''The Six Dead Men'' (French: ''Six hommes morts'') is a 1931

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''Mystery'' ( ...

detective novel Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as s ...

by the Belgian writer

Stanislas-André Steeman Stanislas-Andre Steeman (Liège on 23 January 1908 – Menton on 15 December 1970) was a Belgian illustrator and French-language author. His family, originally of Flemish extraction, had long been settled in Liège. He wrote many mystery novels ...

. It was the first novel featuring the

detective A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads th ...

character Monsieur Wens who had previously appeared in some short stories.

Synopsis

Six men agree a

pact A pact, from Latin ''pactum'' ("something agreed upon"), is a formal agreement between two or more parties. In international relations, pacts are usually between two or more sovereign states. In domestic politics, pacts are usually between two or ...

to meet in five years time and share whatever fortunes they have made. As the date approaches, however, they begin to be killed off.

Adaptations

It has been adapted twice for cinema. The 1935 British film ''

The Riverside Murder ''The Riverside Murder'' is a 1935 British crime film directed by Albert Parker and starring Basil Sydney, Judy Gunn and Zoe Davis. A woman reporter helps an inspector solve the deaths of four financiers on the eve of a group shareout. The f ...

'' directed by Albert Parker and starring

Basil Sydney Basil Sydney (23 April 1894 – 10 January 1968) was an English stage and screen actor. Career Sydney made his name in 1915 in the London stage hit ''Romance'' by Edward Sheldon, with Broadway star Doris Keane, and he costarred with Keane in ...

and the 1941 French film ''

The Last of the Six ''The Last of the Six'' (French: ''Le dernier des six'') is a 1941 French mystery thriller film directed by Georges Lacombe and starring Pierre Fresnay, Michèle Alfa and Suzy Delair. It was shot at the Billancourt Studios in Paris. The film's ...

'' directed by Georges Lacombe and starring

Pierre Fresnay Pierre Fresnay (4 April 1897 – 9 January 1975) was a French stage and film actor. Biography Born Pierre Jules Louis Laudenbach, he was encouraged by his uncle, actor Claude Garry, to pursue a career in theater and film. He joined the company a ...

.Goble p.440

References

Bibliography

* Lloyd, Christopher. ''Henri-Georges Clouzot''. Manchester University Press, 2007. * Goble, Alan. ''The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film''. Walter de Gruyter, 1999. * Pitts, Michael R. ''Thrills Untapped: Neglected Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Films, 1928-1936''. McFarland, 2018. 1931 Belgian novels 1931 French novels French mystery novels Novels by Stanislas-André Steeman French novels adapted into films French detective novels Belgian novels adapted into films {{1930s-mystery-novel-stub