The Purloined Letter

The story takes place in Paris and revolves around the theft of a letter from a royal woman by Minister D—, who uses its contents to blackmail her.

The Paris police, led by Prefect G—, are unable to find the letter despite thorough searches.

C. Auguste Dupin, an amateur detective, is approached for help and eventually retrieves the letter by understanding the minister's mindset and hiding it in plain sight.

Dupin's method involves disguising himself and creating a distraction to swap the original letter with a fake one.

The story highlights Dupin's analytical skills and his ability to think like a criminal to solve the mystery.