Emile Gaboriau has been described both as the father of the detective
novel and the Edgar Allan Poe of
France. His fictional detective, Monsieur Lecoq, is thought to have
been based on the "Mémoires" (1828-29) of
Eugène-François Vidocq, a
reformed petty criminal who helped establish the Police de Sûreté in
Paris. Lecoq is considered a precursor of Sherlock Holmes. Gaboriau
wrote 21 novels altogether.
