The Blonde Lady. Being a Record of the Duel of Wits Between Arsene Lupin and the English Detective

Maurice Leblanc

If you enjoy the Sherlock Holmes series, then Arsene Lupin will be another detective series for your library. Leblanc was a French novelist and short story writer known for creating the character Arsene Lupin, who is the French counterpart to the English Sherlock Holmes. In The Blonde Lady: Being a Record of the Duel of Wits between Arsene Lupin and the English Detective the great French gentleman thief and the formidable English unofficial consulting detective go head-to-head in a series of Alien vs Predator-style skirmishes. If in the last story of Arsene Lupin, gentleman-burglar Sherlock Holmes arrives too late, in the two stories that compose The Blonde Lady these two great intellects are bound in opposite directions. Where one chooses to abide to the law, the other uses his power and wits to crime and who is going to win?

The Confessions of Arsene Lupin

Maurice Leblanc

Originally published in 1913, this grippling collection of Lupin short stories presents more puzzling criminal involvements of the classic French hero-thief and his men. It has been a fortnight since the baroness Repstein disappeared from Paris, taking with her a fortune in jewels stolen from her husband. French detectives have chased her all over Europe, following the trail of gemstones like so many precious breadcrumbs, but she has eluded their efforts. When Arsene Lupin finds her, she will not escape so easily. In these thrilling stories, he uses his wit and courage to outsmart criminals, pull wool over the eyes of the French police, and solve terrifying mysteries, always making sure to pocket something for himself.

The Crystal Stopper

Maurice Leblanc

The Crystal Stopper is a ripping tale, with non-stop intrigue, action, twists and turns, and a healthy dose of Lupin humor. The story concerns the mysterious pursuit, appearances and disappearances and reappearances of a crystal decanter stopper. Why are so many people hot to get their hands on this seemingly worthless object? In a unique twist, the villainous Arsene Lupin becomes the hero of this novel when he faces a sly and blackmailing French deputy, Daubrecq, in a nail-biting adventure that seems to spell doom to Lupin and his gang. Lupins every move seems anticipated by Daubrecq and his success in saving his followers from the guillotine remains unsure to the very end. Can his marvelous intellect really have met its match in this truly evil deputy?

The Eight Strokes of the Clock

Maurice Leblanc

Prince Renine alias Arsene Lupin is an amateur detective who teams up with a lady named Hortense Daniel. The Eight Strokes of the Clock is a collection of eight short stories by Maurice Leblanc (Alexander Teixeira De Mottos translation). The stories have his most famous creation, Arsene Lupin, gentleman-thief, as main character. While exploring an old tower, Renine and Hortense discover a clock that strikes eight after Renine removes a telescope from inside it. So Renine asks Hortense to assist him in eight adventures, ranging from a stolen piece of jewelry to an insane murderer that almost kills Hortense. Renine cleverly solves all of the mysteries, though he often resorts to less lawful methods such as using false evidence to get a confession from a criminal.

The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsene Lupin, Gentleman Burglar

Maurice Leblanc

A contemporary of Arthur Conan Doyle, Maurice Leblanc was the creator of the character of gentleman thief Arsene Lupin who, in France, has enjoyed a popularity as long-lasting and considerable as Sherlock Holmes in the English-speaking world. This is the delightful first of twenty volumes in the Arsene Lupin series written by Leblanc himself. The collection includes nine stories dealing with various complicated plots in which Lupin proves himself to be the consummate escape artist. In the first story titled The Arrest of Arsene Lupin, told by a man who comes to admire the gentleman burglar, Lupin is apprehended on board a cruise ship. The later stories deal with his prison term, escape from jail and further adventures. One of the most famous Arsene Lupin stories, The Queens Necklace is also included here. The two immortals meet in the ninth story, Sherlock Holmes Arrives Too Late and naturally, Lupin manages to outwit the English bloodhound!

The Frontier

Maurice Leblanc

If you think Maurice Leblancs literary output begins and ends with his series of mysteries featuring criminal mastermind Arsene Lupin, check out this tense thriller set in the years leading up to World War I. The Frontier is a classic war story and is that old idea of the conflict between the old and the new, between fathers and sons, and between the intense convictions of yesterday and tomorrow. The father is a rugged old French patriot who fought in the war with Germany, whose heart is still bitter, and whose hate flames quickly at the thought of Alsace and Lorraine. The son is a professor of history whose studies have taught him how vain are bloodshed and violence. Probing questions of patriotism and nationalism, its a treat for lovers of well-wrought historical fiction.

The Golden Triangle. The Return of Arsene Lupin

Maurice Leblanc

The story takes place in 1915, WWI has just started, Arsene Lupin returns as war veteran Don Luis Perenna. He is called to uncover the details of the mysterious murder of a Moroccan man, Essares Bey, the disappearance of 300 Million Francs in Gold, and the connection between another war veteran, Captain Patrice Beval and a volunteer nurse working in a military hospital in Paris, affectionately known as Mother Coralie. But their lives are in danger, and Arsene takes it upon himself to play detective and find the culprit, and more importantly, the gold! Lupin is smarter, stronger, wittier, more invulnerable than ever. Will he be able to derail the dastardly plan before it unfolds?

The Hollow Needle. Further Adventures of Arsene Lupin

Maurice Leblanc

A story of Arsene Lupin, the greatest, most ingenious and most daring criminal in modern fiction. Translated by Teixeira de Mattos Alexander, The Hollow Needle by Maurice Leblanc, is one of the many novels featuring the celebrated thief Arsene Lupin. Once again, Lupin crosses paths with the famous Holmlock Shears. The novels complex plot is made up of a number of interconnected threads, including a spate of thefts at a castle, the disappearance and apparent death of a young aristocratic woman, and a quest to uncover the hidden treasure of the kings of France. But the greatest danger may be the woman with whom Lupin has fallen in love, for she has made him promise to give up his life of crime forever! Find out everything you need to know about The Hollow Needle in a fraction of the time!