Résumé
Résumé de Arsène Lupin
À qui s’adresse-t-il ?
For readers who love clever puzzles, quick plots and charming rogues, and anyone curious about the roots of the modern crime story.
De quoi parle ce livre ?
Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Burglar is a book of nine linked stories by the French writer Maurice Leblanc, published in 1907. A magazine editor had asked Leblanc for a thrilling series, and he answered with a thief who is charming, quick and always one step ahead of the police. The stories first appeared one at a time, and readers took to the hero at once. Leblanc went on to write about him for decades.
In this book you meet Lupin as a master of disguise who steals from the rich, mocks the law and loves a good joke. You follow his battles with the stubborn Inspector Ganimard, and you see a few of his daring heists in Paris, in country châteaux and on a ship at sea. Each tale is short and complete, yet together they build a portrait of one man with many faces. Let us begin with the first story, and with the thief who is caught before the book has barely started.
Dans ce résumé
- 1A thief who is also a gentlemanFree
- 2Caught at sea, yet never beaten
- 3Prison walls are only another puzzle
- 4Heists built on a clever trick
- 5Charm, justice and the thrill of the rogue
- 6How the stories are told and built
Point clé 1 sur 6
A thief who is also a gentleman
The book opens on a simple idea. What if the criminal were the hero, and the detective his rival? Lupin is a cambrioleur, a burglar, but he behaves like a man of the best society. He dresses well, speaks with wit and treats his victims with a kind of mocking courtesy.
Leblanc gives him a gift for disguise that is almost a character of its own. Lupin changes his name, his face, his voice and even his walk. Because of this, nobody in the stories can say for sure what he looks like. People who have spoken with him for hours may not know it was him.
This matters for how the stories work. A reader is told early that Lupin may be anyone at the table, and the fun lies in guessing. A pleasant stranger, a quiet servant or a helpful official might be the thief in costume. The stories play fair enough to let you suspect, and clever enough to surprise you anyway.
The setting is the Paris of the early 1900s, with its trains, newspapers, grand houses and nervous wealthy families. Lupin moves through all of it with ease. He is a figure of his age too, an age that loved fast reporting and loud scandal. His crimes make headlines, and he seems to enjoy the attention as much as the loot.
That’s 1 of 6 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Who’s who
- Arsène Lupin
- A charming master thief with his own code, Lupin delights in matching wits with the police.
- Inspector Ganimard
- A stubborn, honest Paris detective, Ganimard pursues Lupin despite his rival's talent for outwitting him.
- Nelly Underdown
- A young passenger on the Atlantic crossing, Nelly befriends the narrator during the hunt for Lupin.
- Baron Nathan Cahorn
- A wealthy collector at the château of Malaquis, Cahorn receives a warning that Lupin wants his treasures.
- The narrator
- A friendly chronicler of Lupin's exploits, the narrator regards the thief with curiosity and admiration.
- Sherlock Holmes
- The celebrated English detective visits France, bringing his powers of deduction into rivalry with Lupin.
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 72,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 4 h 50 min
- Listening time8 h
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary
- LanguagesEnglish and 11 other languages
Questions about Arsène Lupin
What is Arsène Lupin Gentleman-Burglar about?
It is a set of nine linked stories about Arsène Lupin, a charming French thief and master of disguise. He plans clever robberies, outwits the police and clashes with Inspector Ganimard, and even with Sherlock Holmes.
Is Arsène Lupin a real person?
No. Lupin is a fictional character created by Maurice Leblanc in 1905. He is a made-up figure, though Leblanc was likely inspired by the newspaper tales of daring French criminals and anarchists of his day.
Who is Inspector Ganimard?
Ganimard is a Paris police detective who is Lupin's chief rival. He is honest, stubborn and brave, and he keeps chasing Lupin despite many defeats. Their contest gives the stories their human side.
Is Arsène Lupin hard to read?
No. The stories are short, quick and written in a light, lively style. Each tale is complete, so you can read them one at a time and enjoy the puzzle.
Does Sherlock Holmes appear in Arsène Lupin?
Yes, the English detective appears in the last story of the collection, where he faces Lupin in a battle of wits. Leblanc used him to show how clever his own hero could be.