7 h 28 minAudiobook2 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if the one person who can expose a brilliant thief is a schoolboy everyone underestimates?
A country-house burglary seems to involve murder. Raymonde de Saint-Véran fires at a fleeing intruder, yet the evidence offers no simple story. In Maurice Leblanc’s The Hollow Needle, gentleman thief Arsène Lupin faces Isidore Beautrelet, a schoolboy whose sharp eye makes him difficult to deceive.
Lupin controls appearances through disguises, false identities, and other people’s expectations. Beautrelet follows facts toward an obscure phrase: the hollow needle. Their contest grows into a hunt for hidden treasure near Étretat, where Normandy’s white cliffs and sea-worn arches become part of the puzzle. Beautrelet seeks the truth; Lupin fights to protect his greatest secret.
What you’ll discover
- An underestimated young detective Follow Beautrelet as clear reasoning makes a schoolboy a dangerous opponent for Lupin.
- A master of appearances Watch Lupin turn disguises and false identities into tools for controlling what others believe.
- Clues beyond the burglary Trace a mysterious phrase toward a hidden secret passed through French history.
- A coast full of questions Explore a puzzle whose white cliffs, natural arches, and sea-bound rock matter beyond their beauty.
- Deduction meets daring adventure Feel the tension between a young investigator seeking truth and a thief defending his freedom.
Who will love it
For readers who love ingenious clues, daring thieves, coastal mysteries, and a young outsider outthinking experienced detectives.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
Who’s who
- Arsène LupinA gentleman thief whose disguises and bold schemes protect a secret far greater than an ordinary stolen fortune.
- Isidore BeautreletA schoolboy detective whose clear reasoning makes him a dangerous opponent for Lupin.
- Raymonde de Saint-VéranA young woman caught in the opening burglary whose connection with Lupin gives the pursuit personal stakes.
- Herlock SholmesLeblanc’s English detective, recognisably modelled on Sherlock Holmes, joins the pursuit of Lupin.
- The hollow needleA mysterious phrase links the investigation to a coastal landmark and a secret from French history.
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- Audiobook
- 7 h 28 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
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- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
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- Large print hardcover
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Read and hear Die hohle Nadel in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Die hohle Nadel
by Maurice Leblanc · 1909
A schoolboy pursues Arsène Lupin from a country-house burglary toward hidden treasure on the Normandy coast.
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In short
The Hollow Needle by Maurice Leblanc is a detective novel in which the gentleman thief Arsène Lupin faces Isidore Beautrelet, a schoolboy determined to uncover his greatest secret. Its appeal lies in a contest of intelligence that grows from a country-house burglary into a hunt for hidden treasure on the Normandy coast.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A burglary at a country house brings Arsène Lupin into a mystery that seems to include murder. Raymonde de Saint-Véran fires at a fleeing intruder, but the evidence refuses to settle into a simple account. What has been stolen, who has been wounded, and where the suspects have gone become questions with misleading answers.
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What is The Hollow Needle about?
The Hollow Needle follows a contest between Arsène Lupin and the young detective Isidore Beautrelet. A country-house burglary leads to a larger puzzle involving historical clues, concealed treasure, and the Normandy coast. Lupin must defend his secret against an opponent who understands his methods.
Who is Isidore Beautrelet?
Isidore Beautrelet is a schoolboy whose powers of observation and deduction bring him into the pursuit of Arsène Lupin. Unlike the experienced authorities around him, he repeatedly sees through misleading evidence. His determination makes him both a worthy rival and a target for Lupin’s pressure.
Is the hollow needle a real place?
The needle is linked to the real coastal scenery of Étretat in Normandy, famous for its chalk cliffs, arches, and pointed offshore rock. Leblanc uses that landscape as the basis for a fictional secret. The hidden treasure and its history belong to the novel.
The author
Maurice Leblanc
1864–1941 · French mystery novelist
Maurice Leblanc was a French writer born in Rouen in 1864. He wrote novels and short stories, including the Arsène Lupin series, which began in 1905. His books include The Hollow Needle, published in 1909, and The Crystal Stopper, published in 1912. He died in Perpignan in 1941.
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