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The Killing Needle
Is this the book that inspired Sherlock Holmes?Appearing in 1871, sixteen years before the great British detective made his appearance, the Frenchman Maximilien Heller was a misanthropic, drug taking private detective with an extraordinary gift for observation and logical deduction, and fully conversant with the chemical science and forensic practices of the day. He was a master of disguise and his audacious exploits were chronicled by his friend and confidant, a doctor. Sound familiar?Be that as it may, The Killing Needle is a seminal work by any fast moving, well plotted and well written, it chronicles the adventures of a talented young detective determined to risk all to save an innocent man and bring a master criminal to justice.Published before The Big Bow Mystery and before The Mystery of the Yellow Room, it is also a locked room milestone, the first to use a technique cited in the Clayton Rawson/John Dickson Carr locked room lectures. For information about other locked room/impossible crime novels, including the works of Paul Halter, one of the contemporary masters of the genre, please
- GenresMystery
150 pages, Paperback
First published May 17, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 20, 2025
Sherlock Who? Predates Sherlock Holmes and it's set in France and it's awesome can't say much since it's under 150 pages but dude it's awesome. If you like Agatha Christie give it a try.
July 14, 2015
The novel is set in 1845.
The main character Maximilien Heller lives in a room on the 6th floor of a building. He worked as a lawyer but gave it up on realizing that his “hard work resulted in scoundrels being rewarded and rogues being saved from the scaffold they so richly deserved.” Since he inherited a tidy sum from an old uncle, he doesn’t have to work. He spends his time writing manuscripts but this does not cure his restlessness and his health deteriorates.
The narrator is a doctor who is sent to Heller by a mutual lawyer friend to look after him.
Maximilien Heller has traits similar to those of Sherlock Holmes (drug taking, misanthropy, gift for observation and logical deduction, knowledge of chemical and forensic science, master of disguise). It is possible that Conan Doyle was inspired by Heller and the narrator to create Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.
The story is as follows. Mr. Brehat Lenoir , a famous retired banker is found dead in his bed and a considerable sum of money taken away. A glass on a nearby table on analysis shows traces of arsenic. His servant Guerin (who has been in his employ for only a week) is suspected of having poisoned him with arsenic. In fact, Guerin has purchased arsenic the day before. Guerin claims that he did this to kill rats in his bedroom.
Before his employ with Brehat Lenoir, Guerin was a neighbour to Heller living in another room on the 6th floor. When the police break open this room to search, Heller is called to be a witness to the search and thus he gets involved in the case.
Heller is convinced of the innocence of Guerin and he strives to catch the real culprit.
The book is a good and interesting read, though not outstanding. It is an adventure cum mystery. There is a locked room mystery here, but it is only a small part of the story and the solution is just glossed over. The method is discussed in a Clayton Rawson’s book by his detective Merlini in a locked room lecture.
Finally, kudos to John Pugmire for the excellent translation.
Comment
The main character Maximilien Heller lives in a room on the 6th floor of a building. He worked as a lawyer but gave it up on realizing that his “hard work resulted in scoundrels being rewarded and rogues being saved from the scaffold they so richly deserved.” Since he inherited a tidy sum from an old uncle, he doesn’t have to work. He spends his time writing manuscripts but this does not cure his restlessness and his health deteriorates.
The narrator is a doctor who is sent to Heller by a mutual lawyer friend to look after him.
Maximilien Heller has traits similar to those of Sherlock Holmes (drug taking, misanthropy, gift for observation and logical deduction, knowledge of chemical and forensic science, master of disguise). It is possible that Conan Doyle was inspired by Heller and the narrator to create Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.
The story is as follows. Mr. Brehat Lenoir , a famous retired banker is found dead in his bed and a considerable sum of money taken away. A glass on a nearby table on analysis shows traces of arsenic. His servant Guerin (who has been in his employ for only a week) is suspected of having poisoned him with arsenic. In fact, Guerin has purchased arsenic the day before. Guerin claims that he did this to kill rats in his bedroom.
Before his employ with Brehat Lenoir, Guerin was a neighbour to Heller living in another room on the 6th floor. When the police break open this room to search, Heller is called to be a witness to the search and thus he gets involved in the case.
Heller is convinced of the innocence of Guerin and he strives to catch the real culprit.
The book is a good and interesting read, though not outstanding. It is an adventure cum mystery. There is a locked room mystery here, but it is only a small part of the story and the solution is just glossed over. The method is discussed in a Clayton Rawson’s book by his detective Merlini in a locked room lecture.
Finally, kudos to John Pugmire for the excellent translation.
Comment
March 10, 2024
A very early mystery, in an enjoyable translation. As a mystery novel, this is pretty goofy. For example, the detective's first break occurs when he needs a sheet of paper to light a cigarette; the paper he is handed, by chance, contains a secret message, written in code, by the nefarious criminal Red Bomber, and wouldn't you know it, the detective knows the code, because he was a lawyer on that case years ago. Pretty lucky!
The novel is elevated by the detective, though; a bitter, misanthropic philosopher who spends the entire case on the verge of a complete physical and mental breakdown. He's a fun and unusual protagonist.
The novel is elevated by the detective, though; a bitter, misanthropic philosopher who spends the entire case on the verge of a complete physical and mental breakdown. He's a fun and unusual protagonist.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews