La petite roque by Guy de Maupassant

Featured

La petite roque by Guy de Maupassant

(25 User reviews) 5665

By Nicholas Ortiz Posted on Dec 25, 2025

In Category - Law & Society

Authors: Maupassant, Guy de, 1850-1893 Published By : Maupassant, Guy de, 1850-1893

Book Language: French

Ever read a story that starts with a peaceful fishing trip and ends with a moral earthquake? That's 'La petite roque' by Guy de Maupassant. A local mayor, out for a quiet day by the river, makes a horrifying discovery: the body of a young girl. What follows isn't just a whodunnit. It's a slow, unsettling crawl into the mind of a man who seems to have everything—respect, power, a good life—but is suddenly haunted by a terrible secret. Maupassant masterfully builds a quiet village into a pressure cooker of guilt and suspicion. It’s short, sharp, and will stick with you long after you finish the last page.

Read "La petite roque by Guy de Maupassant" Online

This book is available in the public domain. Start reading the digital edition below.

START READING FULL BOOK

Instant Access Mobile Friendly

Book Preview

A short preview of the book’s content is shown below to give you an idea of its style and themes.

themselves. A Life of Lamb by Mr. Lucas will follow next year. THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF OLIVER CROMWELL. By Thomas Carlyle. With an Introduction by C. H. Firth, M.A., and Notes and Appendices by Mrs. S. C. Lomas. _Three Volumes. 6s. each._ [_Methuen’s Standard Library._ This edition is brought up to the standard of modern scholarship by the addition of numerous new letters of Cromwell, and by the correction of many errors which recent research has discovered. CRITICAL AND HISTORICAL ESSAYS. By Lord Macaulay. Edited by F. C. Montague, M.A. Three Volumes. Crown 8vo. 6s. each. [_Methuen’s Standard Library._ The only edition of this book completely annotated. IN MEMORIAM, MAUD, AND THE PRINCESS. Edited by J. Churton Collins, M.A. _Crown 8vo. 6s._ [_Methuen’s Standard Library._ THE FRENCH REVOLUTION. By Thomas Carlyle. Edited by C. R. L. Fletcher, Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford. _Three Volumes. Crown 8vo. 6s. each._ [_Methuen’s Standard Library._ This edition is magnificently equipped with notes. LORD STRATHCONA: The Story of His Life. By Beckles Willson. Illustrated. _Demy 8vo. 7s. 6d._ OTHELLO. Edited by H. C. Hart. _Demy 8vo. 3s. 6d._ [_The Arden Shakespeare._ ROBERT HARLEY, EARL OF OXFORD. By E. S. Roscoe. Illustrated. _Demy 8vo. 7s. 6d._ WALTER RALEIGH. By Miss J. A. Taylor. With 12 Illustrations. _Cloth, 3s. 6d.; leather, 4s. net._ [_Little Biographies._ LORD TENNYSON. By A. C. Benson, M.A. With 12 Illustrations. _Cloth, 3s. 6d.; leather, 4s. net._ [_Little Biographies._ ERASMUS. By E. F. H. Capey. With Illustrations. _Cloth, 3s. 6d.; leather, 4s. net._ [_Little Biographies._ CHRISTMAS BOOKS. By W. M. Thackeray. Edited by Stephen Gwynn. _Pott 8vo, cloth, 1s. 6d. net; leather, 2s. 6d. net._ [_The Little Library._ ESMOND. By W. M. Thackeray. Edited by Stephen Gwynn. _Two Volumes. Pott 8vo, cloth, 1s. 6d. net; leather, 2s. 6d. net._ [_The Little Library._ CHRISTMAS BOOKS. By Charles Dickens. Edited by Stephen Gwynn. _Two Volumes. Pott 8vo, cloth, 1s. 6d. net; leather, 2s. 6d. net._ [_The Little Library._ THE INGOLDSBY LEGENDS. Edited by J. B. Atlay. _Two Volumes. Pott 8vo, cloth, 1s. 6d. net; leather, 2s. 6d. net._ [_The Little Library._ A LITTLE BOOK OF ENGLISH SONNETS. Edited by J. B. B. Nichols. _Pott 8vo, cloth, 1s. 6d. net; leather, 2s. 6d. net._ [_The Little Library._ THE SCARLET LETTER. By Nathaniel Hawthorne. Edited by Percy Dearmer. _Pott 8vo, cloth, 1s. 6d. net; leather, 2s. 6d. net._ [_The Little Library._ THE INHERITANCE. By Susan Ferrier. _Two Volumes. Pott 8vo, cloth, 1s. 6d. net; leather, 2s. 6d. net._ [_The Little Library._ PARIS. By Hilaire Belloc. Illustrated. _Crown 8vo, 6s._ CORNWALL. By A. L. Salmon. Illustrated by B. C. Boulter. _Pott 8vo, cloth, 3s.; leather, 3s. 6d. net._ [_The Little Guides._ KENT. By G. Clinch. Illustrated by F. D. Bedford. _Pott 8vo, cloth, 3s.; leather, 3s. 6d. net._ [_The Little Guides._ BRITTANY. By S. Baring-Gould. Illustrated by J. Wylie. _Pott 8vo, cloth, 3s.; leather, 3s. 6d. net._ [_The Little Guides._ THE ENGLISH LAKES. By F. G. Brabant, M.A. Illustrated by E. H. New. _Pott 8vo, cloth 4s.; leather, 4s. 6d. net._ [_The Little Guides._ ON COMMANDO. By D. S. van Warmelo. With Portrait. _Crown 8vo. 3s 6d._ THE BRUNT OF THE WAR. By Emily Hobhouse. _With Map and Illustrations. Crown 8vo._ THE HEART OF JAPAN. By C. L. Brownell. Illustrated. _Crown 8vo. 6s._ A lively description of Japan and the Japanese. OLD PICTURE-BOOKS. By A. W. Pollard, M.A. With many Illustrations. _Demy 8vo. 7s. 6d. net._ A KEY TO THE TIME ALLUSIONS IN THE DIVINE COMEDY. By _G. Pradeau_. With a Dial. _Small quarto. 3s. 6d._ THE STRUGGLE FOR PERSIA. By Captain Donald Stuart. With a Map....

This is a limited preview. Download the book to read the full content.

Continue Reading Full Book

If you think classic literature is all fancy words and slow plots, this story will change your mind. It grabs you from the first line and doesn't let go.

The Story

Monsieur Renardet, the mayor of a small village, is a respected man. One day, while fishing, he finds the body of a young girl named Louise Roque, who everyone called 'La petite roque.' The town is shocked. An investigation begins, but no clear suspect emerges. As days pass, Renardet's behavior changes. He becomes irritable, paranoid, and haunted by the crime. The story becomes less about finding the killer and more about watching a man's conscience—or lack of it—eat him alive from the inside.

Why You Should Read It

Maupassant is a genius at showing, not telling. He doesn't spell out Renardet's guilt in big letters. Instead, he shows us the mayor's crumbling composure, his strange outbursts, and the way the peaceful village now feels like a prison. It's a brilliant, tense character study. You're not just reading a mystery; you're peering into the dark corners of a human soul, watching the weight of a secret do its destructive work.

Final Verdict

Perfect for anyone who loves psychological thrillers. If you enjoy stories where the real action happens inside a character's head, where the setting is a character itself, and you appreciate a masterclass in tension, this is your book. It's also a great, bite-sized introduction to Maupassant's powerful and often unsettling world.

⚖️ Legal Disclaimer

The copyright for this book has expired, making it public property. You can copy, modify, and distribute it freely.