My partner is in a conf call in the living room so I'm hiding away in my reading nook. Hoping to make progress in the book tagged. It's well written but lacks the pacing of modern books, there is too much backstory every time we meet a new character...
Going back to the roots, the first French murder mystery. Now let's see how it goes.
pickAmateur-detective story in which the eponymous character is murdered and M. Tabaret (a.k.a. "Tirauclair" (the "Clarifier")) is on the case! Colorful characters and a lively pace make this very accessible to 21st-century readers (Mysterious Press/Open Road edition) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Half-Way Status Update: Murder! Forensics! Inductive reasoning! Unrequited love, fading aristocracy, self-made men... It all adds up to some old-fashioned melodrama and true mystery. Who dun it? I haven't a clue... Or more accurately, I just don't see it yet! (Author image above from Wikipedia)
Perhaps the first detective novel, it preceded and then was eclipsed by Doyle's Sherlock. This novel is the first-in-series featuring Ledoc (who was based on the real life detective phenom, Vidoq) though he is a secondary character here. Seems to hold up remarkably well inre plot and procedure
The Widow Lerouge | 
