Balduin Groller (1848–1916)

47. [The Adventures of Dagobert Trostler] by Balduin Groller

This is an ER book I received electronically and finally got around to reading. It comprises 6 stories featuring the amateur detective Dagobert Trostler in the high society of Austro-Hugarian Vienna, and while the promo cites him as the 'Austro-Hungarian answer to Sherlock Holmes', it is not a fair comparison. True, Trostler can distinguish among many types and qualities of writing paper, and he is a sharp observer of people and place. But he is more interested in solving problems without involving the police, and he relies on a miscreant's sense of honor or fear of social exposure more than any sort of force.

The stories are set in a rich and often titled milieu, and are quite clever. If Father Brown were not Father or Hercule Poirot not so finicky, in this era in Vienna, one or the other might have acted in this way, avoiding scandal and protecting both victim and perpetrator. The only time Trostler calls the police in, the perpetrator is a known murderer and thief, and even he is handled gently.

Kazabo Publishing is dedicated to finding 'best-selling books from around the world' which have not yet been translated into English and remedying that oversight. In addition to the six stories by Groller, the ebook contains several chapters from another release, [The Man in the Cellar] by Palle Rosenkrantz, which the publisher calls the father of Danish mystery novels. You can see their published list at Kazabo.com. While the books currently available seem to be older, and probably old enough to be past copyright, the site promises more contemporary work to come.… (meer)

As some of the other reviews have mentioned, this book may appeal to lovers of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, with some caveats.

Written around the turn of the 20th century, Herr Groller's language is considered stilted these days, and the stories have very little action, so to speak. I believe the interaction between characters may suffer from the translation, as well. The tit-for-tat conversations leave much to be desired for a modern reader, and made me feel as if I was constantly missing something. I couldn't understand all the nuances that were intended, and the main character is extremely annoying, too, which became very old very quickly.

Unless you are a true fan of Victorian sensibilities and fiction, look for this with caution.

Thank you for opportunity to read this book via the Library Thing Early Reviewers program!… (meer)

I confess I enjoyed this book.

These are a collection of Austrian detective short stories. They are sort of ponderously whimsical. In most cases there is not actually a whole lot of detection; the focus is really the social milieu.

They are soothing yet entertaining, and the crimes are often as not financial. There are no actual murders that I can remember, just elopements, embezzlement, theft, and the sending of obscene letters.

The detective is a wealthy and fairly mellow personage, with a laudable concern for fairness and the comfort and happiness of his friends.

The stories lack the roughness and violence of the Sherlock Holmes stories. Nobody gets pinioned with a harpoon or rushes by with their face distorted w/ horror.

The publishing house, Kazabo, has followed this book up with a promising Scandinavian effort, "The Man in the Cellar".… (meer)