The Triumphs of Eugene Valmont (1906) is a collection of lively, enjoyable stories about a French detective resident in London. Whether dealing with a gang or flirting with the supernatural, the resourceful M. Valmont rarely loses his sang-froid and self-confidence. He may not always catch the criminal but his sense of style and Poirot-like conceit remain intact. Valmont is one of the most successful of the Edwardian era's many rivals to Sherlock Holmes, and now he will continue to delight readers in the twenty-first century.
