12 h 31 minAudiobook7 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
A rich man dies in a Paris hotel, and a gentleman burglar hunts a secret worth killing for.
In Maurice Leblanc’s 813, wealthy businessman Kesselbach fears pursuit even inside his guarded hotel suite. His death draws Arsène Lupin into a mystery of dangerous knowledge and state secrets. The charming thief wants to solve the crime, but a hidden enemy matches his cunning.
The hunt leads through hotels, country houses and police offices, with a puzzle built around the number 813. Kesselbach’s widow, Dolores, searches for the truth about her husband’s secrets. Meanwhile, veteran detective Ganimard wants both to catch Lupin and to solve the crime by lawful means.
What you’ll discover
- A thief turns detective Follow Lupin as he pursues the truth while remaining firmly outside the law.
- A number full of questions Explore a mystery built around 813, where clues lead into secrets others will kill to protect.
- Masks and shifting identities Meet a master of disguise in a story that questions identity, truth and power.
- A rival in the shadows Watch Lupin face a hidden enemy whose cunning makes the hunt more dangerous.
- Quick scenes, sharp turns Move through a chase whose short scenes and chapter turns keep the questions coming.
Who will love it
For readers who enjoy a master thief, a murder in a crowded hotel, secret papers, daring disguises and a race across Europe, all told with wit and swagger.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A rich man senses he is being watched
- Three murders happen inside a crowded hotel
- Lenormand answers the public with a bold arrest
- A charming prince gathers a circle of friends
- Steinweg arrives and a trap closes on Lenormand
- Two rivals share dinner and wait for the knife
- A raid at Garches ends in a prison cell
- A prisoner makes the newspapers his stage
- What the story is really about and how it is told
Who’s who
- Rudolf KesselbachA diamond millionaire who searches for a man called Pierre Leduc because of a secret plan that promises him power.
- Dolores KesselbachThe frail, grieving widow of Rudolf, who lives in a quiet retreat and leans on the friends who offer protection.
- Geneviève ErnemontA gentle young teacher who runs a free school for struggling children and has a mysterious childhood.
- Baron AltenheimA broad, monocled and dangerous rival who wants the Kesselbach secret and offers Lupin a partnership he refuses.
- Sergeant GourelA strong, loyal detective who obeys his chief without question and cannot think alone.
- Pierre LeducThe missing young man whose past is the key to Kesselbach's plan and to a vanished throne.
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- Audiobook
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- 15-minute summary
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- Paperback
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- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
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- Large print hardcover
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813
by Maurice Leblanc · 1910
A diamond king lies dead in a Paris hotel, and a card marked Arsène Lupin is pinned to his shirt.
Medium level10–20 hours to read25 languages
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In short
Why would a burglar who says he never kills have his calling card pinned to a murdered millionaire's shirt? That is the first puzzle in 813, the thriller by Maurice Leblanc that sets the gentleman burglar Arsène Lupin against a killer nobody can see.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A rich man senses he is being watched
The story opens in Suite 415 of the Palace Hotel in Paris. Rudolf Kesselbach, a diamond magnate known as the Lord of the Cape, is sure that someone has been searching his rooms. His secretary Chapman thinks he is imagining things, even when Kesselbach waves a bent pin as proof.
Kesselbach has hired a private inquiry agency to find a man named Pierre Leduc, and he hints at a plan that will bring him power far beyond money. Then a stranger calling himself the Colonel strolls into the sitting room. Chapman and the servant Edwards lie bound and gagged in the lobby. The visitor introduces himself with a card: Arsène Lupin, gentleman burglar.
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What is 813 by Maurice Leblanc about?
It follows Arsène Lupin as he hunts the killer of the diamond millionaire Rudolf Kesselbach. The trail leads through a Paris hotel, a prison cell and the ruins of a German castle, with a mysterious number as the main clue.
What does the number 813 mean?
The number appears on small labels found near the first murders, and everyone wonders what it means. The dying Grand Duke of Zweibrucken-Veldenz also wrote it down. It is a key clue to a hidden hiding place, and the book explains its meaning late in the story.
Do I need to read other Arsène Lupin books first?
No. The story stands on its own, and the opening chapters introduce Lupin, the detective Lenormand and the other main figures. A few references to past adventures add colour but never block a new reader.
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.
More by Maurice Leblanc
All 15 booksMore like this
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