title: Murder on the Home Front: A True Story of Morgues, Murderers, and Mysteries during the London Blitz
author: Molly Lefebure
description: "[A] stunning memoir . . . . A former journalist, [Lefebure] evokes the physical and emotional terrain of crime scenes and the circumstances of death with adroit detachment, yet also authoritative depth . . . . She is such a wonderful, arch, thinking, intelligent guide to this strange underworld that you don't want Lefebure's wonderful tales to end. . . .[She] has bequeathed us a book which teaches so much about death-taking away much of the worst kind of fear and mystery around it, while reminding us that so much about it remains necessarily unknowable. It's a lesson imparted with the best kind of wry smile."<b><i>The <i>Daily Beast</i></i></b><br /><br />"Lefebure's narration provides a welcome alternative to wartime era tales; she's a young, single, professional woman, not a soldier or an evacuated Londoner. A sympathetic narrator and an engrossing read."<b><i><em>Historical Novel Society</em></i></b><br /><br />"A secretary to a formidable London pathologist during World War II reissues her wry, grisly account of murder and corpses, first published in 1955. . . Lefebure's youthful bravery shines through, while the grim conditions showcase her terrific wit. Preserves like a frozen capsule the British grin-and-bear-it spirit and vocabulary of the WWII years."<b><i><i>Kirkus Reviews </i></i></b><br /><br />"Gripping. . . like a pitch-dark version of Call the Midwife, dealing with the end of life rather than the beginning . . . Full of fascinating incidents, it is easy to see why this has been made into a drama by the creators of <em>Downton Abbey. </em><b><i><em>Sunday Mirror</em> (UK)</i></b><br /><br />"A fascinating behind-the-scenes look at mid-century crime-fighting."<b><i>The <em>Independent </em>(UK)</i></b>
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  # THE LEROUGE CASE
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Emile Gaboriau
  
  
  This page copyright © 2001 Munsey's.
  
  
  http://www.munseys.com
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Special thanks to Dagny for proofing through this text.
  
  
  
  
  
    
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  XVIII.
  
  
    
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  ### I
  
  
  
  
  
    
  ON Thursday, the 6th of March, 1862, two days after Shrove Tuesday,
  
  
  five women belonging to the village of La Jonchere presented
  
  
  themselves at the police station at Bougival.
  
  
    
  They stated that for two days past no one had seen the Widow
  
  
  Lerouge, one of their neighbours, who lived by herself in an isolated
  
  
  cottage. They had several times knocked at the door, but all in vain.
  
  
  The window-shutters as well as the door were closed; and it was
  
  
  impossible to obtain even a glimpse of the interior.
  
  
    
  This silence, this sudden