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The Mystery of the Yellow Room
The Mystery of the Yellow Room
The Mystery of the Yellow Room
Audiobook6 hours

The Mystery of the Yellow Room

Written by Gaston Leroux

Narrated by Simon Vance

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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About this audiobook

The Mystery of the Yellow Room is Gaston Leroux's masterpiece, and it turned out to be his most successful book during his lifetime. It is one of the classics of early-twentieth-century detective fiction.

At the heart of the novel is this enigma: how could a murder take place inside a locked room that shows no sign of being entered? The novel is also about the rivalry between the detective Frederick Larson and a young investigative journalist, Rouletabille, to solve the case. Larson finds a suspect who is put on trial, only to have him cleared by Rouletabille, who reveals in the most dramatic fashion the identity of the real murderer.

This atmospheric thriller is still a favorite of whodunit fans everywhere.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateSep 29, 2008
ISBN9781400177998
Author

Gaston Leroux

Gaston Leroux was a French journalist, short-story writer, and novelist, and is most famous for his acclaimed novel, The Phantom of the Opera. A student of law, Leroux turned to journalism after spending his inheritance on a lavish lifestyle. Over a decade of work as a court reporter and theatre critic for the L’Écho de Paris served as inspiration for his series of successful detective novels featuring Joseph Rouletabille, an amateur sleuth, and Leroux’s contributions to the French detective genre are considered as significant as those of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Edgar Allan Poe. Leroux died in 1927.

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Reviews for The Mystery of the Yellow Room

Rating: 3.6538461538461537 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

26 ratings19 reviews

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  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    When I was about twelve, someone mentioned that this is the greatest locked room mystery ever written. Since then, I'd kept it in the back of my mind and was excited when I saw that it was in Project Gutenberg. But, in the end, the story is almost anticlimactic and the resolution seems completely artificial. I didn't guess the whodonit, which I often do, so it gets points for that. But, at the same time, it hardly felt like a mystery that anyone would have solved anyway. Perhaps at the time it was written, the audience would have been more accepting than me in 2012.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I expected something a little more from the resolution... not sure what though.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I docked half a star for the not quite neat and tidy ending, but otherwise mostly enjoyed this. I liked the young journalist as the central character, competing with the stereotypical detective and their coming to different, competing conclusions. The murderer could have done things more wisely and logically in a few instances, where the author had him do some purposely contorted things in order to make events more mysterious; this device was a bit too transparent. I've an even greater appreciation for Agatha Christie now, who rose head and shoulders above this precedent. Rouletabille is a likeable character, but I don't think we'll be crossing paths again.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is one of the most celebrated classic locked room mystery stories. A young lady, Mlle Stangerson, is assaulted and nearly killed in her locked bedchamber, from which there are no means of escape, but there is no one there when her father and a servant in a neighbouring room break into the bedchamber. The mystery is eventually solved by a very young newspaper reporter Joseph Rouletabille, after numerous convolutions and red herrings. The intellectualisation of the mystery is very clever, though Rouletabille as a character lacks the impact of a Sherlock Holmes or an Hercule Poirot, and I thought the story slightly dragged and became a little absurd in places. I noticed that Stangerson, the victim here, is also the name of one of the murder victims in the first Sherlock Holmes story, A Study in Scarlet, published a few years before this novel. Deservedly a classic of the genre, despite its minor weaknesses. 4/5
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A woman, the daughter of a famous French professor, utters a chilling scream. She is locked into her bedroom, and by the time the door is broken down, she is found unconscious, almost dead, with a terrible head wound. But who could have been her attacker? He could have had no means of entering or exiting the room unseen, and the only clues he's left behind are his victim and a bloody handprint on the wall. The young reporter Joseph Rouletabille makes his way to the scene of the crime with the firm intention of solving the mystery. Slow and plodding step by slow and plodding step. This book is famous as having been is one of the first locked room mystery crime fiction novels, published in France in 1907. Agatha Christie was reportedly an admirer of the novel and early on in her writing career said she'd like to write something taking a similar approach. I was certainly intrigued at the beginning and found the various elements of the story intriguing, such as the place of the crime: a French château, and the main protagonists: a woman well passed her prime, working as a scientist and soon to be married; her suspected fiancé; Rouletabille, the 18-year-old journalist. I guess I don't have the makings of a locked room mystery fan, because I got bored with all the minute details of the story and found the ending anticlimactic at best.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Finally I brought myself to finish the lauded short novel 'The Mystery of the Yellow Room' by Gaston Leroux. It is hailed as one of the most original works of mystery fiction written and has been named as one of the pioneers of the locked room genre. We are introduced to the young journalist Joseph Rouletabille who throws himself into the investigation of a mysterious murder at Chateau du Glandier. A murder that takes place in a room that has been locked from the inside with no possible means of escape. Right away we are introduced to one of the many plot holes in the novel. There is no murder. Miss Stangerson who is the target of the attack and who is discovered with a bump on her head in the room after she screams murder, isn't actually killed. In fact she is assaulted no less than three times in various forms and by the end of the novel she has gone quite insane but is still alive. Not once in the novel is poor Miss Stangerson properly interviewed and asked what happened. Furthermore she seems to never actually say anything anywhere in the novel. As the most prominent piece of evidence she is blatantly ignored, something even the most mysoginistic Victorian didn't do.The Mystery of the Yellow Room was first published as a novel in 1908, 40 years after Wilkie Collins published his mystery: The Moontone. I'm comparing Leroux's work to that of Collins because even though Collins was clearly experimenting with the genre, he had a much firmer grasp than Leroux ever did. Leroux breaks one of the most important rules in the mystery business: you have to give the reader all the information that is available to the detective before the reveal. In the case of the Yellow Room we are given everything we need to know, which is a large amount of information, after the explanation of the plot. Even though the mechanism by which the 'murder' is committed appears to be very mature and innovating, it relies on so many assumptions and improbable events that it loses much of it's entertainment value when it is finally revealed.It took me three weeks to finish this book. Most of that was spent trying to figure out who all the characters in the novel are and where they are at various times (the novel includes maps and diagrams that don't help). For someone who wrote the very human The Phantom of the Opera, the Yellow Room one has very few real people in it. Not only does the over enthusiastic detective not feel very human, he's not even remotely likable. Unlike Sherlock Holmes who was quite the unpleasant character who fascinates readers to this day.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This story holds up remarkably well, at least in part because the narrator is excellent :)
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    An interesting look back to the beginnings of the mystery genre. There are a couple of points I'm not convinced really worked - especially if the character Larssen was as prominent and well-known as I thought he was supposed to be. Despite that, I still found the story to be engaging and challenging.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I have no ambition to be an author. An author is always something of a romancer, and God knows, the mystery of The Yellow Room is quite full enough of real tragic horror to require no aid from literary effects.Gaston Leroux, The Mystery of the Yellow Room2017 is here, and I've kicked off a new year of reading with The Mystery of the Yellow Room. This early twentieth century novel is a classic locked-room mystery by Gaston Leroux. Leroux is probably best known as the author of The Phantom of the Opera, but he also wrote several mysteries featuring the reporter Joseph Rouletabille, including The Perfume of the Lady in Black and The Secret of the Night.As you can see in this summary from the publisher, The Mystery of the Yellow Room has all the typical characteristics of an early twentieth-century mystery:A frightful act of malice committed in Paris: the dastardly attempted assassination of the daughter of a famed scientist who was working late in his laboratory with an assistant when the attack took place in the adjacent room. A locked chamber, windows barred, no one hiding inside. The poor young lady unconscious, covered with blood, violent marks on her throat and a wound at her temple. The scientist’s revolver removed from its cabinet and sealed in the room with her. The only trace of her assailant is a large, bloody handprint on the wall.At a loss, the chief of the Sûreté telegraphs for the famous detective Frédéric Larsan to be assigned to the seemingly unsolvable case. A genre-defining novel, The Mystery of the Yellow Room follows the investigation step by step, with thorough descriptions of the crime scene to allow the reader access to the same opaque clues to the crime that the detectives have.Like a lot of early detective fiction, this story focuses more on the puzzle than on character development or theme, but the puzzle itself was enough to keep me reading. Leroux does a fine job, too, of creating a suspenseful atmosphere, and I enjoyed the voice of the narrator, Sainclair the lawyer. One of my favorite lines of the story is when he takes a jab at his profession:I was helping to save the life of a woman, and even a lawyer may do that conscientiously.The Mystery of the Yellow Room was chosen as the third best locked-room mystery of all time in a poll of mystery writers and reviewers, and for good reason. It's well worth a read, especially for fans of early detective fiction and locked-room mysteries.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I enjoyed The Mystery of the Yellow Room very much and I can certainly see why it is considered one of the classics of the mystery genre - and especially of the locked room.Joseph Rouletabille, the journalist from a French newspaper covering the mystery, is a very likeable and intelligent "detective." He matches his wits against one of the finest detectives from the Sûreté, Frederic Larsan.Although this book was written over 100 years ago, I did not feel that it was dated. Of course, there were none of the modern techniques at play, but this was a book of puzzles and intellect over modern science - the classic "whodunit."I obtained my copy from Project Gutenberg, an English translation from the original French, and although most of the story was translated very well, there were a few times when I was left wondering if the meaning of the original had come through correctly. Fortunately, this did not happen often and I was able to enjoy the book.I think I will definitely read more of Leroux's mysteries. I am interested in the further adventures of Joseph Rouletabille.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This mystery has an ingenious plot, even if certain elements are slightly implausible. The writing style is rather dry, but the story is very interesting—it reminds me of Poe's Dupin mysteries.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A smart, cleverly paced, and well-written thriller. I look forward to reading more of Leroux's Rouletabille mysteries after this one.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Written originally in French, in 1908, this book is considered to be one of the very first locked-room mysteries. As i am a bit of a locked-room buff, this book went to the top of my TBR pile. Gaston Leroux is also the same man who wrote the famous Phantom of the Opera, which further ignited my curiosity.

    In the beginning i found the translation & names a bit awkward, but i soon adapted & got into the swing of the story. It also helped that i made up a list of characters & their relationship to each other.

    In short, a young reporter is sent to investigate the secrets of a well respected family & write a piece for his paper on the attempted murder of the daughter. The criminal tries to kill her and somehow manages to escape from her locked bedroom without being seen by her father & his assistant who were right outside. It is only a matter of time before he tries again. Everyone is baffled as to who he is and his motive. There are numerous twists & turns in the plot & for those who enjoy solving puzzles, Leroux drops many clues along the way.

    A quick read once you get into the rhythm of the book. I enjoyed the subtle french humour which Leroux injects into the story when comparing the young reporter & the older "famous" detective who has been assigned to the case. Solid 3.5 stars
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    My husband bought this book for me for one of my Christmas gifts, and to tease me, he gave me a clue - phantom of the opera. I knew he had bought me books (easy to tell even in their wrapping paper), but since I had nothing on my list that had to do with that show or book, I was stumped. As soon as I unwrapped this one, though, I figured it out. Gaston Leroux, who knew that he wrote mystery books? Of course, I did put this book in my wish list, but that was because it was touted in another mystery novel as being a classic of the genre and I was curious; I never paid much attention to the author. After my moment of enlightenment, I read the synopsis on the back of the book to remind myself why I wanted this particular title - my wish list is ridiculously large - and was then very excited to have it.The story is a locked room mystery. That means that a crime, generally murder, is committed in a room that is lock and thoroughly secure from the inside, but when help arrives and breaks the door down, they only find the victim inside, no attacker. In this instance, the young lady assaulted is not killed, but near death, and yet the containment of the room is such that those who find her wonder if the villain couldn't have magically disappeared. Leroux's book is lauded as one of the best locked room mysteries available, and I agree.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This is one of the classic ‘locked room’ mystery stories, that has prompted scores of imitations over the years, including John Dickson Carr’s homage, ‘The Hollow Man’. The basic premise is very simple: Mademoiselle Sangerson had retired to bed in The Yellow Room, which she locked behind her. Shortly afterwards she was heard screaming, having been grievously attacked. Her father, Professor Sangerson, and his servant come running to assist and find the room still locked from the inside. When they eventually gain access to the room they find the wounded woman, but no sign of her assailant. The strange circumstances of the attack excite the more sensational end of the press and the story becomes a talking point all around France. Frederick Larsan, most famous detective from the Surêté is appointed to investigate the case. In the meantime, however, ingenious journalist, Rouletabille, decides to launch his own investigation, accompanied by his friend Sainclair (who narrates the novel). Sainclair is suitably astonished and impressed throughout, in similar vein to Watson as companion to Sherlock Holmes. Sadly, the relationship between the super sleuth and sidekick is not developed with the same humorous scope that attends the Sherlock Holmes stories. The plot may be just as ingenious as anything that Conan Doyle came up with, (and I was certainly fooled, even though all the necessary clues are there), but it never quite gripped me much as I had thought it might.It is well written and (presumably) well translated – the version I read was definitely very readable, and had none of the drawbacks that often attend books from that period (it was published, I believe, in 1906)
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    "The presbytery has lost none of its charm; nor the garden its brightness."These enigmatic words are just one of the many tantalizing clues scattered throughout Gaston Leroux's famous detective novel, The Mystery of the Yellow Room. Published in serial form in 1907 and in its entirety in 1908, this book has become one of the pivotal works in the genre, and is the great-grandfather (or at least the great-uncle!) of all "locked room" mysteries. In an isolated chateau in the French countryside, the beautiful Mademoiselle Stangerson is attacked in her locked chamber. When her father and servant break into the room in response to her desperate cries for help, they find no trace of her assailant — though there is just one door, all the windows have grills, and there is nowhere in the small room for the would-be murderer to hide. It is a most perplexing case for the police... but not for the young reporter Joseph Rouletabille, who manages to insinuate himself into the household to unravel the baffling case. Many of the hallmarks of the mystery genre are present in this story. The tale is narrated by Rouletabille's friend St. Clair, who is very like Holmes' Watson: slow on the uptake and providing a perfect foil to the detective's genius. He is us, of course, carried along wondering at the detective's crazy fancies which all turn out to be spot-on. Naturally! In addition to the stock character of the clueless friend, Rouletabille also has a professional rival in the famous detective Frederic Larsan, who has been called in specially for the case. Rouletabille is keen to prove his mettle to the older and more experienced Larsan. Rouletabille's particular forte is not, like Holmes', a vast knowledge of the minutiae of crime-scene evidence. Rather, Rouletabille's methods are based on what he calls "pure reason," and on taking that reason "by the right end." Leroux, who is probably better known for The Phantom of the Opera, certainly has a gift for creating haunting ideas. There is something so creepy about his description of the "cry of the Good Lord's Beast," and the recurring hint of the "perfume of the Lady in Black" (which is the title of the book's sequel). Leroux is not afraid to hint at supernatural occurrences, but he never overdoes it and the result is quite pleasingly atmospheric. There are certainly several very improbable coincidences that happen along the way to make the mystery possible, but they are forgivable. This translation (which I believe is the older American one) has a few lamentable mistakes in grammar, with several dangling modifiers and awkward constructions. This translation also repeatedly calls Mlle. Stangerson's assailant "the murderer," though the term is technically incorrect according to the events of the story. I found it slightly annoying, but ignorable. I would have given this book four stars if it were not for these issues. I listened to this on audiobook, read by Robert Whitfield, and enjoyed his reading very much. I loved his French pronunciations of the characters' names. It's interesting to think that I absorbed this story in much the same fashion as it was first published: in serial form. I listened to it for an hour a day on my commute. The technology changes but the stories don't. I would recommend this to fans of mysteries, but not to those looking for a good place to start in the genre. I have a high tolerance for ramblers, and this narrative does ramble at times. But I'm looking forward to the next two books in the series; though Rouletabille lacks the straightforward charm of a Roderick Alleyn or Lord Peter Wimsey, I found his youthful exuberance and boldness amusing. And I confess, now I'm curious about the perfume of the Lady in Black! Overall, this is an enjoyable tale that keeps its secrets till the very end.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I always find locked-room mysteries highly contrived, but since that's a given for this type of story I always expect it and never let it get in the way of my enjoyment of it. That being said, I found the solution to this one even more convoluted and outside the bounds of reality. It's as if Leroux took a bet that he couldn't devise a plot so dependent on the outlandish and make it work. Maybe all authors who write locked-room mysteries make bets like that. In any case, I had to re-read parts of the explanation because I kept mentally saying "what?". I guess if you allow for some fine acting on the part of the victim and serious observational deficiencies on the part of the rescuers it works, but jeez it's a stretch.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    First written in 1908, The Mystery of the Yellow Room is considered one of the classics of the "locked-room"/impossible crime genre. Believe me, by the time you finish reading about the crime (never mind the rest of the book), you'll be scratching your head saying "how on earth did this just happen?"It seems that one Mathilde Stangerson goes off to her room (called The Yellow Room) in a pavilion where she and her father work at scientific experiments. The door is locked -- then she is heard to scream, followed by 2 gun shots. As her father and one of the servants rush to the door, they break it open and find only Mathilde, with fresh strangulation marks, a lump on the head and bloody handprints on the walls. But that's it. There's no one else there, and there's no way in the world whoever did this could have possibly escaped. Thus begins a very strange mystery. I can't say any more about it because I will totally wreck it if anyone's interested in reading it.The characters are rather interesting, especially the main character, young (18) journalist with the paper "L'Epoque" -- a journalist with a detective bent. He shares his information with a M. Sinclair, the narrator of the story. Mathilde Stangerson is a woman with many secrets, and nothing is revealed until the end, keeping you hanging on. There are several suspects, many red herrings and multiple clues, so if you are okay with a somewhat rambling narrative (I think it can be excused given the date the book was written), you'll probably find this one to be quite well done. It's likely that modern readers may find this one a bit tedious since we often like to get to the point quickly. In this book, the who, how and why are not divulged until the last minute.Overall, it's a bit rambly, but it's still a fine mystery and you're really just dying by the end to find out everything. Recommended for people who enjoy classic mysteries and locked-room mysteries.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    I really wanted to like this book, but it seems to drag on and on without any conclusion and I eventually gave up and read the plot on Wikipedia and was glad I didn't finish since the ending seems very far fetched.