with political suspense.
Who is Rouletabille?
Joseph Rouletabille is a young French newspaper reporter created by Gaston Leroux. He solves crimes by logic and good sense. He first appears in The Mystery of the Yellow Room and returns in several later novels.
Do I need to read The Mystery of the Yellow Room first?
It helps to know Rouletabille from that earlier book, but it is not required. The hero and his method are easy to grasp, so a new reader can enjoy this story on its own.
The author
Gaston Leroux
1868–1927 · French mystery novelist
Gaston Leroux was a French author and journalist born in Paris in 1868. He wrote mystery novels, including The Mystery of the Yellow Room, published in 1907, and The Phantom of the Opera, serialized in 1909–1910. He later lived in Nice, where he died in 1927.
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