Gaston Leroux was born in Paris in 1868. He was a French journalist, playwrite, and a writer of detective/thriller fiction. He began his career as a crime reporter and a war correspondent and he lived an adventurous life that took him to Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and even into North Africa disguised as an Arab. His high-spirited and frequently dangerous escapades and his inquiring mind provided much of the background and ideas for his sensational mystery and adventure stories.

He wrote a series starring a report-sleuth named Joseph Rouletabille. His works have been called "among the finest examples of the detective stories we possess."

His most famous novel, and the only one I have read is:

The Phantom of the Opera