The Mystery of Orcival

Poachers stumble on the body of the Countess of Tremorel beside her ransacked chateau, her husband nowhere to be found and a convenient suspect already in hand. Lecoq of the Surete is not convinced. He suspects the whole scene has been arranged, its clues planted to send the police down a false path, and he sets about reconstructing what really happened hour by hour. Published in 1867, this is one of Gaboriau’s finest showcases for his detective, blending careful forensic reasoning with a widening story of ambition and betrayal among the provincial gentry. The free PDF and EPUB edition lets new readers meet a hero who helped shape the genre.