The 1842 Edgar Allan Poe story was a follow-up to his earlier "The Murders in the Rue Morgue." Writer Michael Jacoby ditched almost everything except the Paris setting and the title. He changed the detective's name to Paul Dupin and moved up the clock 47 years (to 1889) than the time set in the book.
The original Edgar Allan Poe story is based on the real-life murder of Mary Cecilia Rogers, who was found floating in the Hudson River near Weehawken, NJ. Poe transplanted the events to Paris and placed the case in the hands of amateur detective C. Auguste Dupin. In a weird twist, Poe's ultimate conclusion as to the circumstances of the crime were proved correct when the murderers confessed well after "The Mystery of Marie Roget" was published.