The Mystery of the Yellow Room (1908) is a novel by French writer
Gaston Leroux. Originally serialized in L'Illustration from September
to November 1907, The Mystery of the Yellow Room marked the first
appearance of popular character Joseph Rouletabille, a reporter and
part-time sleuth who features in several of Leroux's novels. Originally
a journalist, Leroux turned to fiction after reading the works of Arthur
Conan Doyle and Edgar Allan Poe. Often considered one of the best
locked-room mysteries of all time, the novel has been adapted several
times for film and television. Joseph Rouletabille is more than meets
the eye. A reporter by profession, he spends his free time working as an
amateur detective, using his journalistic talents to compile facts and
track down leads. When the young daughter of a prominent professor is
found badly beaten in a locked room at the Château du Glandier,
Roulebatille sets out to investigate with his trusted assistant
Sainclair. After conducting interviews with several members of the
castle staff, he is told that France's top detective Frédéric Larsan has
been assigned to the case. Larsan soon names Robert Darzac, Ms.
Stangerson's fiancé, as his primary suspect. Having already ruled Darzac
out, Roulebatille begins to grow suspicious when the man is arrested and
seems hesitant to defend himself. Working behind the scenes, the
unassuming sleuth must race against time to prove Darzac's innocence and
stop Ms. Stangerson's attacker from finishing what he started. The
Mystery of the Yellow Room is a story of danger and suspense from one
of history's finest detective novelists. Joseph Rouletabille is without
a doubt France's answer to Sherlock Holmes. With a beautifully designed
cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Gaston
Leroux's The Mystery of the Yellow Room is a classic of French
literature reimagined for modern readers.
