Émile Gaboriau — cavalry trooper and lawyer's clerk before he invented Monsieur Lecoq and the French detective novel — here dispenses with the detective altogether. A count dies leaving twelve millions and no legitimate heir that anyone can find, while a valet, a mistress, a doctor, and a lawyer each hold a different piece of the truth. The money itself does the work of a murderer. This edition presents the complete and unabridged novel, newly typeset and illustrated with 50 full-page color plates.