In this thrilling sequel to The Count’s Millions, the wealthy and enigmatic Baron Trigault seeks revenge against the unscrupulous Duke de Champdoce, who has wronged him. Filled with mystery, intrigue, and suspense, the novel weaves a complex tale of deception, betrayal, and financial ruin within the aristocratic circles of 19th-century France. Gaboriau’s masterful storytelling blends elements of detective fiction and drama as the Baron plots his elaborate vengeance.Emile Gaboriau (1833-1873) is an important figure in the history of detective fiction. A French journalist and novelist, he created the 'roman policier' with a series of books involving private detective Monsieur Lecoq, who works logically. Lecoq was based on a real-life thief turned policeman named Francois Vidocq (1775-1857), whose memoirs mixed fiction and fact. Gaboriau’s huge following was eclipsed by Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. Interestingly, Holmes may have been at least partly based on Bagoriau’s character, consulting detective Father Tabaret, whose methods Lecoq adopts in the first Lecoq book.