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Monsieur Lecoq #5, Vol. 2/2
The Honor of the Name
Work form 19th Century French author considered a pioneer of modern detective fiction.
562 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1869
About the author
Émile Gaboriau
495 books57 followersGaboriau was born in the small town of Saujon, Charente-Maritime. He became a secretary to Paul Féval, and after publishing some novels and miscellaneous writings, found his real gift in L'Affaire Lerouge (1866).
The book, which was Gaboriau's first detective novel, introduced an amateur detective. It also introduced a young police officer named Monsieur Lecoq, who was the hero in three of Gaboriau's later detective novels. The character of Lecoq was based on a real-life thief turned police officer, Eugène François Vidocq (1775–1857), whose own memoirs, Les Vrais Mémoires de Vidocq, mixed fiction and fact. It may also have been influenced by the villainous Monsieur Lecoq, one of the main protagonists of Féval's Les Habits Noirs book series.
The book was published in "Le Siècle" and at once made his reputation. Gaboriau gained a huge following, but when Arthur Conan Doyle created Sherlock Holmes, Monsieur Lecoq's international fame declined. The story was produced on the stage in 1872. A long series of novels dealing with the annals of the police court followed, and proved very popular. Gaboriau died in Paris of pulmonary apoplexy.
Gaboriau's books were generally well received. About the Mystery of the Orcival, Harper's wrote in 1872 "Of its class of romance - French sensational - this is a remarkable and unique specimen". A film version of Le Dossier n° 113 (File No. 113) was released in 1932.
The book, which was Gaboriau's first detective novel, introduced an amateur detective. It also introduced a young police officer named Monsieur Lecoq, who was the hero in three of Gaboriau's later detective novels. The character of Lecoq was based on a real-life thief turned police officer, Eugène François Vidocq (1775–1857), whose own memoirs, Les Vrais Mémoires de Vidocq, mixed fiction and fact. It may also have been influenced by the villainous Monsieur Lecoq, one of the main protagonists of Féval's Les Habits Noirs book series.
The book was published in "Le Siècle" and at once made his reputation. Gaboriau gained a huge following, but when Arthur Conan Doyle created Sherlock Holmes, Monsieur Lecoq's international fame declined. The story was produced on the stage in 1872. A long series of novels dealing with the annals of the police court followed, and proved very popular. Gaboriau died in Paris of pulmonary apoplexy.
Gaboriau's books were generally well received. About the Mystery of the Orcival, Harper's wrote in 1872 "Of its class of romance - French sensational - this is a remarkable and unique specimen". A film version of Le Dossier n° 113 (File No. 113) was released in 1932.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
July 28, 2022
Phần 2 của Monsieur Lecoq, chủ yếu phần tiền truyện về mối hận thù giữa hai nhà d'Escorval và Sairmeuse. Nhìn chung là khá lôi cuốn, đầy twist, mỗi tội một số đoạn hơi drama quá, đúng kiểu các tác phẩm cổ điển hồi xưa. 4⭐️
December 20, 2022
Sherlockians will find similarities between these two novels ( Monsieur Lecoq and The Honor of the Name) and A Study in Scarlet. They will also recognize this as the particular case of Lecoq which Holmes complains about; he supposedly 'could have solved it in 24 hours'. This is also the book which contains the most personal information about Lecoq ; he tends to make cameo appearances in the other mysteries. For more information on Lecoq's personal life, you should also see File No 113
August 16, 2021
Another wonderful and intricately woven story from Emile Gaboriau which, surprisingly (to me at least), turned into a link with another earlier book (Monsieur Lecoq) and concluded that story which had previously been left with an intriguing possibility of a follow up.
Brilliant writer of captivating stories of intrigue and suspense who should be more widely read and known than he currently is.
Brilliant writer of captivating stories of intrigue and suspense who should be more widely read and known than he currently is.
October 29, 2020
Really enjoyed this book.
One of those stories that gets better with each page, constantly making me wonder “how is all this going to end?
One of those stories that gets better with each page, constantly making me wonder “how is all this going to end?
January 12, 2023
Livre audio – Lu par Loïc Richard : 17h09
Suite directe du tome 1 de Monsieur Lecoq, je conseille d’écouter ce volume peu après le premier, sous peine d’être perdu par le retour en arrière (les 3/4 du livre) et d’avoir perdu le fil de l’intrigue !
Pendant un long moment je n’ai pas compris en quoi cette histoire était la suite de l’enquête de Lecoq et j’ai dû relire le résumé. Ceci ne m’a pas empêché d’apprécier l’histoire narrée par Loïc Richard qui incarne tous les personnages avec grand talent !
Nous sommes donc revenus dans le passé pour expliquer le pourquoi du comment des faits de La Poivrière, café malfamé, dont nous avons eu connaissance au début du tome 1 !
Nous nous retrouvons à la période où les nobles exilés de retour en France à la suite des Bourbons reprennent possession, ou du moins espèrent rentrer en possession de leurs biens vendus comme Biens nationaux après leur fuite. Vont se confronter la famille Lacheneur qui a racheté le domaine du duc de Sairmeuse et ledit duc de Sairmeuse qui s’estime dans son bon droit et ne remerciera en rien Lacheneur d’avoir fait prospérer le domaine.
Des histoires de cœur, d’amour et de haine, de révolte et de fuite, vont constituer un énorme puzzle qui va se reconstituer petit à petit, tragiquement bien entendu !
La partie enquête de Lecoq est minime mais est éclairée d’un nouveau jour et cette histoire est le prémice des thrillers contemporains ! J’aime beaucoup l’écrite d’Emile Gaboriau et la voix de Loïc Richard ne fait qu’ajouter au plaisir !
#MonsieurLecoqII #lhonneurdunom #NetGalleyFrance
Suite directe du tome 1 de Monsieur Lecoq, je conseille d’écouter ce volume peu après le premier, sous peine d’être perdu par le retour en arrière (les 3/4 du livre) et d’avoir perdu le fil de l’intrigue !
Pendant un long moment je n’ai pas compris en quoi cette histoire était la suite de l’enquête de Lecoq et j’ai dû relire le résumé. Ceci ne m’a pas empêché d’apprécier l’histoire narrée par Loïc Richard qui incarne tous les personnages avec grand talent !
Nous sommes donc revenus dans le passé pour expliquer le pourquoi du comment des faits de La Poivrière, café malfamé, dont nous avons eu connaissance au début du tome 1 !
Nous nous retrouvons à la période où les nobles exilés de retour en France à la suite des Bourbons reprennent possession, ou du moins espèrent rentrer en possession de leurs biens vendus comme Biens nationaux après leur fuite. Vont se confronter la famille Lacheneur qui a racheté le domaine du duc de Sairmeuse et ledit duc de Sairmeuse qui s’estime dans son bon droit et ne remerciera en rien Lacheneur d’avoir fait prospérer le domaine.
Des histoires de cœur, d’amour et de haine, de révolte et de fuite, vont constituer un énorme puzzle qui va se reconstituer petit à petit, tragiquement bien entendu !
La partie enquête de Lecoq est minime mais est éclairée d’un nouveau jour et cette histoire est le prémice des thrillers contemporains ! J’aime beaucoup l’écrite d’Emile Gaboriau et la voix de Loïc Richard ne fait qu’ajouter au plaisir !
#MonsieurLecoqII #lhonneurdunom #NetGalleyFrance
Did Not Finish
May 29, 2025The second part of the story doesn't continue immediately from the first; instead, it fills in backstory of rival families, Bonapartists vs Monarchists, and three men in love with the same woman which, no doubt, led to the crimes in Part 1. Unfortunately, I couldn't bring myself to care enough about any of the characters to continue to follow the story much after the failed attack on the fort.
In Gaboriau's own time and place, the historical conflicts represented here would have been close enough and recent enough to be interesting in themselves, but that's not the case for me.
DNF.
In Gaboriau's own time and place, the historical conflicts represented here would have been close enough and recent enough to be interesting in themselves, but that's not the case for me.
DNF.
April 13, 2026
In an early chapter of Sherlock Holmes, A Study in Scarlet, Holmes namedrops Gaboriau, so I decided to read one of the Lecoq books. Now I'm on my third book and plan to read them all. A pageturner from 150 years ago - I get to enjoy the exciting story and feel smarter for having read it both at the same time :)
This book completes Monsieur Lecoq V1, and though it's very different, it was satisfying to see how the two volumes work together.
This book completes Monsieur Lecoq V1, and though it's very different, it was satisfying to see how the two volumes work together.
March 17, 2020
Hb, Scribner's. Good.
Did Not Finish
November 29, 2022Read about 60% then decided I was just not interessted enough in the story to finish.
August 5, 2010
And here is all the epic backstory of Monsieur Lecoq. As usual, the second book of Gaboriau's is stronger, because you watch the lines being gathered in. There is so much history and hatred that nothing is truly resolved until the last bit. Lots of Restoration antics and outcries and worry woven in as well.
May 28, 2016
Interesting from a historical fiction view-- kind of fun to google napoleon and French history of royalists vs revolutionaries, etc. France has quite a history-- came close to ruling most of Europe at one point, monarchies came into power, then out, then in... this story is rather over the top sometimes. Very non-traditional way of putting it together. Could have been much shorter and clearer.
February 13, 2015
needs to be read in conjunction with L'Enquete, which it resolves. Far too long a tale, IMHO. A strange mixture of 19th-century romantic fiction and early detective story.
August 2, 2015
Not really a mystery - more of an old-fashioned action-adventure tale with plenty of political intrigue. Often unnecessarily convoluted, but entertaining.
August 24, 2018
What is this doing in a collection of detective fiction? For most of the book there is no detective at all, amateur or professional. Then a P.I. shows up, but he just collects bribes and does no actual detecting at all. Then finally, in the last two chapters, there's a cop who figures everything out, but by that time the story is over.
This is not a detective story! It's one of those French novels where the author isn't satisfied 'til everyone has died unhappily. That said, it is fairly compelling. I kept reading to see how the characters would get out of the messes they had gotten themselves into (SPOILER ALERT mostly by getting into even bigger messes). The characters are fairly well-drawn examples of early modern Types, and I developed a small fondness for some of them. It wraps up a little too quickly, though. After spending most of its length dealing with the events of a single year, towards the end it suddenly jumps twenty years into the future, leaving us to say "Hey, I wasn't finished with the present yet!" So it isn't ultimately as satisfying as I would have liked, but still not a bad read.
This is not a detective story! It's one of those French novels where the author isn't satisfied 'til everyone has died unhappily. That said, it is fairly compelling. I kept reading to see how the characters would get out of the messes they had gotten themselves into (SPOILER ALERT mostly by getting into even bigger messes). The characters are fairly well-drawn examples of early modern Types, and I developed a small fondness for some of them. It wraps up a little too quickly, though. After spending most of its length dealing with the events of a single year, towards the end it suddenly jumps twenty years into the future, leaving us to say "Hey, I wasn't finished with the present yet!" So it isn't ultimately as satisfying as I would have liked, but still not a bad read.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews