Martin Rosenstiel

Paris, 1888. With the help of forensic medicine, a sensational criminal case is uncovered. The chief of the Paris Sûreté, Inspector Goron, with the help of Lyon University Professor Lacassagne, is able to solve a capital crime that seemed unsolvable according to the methods of forensic science at the time. By analyzing the bone structure, Lacassagne identifies an unknown dead man as the Parisian civil servant Alphonse Gouffé, who disappeared months ago, and is also able to prove that he was murdered. The murder suspects include Gabrielle Bompard and her lover Michele Eyraudt.

The “Ladies’ Quartet” consists of four unmarried sisters of a certain age who have been getting by for many years through scams. Their adversary is Mr. Göbel, the owner of a credit bureau that warns and protects ambitious businesspeople from the schemes of fraudulent fellow citizens. When he finally tracks down the Ladies’ Quartet once again and is just about to put a stop to the sisters’ disreputable trade, they disappear yet again without a trace. Their new destination is a small town on the Moselle, where a grand, if somewhat dusty, villa is up for sale.