The Case of the Lamp that Went Out by Augusta Groner

The case of the lamp that went out by Augusta Groner and translated by Grace Isabel Colborn was published in an Omnibus in 1910. The story takes place in Vienna. A man is found murdered in a quite street in Hietzing. The murdered man's watch and purse are missing. The motive of the murder seems to be robbery. Joseph Muller, the famous detective who does not have an impressive frame like Sherlock Holmes but is frail is called to investigate. Joseph Muller is very humble and "the kindest-hearted person in the world". The introduction provides a character study of Joe Muller. So that the story goes straight to the point without divulging much into his character and traits. How Muller goes about solving the case and "the lamp that went out" is interesting. And before you know the murderer is found. The story does not end there. Muller is in a dilemma should he reveal the identity of the killer. He is worried about the consequence of the murderer's imprisonment on his family and honour. A very different kind of detective than my favourites Holmes and Poirot. Probably like Father Brown? Can't say. It has been a good while since I read Father Brown. Time to read some GK Chesterton again.
I downloaded this book from Gutenberg. There is not much information about when the book was published. After some research I found that it was compiled in an Omnibus in 1910 so it should have been published before that. There seems to be some confusion about the authorship too. While the Gutenberg mentions Augusta Groner as the author and Grace Isabel Colborn as the translator. Manybooks and goodreads mention Colborn as the co-author. According to goodreads the book is republished in 2003 but I am surprised I couldn't find the original publishing year anywhere on the Internet. Overall, an interesting very quick read.

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