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Το 813 αποτελεί το πιο σπουδαίο έργο του Μορίς Λεμπλάν. Ο Αρσέν Λουπέν στα καλύτερά του. Ο άνθρωπος με τα χίλια πρόσωπα αναλαμβάνει την εγκληματική του δράση και ένα ανελέητο ανθρωποκυνηγητό εξαπολύεται από τις αστυνομικές αρχές για τη σύλληψη του. Σκιά του δαιμόνιου λωποδύτη γίνεται ο κύριος Λενορμάν. αρχηγός της αστυνομίας, σε μια επικών διαστάσεων αναμέτρηση γεμάτη ανατροπές και απροσδόκητα γεγονότα. Σε αυτό το ανεπανάληπτο αριστούργημα της αστυνομικής λογοτεχνίας ο αναγνώστης βυθίζεται σε έναν σκοτεινό λαβύρινθο, στον οποίο ο συγγραφέας τον κρατά δέσμιο της αφηγηματικής του μαεστρίας, χάρη κυρίως σε έναν καταιγιστικά ιλιγγιώδη ρυθμό που κόβει την ανάσα και δημιουργεί αμείωτο σασπένς, την ώρα που η όλη ατμόσφαιρα του έργου, απόκοσμα σαγηνευτική, μοιάζει βγαλμένη απο εφιάλτη, απο τον οποίο πλανάται το ερώτημα αν θέλει να βγει κανείς.
465 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1910
302 people are currently reading
2193 people want to read
About the author
Maurice Leblanc
2,066 books943 followersMaurice Leblanc (1864 - 1941) was a French novelist, best known as the creator of gentleman thief (later detective) Arsène Lupin.
Leblanc began as a journalist, until he was asked to write a short story filler, and created, more gallant and dashing than English counterpart Sherlock Holmes.
Leblanc began as a journalist, until he was asked to write a short story filler, and created, more gallant and dashing than English counterpart Sherlock Holmes.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 167 reviews
May 18, 2021
"Şair dediğin yemek yemez, bayım. O, kafiye ve hayal gücüyle beslenir."
☺️
☺️
September 7, 2022
My fourth (or fifth?) Lupin crime novel. Whilst I like the premiss of an inverse Sherlock Holmes (or as he’s called in the book: Holmlock Shears), ie. a rogue burglar, intelligent but gentleman-like, here it became a chore to read. Arsène Lupin fights against the police who suspect him of being a murderer, whilst trying to find the real culprit who comes at his throat (quite literally).
Lupin is not on top of his game, he doesn’t have his usual aloofness by effortlessly giving the police a thorough runaround. He’s arrogant, lonely, and quite often off his game.
Much of it has to do with sloppy writing, and I couldn’t warm up to Leblanc’s style this time. He is not as witty as Conan Doyle (which I have remarked upon earlier) and with a fairly convoluted story I was glad when the book came to an end.
It’s not bad, just not as good as it could be. I leave Leblanc & Lupin in peace for the remainder of the year. Maybe give it another go next year…
Lupin is not on top of his game, he doesn’t have his usual aloofness by effortlessly giving the police a thorough runaround. He’s arrogant, lonely, and quite often off his game.
Much of it has to do with sloppy writing, and I couldn’t warm up to Leblanc’s style this time. He is not as witty as Conan Doyle (which I have remarked upon earlier) and with a fairly convoluted story I was glad when the book came to an end.
It’s not bad, just not as good as it could be. I leave Leblanc & Lupin in peace for the remainder of the year. Maybe give it another go next year…
January 27, 2022
A bit diluted with inconsequential dialogue here and there, but nice reading, regardless.
September 10, 2017
A tale of incredulity, buffoonery, naivete', comedy, stupidity, iconoclasm, icon worship, self destruction, conceit, and staggering inefficiency, none of it intentional. What promised to be a ghastly detective story just turned out to be ghastly.
The story revolves around Arsen Lupin, a beloved French scumbag that would steal your grandmother's purse if the thought anything was in it, and although not the type that would kill himself, always seemed to be in the middle of controversy when someone was murdered. And there were plenty of murders in this story. If cloak and dagger action if what you're looking for, you may be amused by this book. If you're looking for any semblance of believability, you're likely to be quite disappointed, as I was.
Lupin, a burgler of some fame in France was engaged in his latest exploit, that was to extract some kind of information from his last victim that would lead him to a ridiculous trimuph of European proportions. But, as Lupin was about to find out, he isn't the only low life in France. You would think he would have known that with the reputation that was bestowed upon him by Leblanc, but it would have ruined the story if he did have that clue. So the story continued.
The story starts out with an improbable series of murders at a hotel, and with the withering array of characters introduced in the first several chapters, you have no idea who or why these folks were being knocked off. Added to that, several of the characters used aliases that were used interchageably by Leblanc, so even keeping track of who was who became a challenge. Lupin himself used a few different names, along with some ludicrous disguises that characters fell for hook, line and sinker. The French people should be appalled at the suggestion of the their lummoxed brains, that couldn't tell that Clark Kent without glasses was Superman. So it was though with their beloved Lupin, a man who could hoodwink an entire police force with a change of clothes and some glasses. How his credentials passed muster is anybody's guess, but then this is fiction, isn't it? Lupin apparently was able to control the press at will, with the local paper printing anything he had to say. In fact, he was able to control the police, and just about anything else he wanted as well, even having a few on his payroll. They must not do alot of policing in France, because those cops seemed to have an inordinate amount of time to do Lupin's bidding. Of course, Lupin seemed to have an inordinate amount of cash to throw around, and if you believe Leblanc, just about everybody in France is on the take if the price is right, and Lupin seemed to always know what that price might be, no matter who they were. The dearth of case Lupin threw around must have been acquired from his prior burglaries. We never get that, but we do get that he had a network of thugs at his beck and call.
From my perspective, plenty of questions throughout. Who was this Beaupre character, and why choose him? The reasoning Leblanc presents seems rather weak, and his ultimate subservience to Lupin even weaker. Then there was Lenormand, if that is the proper spelling-yes, Lenormand, who has a brawl with a pack of thugs, and when it was all over-we have to assume it was over, he went to bed? You would think he'd be a little amped up, and even more cautious for the rest of the evening. Nope. Then there was the part where he was trapped in a secret tunnel with no way out. What was his response? You guessed it, he went to sleep. WTF? The ebook was littered with typos, so forgive me if something I say doesn't jibe with the actual story. I got the gist of it though. Or did I?
Lupin did go to jail in this story, but since we're apparently talking about the keystone cops here, he wasn't there for long. But, while he was there, he devised a prison-genius communication system. Well, genius in the world of Maurice Leblanc. What the cops allowed the most wanted criminal in France was ridiculous enough, what he did in addition to those liberties was laughably goofy. Lupin was ostensibly seen as some kind of god (at least by Leblanc), but it's like there is an agreement with all the characters that they play this game. Any real detective would steamroll these dolts, both Lupin and his adversaries.
Just a few incidents that added to the ambiance ridiculousness. At one point Lupin and some goons are headed down the road to some mysterious castle. A car drives by them and fires a couple of shots at them. Apparently, Lupin never deduced that these would be killers might show up at the very same castle they were going to! Then there was the scene where Lupin is drugged. They deduce that it was the coffee, but nobody bothers to check kitchen for any clues as to the identity of the drugger. Then there was the secret clock. I won't give that away, but I will say that the clock would have been smashed long before Lupin & Co. arrived. Like years before. Not in this story though. Then there was the scene that pitted Lupin against seven hardcore thugs. How do you think that worked out? Seven against one, well, it's not even fair i tell you. Then there was the unintentional comedy scene. Lupin sees a guy making eyes at the girl he wants and grabs him and tosses him out the window, smashing through tree limbs on the way down. What was the girls's response to Lupin's ass kicking exploits? How dare you! Well, it was quite rude of him. Lupin even crossed paths with the great English detective Holmlock Shears. Yes, decipher that anagram. But this is the great Arsene Lupin after all, a man elevated the to level of a prince (in more ways than one), by Leblanc.
The story revolves around Arsen Lupin, a beloved French scumbag that would steal your grandmother's purse if the thought anything was in it, and although not the type that would kill himself, always seemed to be in the middle of controversy when someone was murdered. And there were plenty of murders in this story. If cloak and dagger action if what you're looking for, you may be amused by this book. If you're looking for any semblance of believability, you're likely to be quite disappointed, as I was.
Lupin, a burgler of some fame in France was engaged in his latest exploit, that was to extract some kind of information from his last victim that would lead him to a ridiculous trimuph of European proportions. But, as Lupin was about to find out, he isn't the only low life in France. You would think he would have known that with the reputation that was bestowed upon him by Leblanc, but it would have ruined the story if he did have that clue. So the story continued.
The story starts out with an improbable series of murders at a hotel, and with the withering array of characters introduced in the first several chapters, you have no idea who or why these folks were being knocked off. Added to that, several of the characters used aliases that were used interchageably by Leblanc, so even keeping track of who was who became a challenge. Lupin himself used a few different names, along with some ludicrous disguises that characters fell for hook, line and sinker. The French people should be appalled at the suggestion of the their lummoxed brains, that couldn't tell that Clark Kent without glasses was Superman. So it was though with their beloved Lupin, a man who could hoodwink an entire police force with a change of clothes and some glasses. How his credentials passed muster is anybody's guess, but then this is fiction, isn't it? Lupin apparently was able to control the press at will, with the local paper printing anything he had to say. In fact, he was able to control the police, and just about anything else he wanted as well, even having a few on his payroll. They must not do alot of policing in France, because those cops seemed to have an inordinate amount of time to do Lupin's bidding. Of course, Lupin seemed to have an inordinate amount of cash to throw around, and if you believe Leblanc, just about everybody in France is on the take if the price is right, and Lupin seemed to always know what that price might be, no matter who they were. The dearth of case Lupin threw around must have been acquired from his prior burglaries. We never get that, but we do get that he had a network of thugs at his beck and call.
From my perspective, plenty of questions throughout. Who was this Beaupre character, and why choose him? The reasoning Leblanc presents seems rather weak, and his ultimate subservience to Lupin even weaker. Then there was Lenormand, if that is the proper spelling-yes, Lenormand, who has a brawl with a pack of thugs, and when it was all over-we have to assume it was over, he went to bed? You would think he'd be a little amped up, and even more cautious for the rest of the evening. Nope. Then there was the part where he was trapped in a secret tunnel with no way out. What was his response? You guessed it, he went to sleep. WTF? The ebook was littered with typos, so forgive me if something I say doesn't jibe with the actual story. I got the gist of it though. Or did I?
Lupin did go to jail in this story, but since we're apparently talking about the keystone cops here, he wasn't there for long. But, while he was there, he devised a prison-genius communication system. Well, genius in the world of Maurice Leblanc. What the cops allowed the most wanted criminal in France was ridiculous enough, what he did in addition to those liberties was laughably goofy. Lupin was ostensibly seen as some kind of god (at least by Leblanc), but it's like there is an agreement with all the characters that they play this game. Any real detective would steamroll these dolts, both Lupin and his adversaries.
Just a few incidents that added to the ambiance ridiculousness. At one point Lupin and some goons are headed down the road to some mysterious castle. A car drives by them and fires a couple of shots at them. Apparently, Lupin never deduced that these would be killers might show up at the very same castle they were going to! Then there was the scene where Lupin is drugged. They deduce that it was the coffee, but nobody bothers to check kitchen for any clues as to the identity of the drugger. Then there was the secret clock. I won't give that away, but I will say that the clock would have been smashed long before Lupin & Co. arrived. Like years before. Not in this story though. Then there was the scene that pitted Lupin against seven hardcore thugs. How do you think that worked out? Seven against one, well, it's not even fair i tell you. Then there was the unintentional comedy scene. Lupin sees a guy making eyes at the girl he wants and grabs him and tosses him out the window, smashing through tree limbs on the way down. What was the girls's response to Lupin's ass kicking exploits? How dare you! Well, it was quite rude of him. Lupin even crossed paths with the great English detective Holmlock Shears. Yes, decipher that anagram. But this is the great Arsene Lupin after all, a man elevated the to level of a prince (in more ways than one), by Leblanc.
May 20, 2025
اظنها افضل رويات ارسين لوبين
July 1, 2023
3.5*
Longer and more complex than the Lupin books I have read previously. I did manage to figure out part of the solution before he did.
Longer and more complex than the Lupin books I have read previously. I did manage to figure out part of the solution before he did.
October 16, 2021
That was so fucking sad??? Like?? I’ve read the book in English (translation that dates around 1910s) and it was hard to read 😔 thus I didn’t understand some of the plot points but it was SOO convoluted. On the one hand we’ve got boring descriptions of the investigation on the other hand we got Lupin being completely broken??? He cried so much in this book, he got poisoned, he didn’t want to live anymore, he fell in love, there was a lot of the moral dilemma. It saddens me but these parts made the book actually good.
Spoiler: I cried when it turned out the girl he looked after was his daughter. I didn’t suppose I’d cry while reading a lupin novel 😭😭😭
Spoiler: I cried when it turned out the girl he looked after was his daughter. I didn’t suppose I’d cry while reading a lupin novel 😭😭😭
February 21, 2022
It was so sad 😭 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
January 19, 2022
Domnul Kesselbach se opri în pragul salonului, îl prinse pe secretarul său de braţ şi murmură cu glas neliniştit:
― Chapman, iar a intrat cineva aici!
― Nu se poate, domnule Kesselbach, protestă secretarul. Chiar dumneavoastră aţi deschis uşa anticamerei, iar în timpul dejunului la restaurant, cheia aţi avut-o în buzunar.
― Şi totuşi, Chapman, cineva a intrat în lipsa noastră aici, repetă încă o dată Kesselbach. Arătă apoi o valiză care se afla pe cămin.
― Iată şi dovada! exclamă el. Valiza era închisă. Acum nu mai este!
― Sunteţi sigur că aţi lăsat-o închisă?
― Absolut.
― Ciudat, valiza nu conţine decât nişte bibelouri fără valoare, diferite obiecte de toaletă…
― Acum da, conţine ceea ce ai spus tu, pentru că am avut prevederea să-mi iau portofelul cu mine… Deci vă repet, cineva a pătruns aici în timp ce noi dejunam. Se apropie apoi de telefonul aflat pe noptieră şi ridică receptorul.
― Alo!… Sunt domnul Kesselbach, apartamentul 415… Domnişoară fii bună şi fămi legătura cu prefectul poliţiei… Serviciul Siguranţei… Nu ştiţi numărul, nu-i aşa? Bine mulţumesc… Aştept la telefon. După câteva minute i se dădu legătura.
― Alo! Serviciul Siguranţei? Doresc să vorbesc cu domnul Lenormand, şeful Siguranţei… Aici e domnul Kesselbach… Domnul Lenormand ştie despre ce este vorba. Am permisiunea domniei sale să-l sun ori de câte ori este nevoie… Cu cine vorbesc?… A, domnul inspector Gourel…?! Dacă nu mă înşeală pe mine memoria, ieri aţi asistat la discuţia mea cu domnul Lenormand… Ei bine, domnule, iar a intrat cineva în apartamentul meu… Poate că dacă aţi veni acuma aţi mai descoperi ceva urme… Ah! Numai peste o oră sau două? E bine şi atunci. Când ajungeţi aici cereţi să fiţi 3 condus în apartamentul 415. Vă aştept. Şi încă o data mulţumesc. Domnul Kesselbach închise telefonul cu o figură gânditoare. Dar cine era acest domn? În trecere prin Paris, Rudolf Kesselbach era regele diamantelor ― sau după cum i se mai spune, stăpânul Capului ― multimilionarul Rudolph Kesselbach, a cărui avere era evaluată la peste o sută de milioane de dolari şi care de peste o săptămână, ocupa etajul patru al hotelului Palace, apartamentul 415 compus din trei camere, din care două mai mari, la dreapta, un salon şi o cameră de primire care dădeau înspre marele bulevard, iar a treia, spre stânga, era ocupată de secretarul său particular, Chapman a cărui fereastră dădea în strada Judée. În continuarea acestor camere se aflau încă cinci camere care erau reţinute pentru doamna Kesselbach. Doamna Kesselbach se afla încă la Monte Carlo, urmând să sosească şi ea la Paris la prima chemare a soţului. Rudolph Kesselbach se plimbă gânditor prin cameră. Era un bărbat înalt, încă tânăr, cu faţa îmbujorată, pe care se distingeau nişte ochi visători de un albastru blând. Purta ochelari cu ramă din aur, ochelari care-i dădeau un aer de timiditate ce contrasta puternic cu fruntea pătrată şi fălcile osoase.
― Chapman, iar a intrat cineva aici!
― Nu se poate, domnule Kesselbach, protestă secretarul. Chiar dumneavoastră aţi deschis uşa anticamerei, iar în timpul dejunului la restaurant, cheia aţi avut-o în buzunar.
― Şi totuşi, Chapman, cineva a intrat în lipsa noastră aici, repetă încă o dată Kesselbach. Arătă apoi o valiză care se afla pe cămin.
― Iată şi dovada! exclamă el. Valiza era închisă. Acum nu mai este!
― Sunteţi sigur că aţi lăsat-o închisă?
― Absolut.
― Ciudat, valiza nu conţine decât nişte bibelouri fără valoare, diferite obiecte de toaletă…
― Acum da, conţine ceea ce ai spus tu, pentru că am avut prevederea să-mi iau portofelul cu mine… Deci vă repet, cineva a pătruns aici în timp ce noi dejunam. Se apropie apoi de telefonul aflat pe noptieră şi ridică receptorul.
― Alo!… Sunt domnul Kesselbach, apartamentul 415… Domnişoară fii bună şi fămi legătura cu prefectul poliţiei… Serviciul Siguranţei… Nu ştiţi numărul, nu-i aşa? Bine mulţumesc… Aştept la telefon. După câteva minute i se dădu legătura.
― Alo! Serviciul Siguranţei? Doresc să vorbesc cu domnul Lenormand, şeful Siguranţei… Aici e domnul Kesselbach… Domnul Lenormand ştie despre ce este vorba. Am permisiunea domniei sale să-l sun ori de câte ori este nevoie… Cu cine vorbesc?… A, domnul inspector Gourel…?! Dacă nu mă înşeală pe mine memoria, ieri aţi asistat la discuţia mea cu domnul Lenormand… Ei bine, domnule, iar a intrat cineva în apartamentul meu… Poate că dacă aţi veni acuma aţi mai descoperi ceva urme… Ah! Numai peste o oră sau două? E bine şi atunci. Când ajungeţi aici cereţi să fiţi 3 condus în apartamentul 415. Vă aştept. Şi încă o data mulţumesc. Domnul Kesselbach închise telefonul cu o figură gânditoare. Dar cine era acest domn? În trecere prin Paris, Rudolf Kesselbach era regele diamantelor ― sau după cum i se mai spune, stăpânul Capului ― multimilionarul Rudolph Kesselbach, a cărui avere era evaluată la peste o sută de milioane de dolari şi care de peste o săptămână, ocupa etajul patru al hotelului Palace, apartamentul 415 compus din trei camere, din care două mai mari, la dreapta, un salon şi o cameră de primire care dădeau înspre marele bulevard, iar a treia, spre stânga, era ocupată de secretarul său particular, Chapman a cărui fereastră dădea în strada Judée. În continuarea acestor camere se aflau încă cinci camere care erau reţinute pentru doamna Kesselbach. Doamna Kesselbach se afla încă la Monte Carlo, urmând să sosească şi ea la Paris la prima chemare a soţului. Rudolph Kesselbach se plimbă gânditor prin cameră. Era un bărbat înalt, încă tânăr, cu faţa îmbujorată, pe care se distingeau nişte ochi visători de un albastru blând. Purta ochelari cu ramă din aur, ochelari care-i dădeau un aer de timiditate ce contrasta puternic cu fruntea pătrată şi fălcile osoase.
December 26, 2022
A lo importante: el libro en cuestión. 813 de entrada les digo ya pero ya, que es un libraso. Ooh si. Leblanc lo volvió a hacer. Arsene Lupin lo volvió a hacer y ustedes diran: "pero Carlos siempre recomendás Lupin, no sos objetivo". Bueno...es verdad pero es la cosa está asi: el anterior libro La Aguja Hueca si bien me había gustado, el desarrollo del final por otra parte no había sido así en absoluto ademas de que se habían desaprovechado totalmente el gran potencial de un par de personajes que deban para mucho mas.
Ahora con 813 y el doble de páginas que su antecesor Leblanc viene a reivindicar al caballero ladron que había sabido construir en los primeros libros.
"¡Arsène Lupin! Nadie ha vuelto a oír hablar de él desde hacía cuatro años, después de su increíble, su sorprendente aventura de La Aguja Hueca; desde el día en que delante de los propios ojos de Herlock Sholmes se había fugado en las tinieblas..."
En esta nueva aventura el drama principal toma dimensiones enormes capaz de alterar el orden político y geográfico a niveles desconocidos lo cual obligará al mejor ladrón de todos los tiempos a actuar -esta vez- casi como un detective al servicio de los que ama y de su país por un bien mayor y hasta personal.
"Arsène Lupin es un ladrón delicado a quien la sangre le repugna y que no ha cometido jamás otro crimen que el de apropiarse de los bienes ajenos..., un simple pecado nada más, ¿verdad?"
En fin excelente aventura del Caballero Ladrón para entretenerse en estas vacaciones (si es que tienen) o para leer en sus ratos libres. Ah y ya aviso que la próxima reseña es otro libro de Lupin😂😂😂. Lo se, lo se. No me borren de sus contactos.
SINOPSIS: El millonario coleccionista de diamantes Rudolf Kesselbach está en una habitación de hotel de París, imaginando el golpe de genialidad que está a punto de convertirlo en uno de los hombres más ricos de Europa, cuando una sombra se cuela en la habitación: una silueta con ropa fina, una sonrisa fácil y un revólver apuntando hacia él. Unas horas más tarde, Kesselbach es encontrado muerto en el suelo, con la tarjeta de visita de Arsène Lupin clavada en su pecho. La muerte de Kesselbach pone al descubierto una intriga y un misterioso paquete de cartas oculto en un castillo. Lupin es falsamente acusado de lo que parece ser un asesinato perfecto, que va más allá de la capacidad de la policía, y el único modo que tendrá Lupin de demostrar su inocencia y desentrañar el misterio será poniéndose él mismo al frente de la investigación, pero con un costo muy alto.
Ahora con 813 y el doble de páginas que su antecesor Leblanc viene a reivindicar al caballero ladron que había sabido construir en los primeros libros.
"¡Arsène Lupin! Nadie ha vuelto a oír hablar de él desde hacía cuatro años, después de su increíble, su sorprendente aventura de La Aguja Hueca; desde el día en que delante de los propios ojos de Herlock Sholmes se había fugado en las tinieblas..."
En esta nueva aventura el drama principal toma dimensiones enormes capaz de alterar el orden político y geográfico a niveles desconocidos lo cual obligará al mejor ladrón de todos los tiempos a actuar -esta vez- casi como un detective al servicio de los que ama y de su país por un bien mayor y hasta personal.
"Arsène Lupin es un ladrón delicado a quien la sangre le repugna y que no ha cometido jamás otro crimen que el de apropiarse de los bienes ajenos..., un simple pecado nada más, ¿verdad?"
En fin excelente aventura del Caballero Ladrón para entretenerse en estas vacaciones (si es que tienen) o para leer en sus ratos libres. Ah y ya aviso que la próxima reseña es otro libro de Lupin😂😂😂. Lo se, lo se. No me borren de sus contactos.
SINOPSIS: El millonario coleccionista de diamantes Rudolf Kesselbach está en una habitación de hotel de París, imaginando el golpe de genialidad que está a punto de convertirlo en uno de los hombres más ricos de Europa, cuando una sombra se cuela en la habitación: una silueta con ropa fina, una sonrisa fácil y un revólver apuntando hacia él. Unas horas más tarde, Kesselbach es encontrado muerto en el suelo, con la tarjeta de visita de Arsène Lupin clavada en su pecho. La muerte de Kesselbach pone al descubierto una intriga y un misterioso paquete de cartas oculto en un castillo. Lupin es falsamente acusado de lo que parece ser un asesinato perfecto, que va más allá de la capacidad de la policía, y el único modo que tendrá Lupin de demostrar su inocencia y desentrañar el misterio será poniéndose él mismo al frente de la investigación, pero con un costo muy alto.
September 9, 2022
Arsène Lupin: 813 | Personal rate 3.5🌟
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550 muka surat yg penuh dgn momen intens dan banyak persoalan yg terungkai satu persatu yg melibatkan kes jenayah dan musuh Lupin kali ini. Kita akan 'pinpoint' benda yang penting untuk lebih fahaman.
📌Naratif cerita yg agak laju & terperinci pada setiap babak sebab akan ada scene yang ditulis untuk dikaitkan dgn babak yg lain. Tak menggangu pembacaan tapi sometimes, aku terasa juga momen 'tiba-tiba' tu. Contoh mcm: "Eh pula hilang org ni."
📌Padat dgn kes. Baru baca sikit je dah ada jenayah. Lebih kepada adegan 'cat and mouse'. Berselirat sbb polis buru Lupin + nak selesaikan kes. Lupin pula nak bersihkan nama. Nak cari pembunuh lagi, nak rungkaikan label nombor 813. Cuma kkdg pembunuhan yg terjadi tu bagi aku tak relevan untuk sesetengah karakter.
📌 Walaupun Lupin merupakan "man of the show" tetapi bila muncul Putera Sernine buat aku lagi 'looking-forward' sbb aura misteri dia. Awal kemunculan Putera tu dah buat aku tertanya apa motifnya 👀 Lepas tu, taktahu lah kenapa otak kita ni terbayang dia tu mcm kacak gentlemen gitu 😆 Maybe sbb nama putera kot. Tapi bila dah terbongkar siapa Putera Sernine tu kan, tepuk dahi juga lah 🤣🙌🏼✨ Kena tipu rupanya.
📌Penglibatan karakter yg banyak. Pembacaan aku jadi perlahan sikit sbb nak 'catch-up' dgn nama-nama karakter yg ada. Mungkin okay bagi org lain.
📌 Disebabkan ni pertama kali kita baca buku terjemahan dalam bahasa melayu, kita rasa intonasi karakter tu bunyi baku dlm kepala 😆Sesiapa minat kes jenayah yg melibatkan dua negara kuasa besar, tambah lagi dgn karakter Lupin (si pencuri budiman), dialu-alukan baca keluaran baru ni. Well done kpd dua translator yg berusaha menterjemahkan buku ni 🦋✨
Dan terima kasih kpd pihak Penerbit X untuk naskhah sebagus ini.
— — —
550 muka surat yg penuh dgn momen intens dan banyak persoalan yg terungkai satu persatu yg melibatkan kes jenayah dan musuh Lupin kali ini. Kita akan 'pinpoint' benda yang penting untuk lebih fahaman.
📌Naratif cerita yg agak laju & terperinci pada setiap babak sebab akan ada scene yang ditulis untuk dikaitkan dgn babak yg lain. Tak menggangu pembacaan tapi sometimes, aku terasa juga momen 'tiba-tiba' tu. Contoh mcm: "Eh pula hilang org ni."
📌Padat dgn kes. Baru baca sikit je dah ada jenayah. Lebih kepada adegan 'cat and mouse'. Berselirat sbb polis buru Lupin + nak selesaikan kes. Lupin pula nak bersihkan nama. Nak cari pembunuh lagi, nak rungkaikan label nombor 813. Cuma kkdg pembunuhan yg terjadi tu bagi aku tak relevan untuk sesetengah karakter.
📌 Walaupun Lupin merupakan "man of the show" tetapi bila muncul Putera Sernine buat aku lagi 'looking-forward' sbb aura misteri dia. Awal kemunculan Putera tu dah buat aku tertanya apa motifnya 👀 Lepas tu, taktahu lah kenapa otak kita ni terbayang dia tu mcm kacak gentlemen gitu 😆 Maybe sbb nama putera kot. Tapi bila dah terbongkar siapa Putera Sernine tu kan, tepuk dahi juga lah 🤣🙌🏼✨ Kena tipu rupanya.
📌Penglibatan karakter yg banyak. Pembacaan aku jadi perlahan sikit sbb nak 'catch-up' dgn nama-nama karakter yg ada. Mungkin okay bagi org lain.
📌 Disebabkan ni pertama kali kita baca buku terjemahan dalam bahasa melayu, kita rasa intonasi karakter tu bunyi baku dlm kepala 😆Sesiapa minat kes jenayah yg melibatkan dua negara kuasa besar, tambah lagi dgn karakter Lupin (si pencuri budiman), dialu-alukan baca keluaran baru ni. Well done kpd dua translator yg berusaha menterjemahkan buku ni 🦋✨
Dan terima kasih kpd pihak Penerbit X untuk naskhah sebagus ini.
August 11, 2024
Мені варто було б поставити особисту крапці в цій історії ще на Пустій голці. Розвиток персонажа від молодого геніального пустуна до чоловіка, сп'янілого своєю владою, природний і правильний. Думаю, автору довелося писати це, аби збавити градус романтизації шляхетного злодія. Втім, саме в цього романтичного шляхетного злодія я і була закохана з 11 років і мені неприємно бачити його таким. Але саме так це і мало відбутися. Арсен Люпен назавжди залишиться зі мною і я ще не один тиждень буду думати про кінець цієї частини. За історію варто поставити 5 зірок, але мені дуже муляє око послідовна халтурна коректорська робота, за що і знімаю одну зірку.
October 15, 2025
I read this novel so fast because as usual I like alternate a weird and unique adventure from Arsene lupin. The french knows their heroes and Arsene it's quite peculiar. Not all charming but not all repulsive it has a unique set of skills and his adventures always involve women. Their Woman in this case it's a piece of character. I enjoyed myself while reading it and it's hard because I'm grieving and this book help me to think in other things than the sad I feel.
May 14, 2021
Pensaba que ya había perdido el encanto de las aventuras de lupin con el tercer libro (la aguja hueca) y para ser sincero, disfruté tanto, pero tanto este libro hasta la mitad y después un desplome total. En este libro se puede encontrar a un lupin más vulnerable, más dócil y sin tanto talento; no obstante, su capacidad de ser un mil caras hace que la trama inicial sea super atractiva y te diviertas con las ocurrencias del autor y de su personaje.
El crimen o el misterio funciona la mayoría del tiempo, pero su deselance se desvaneció poco a poco.. Incluso fui perdiendo el interés y cuando se reveló todo ni me sorprendió.
Lo bueno: ver a lupin doblegado y llevado hasta sus últimas consecuencias. Un nemesis que funcionó bien a nivel general
Lo malo: el deselance y el final. Es largo, y la verdad un poco forzado. No tiene como mucha coherencia o más bien, todo es tan enredado que pasa de sorpresa a un juego de situaciones para justificar de una forma forzada todo.
El crimen o el misterio funciona la mayoría del tiempo, pero su deselance se desvaneció poco a poco.. Incluso fui perdiendo el interés y cuando se reveló todo ni me sorprendió.
Lo bueno: ver a lupin doblegado y llevado hasta sus últimas consecuencias. Un nemesis que funcionó bien a nivel general
Lo malo: el deselance y el final. Es largo, y la verdad un poco forzado. No tiene como mucha coherencia o más bien, todo es tan enredado que pasa de sorpresa a un juego de situaciones para justificar de una forma forzada todo.
October 9, 2021
Este es el libro más largo que leí de la saga de Arsène Lupin y debo decir que me encantó. A pesar de ser largo, este no se vuelve lento ni pesado en ningún momento. “813” está dividido en dos partes, “La doble vida de Arsène Lupin” y “Los tres crímenes de Arsène Lupin”. Ambas partes son espectaculares y no puedo esperar a leer más sobre este aclamado personaje. Este libro pertenece a la colección de “Obras Selectas de Arsène Lupin” pero de todas maneras también se pueden conseguir por separado. No puedo dejar de recomendarles los libros de Arsène Lupin.
October 1, 2021
It breaks my heart to have to give this book 4 stars and not 5 but it is what it is.
The book starts slow and you are not sure where it's going (not in a good way). But then the old Lupin starts to break out and the story gets dope.
Really can say much as everything said would spoil the surprise but still a very solid book and I'm still moving on to the next one.
Good read
The book starts slow and you are not sure where it's going (not in a good way). But then the old Lupin starts to break out and the story gets dope.
Really can say much as everything said would spoil the surprise but still a very solid book and I'm still moving on to the next one.
Good read
November 22, 2022
Excellent story to listen to while getting ready to go to sleep, the last hour or so before bedtime. Not too boring, but not too exciting, either, after the first half or so. I still find the character of Lupin to be rather annoyingly arrogant, as written by M. Leblanc. It really needed Omar Sy’s touch to give the character a sense of justification, if that makes sense?
J'écoute la version de ce livre en français lu par Bidou sur #LibriVox, ici: https://librivox.org/813-by-maurice-l... Il faut noter que la #torture est moins efficace que regardant le langage corporel...
Arsenne Lupin proved 100 years ago that torture is not needed for information gathering: by watching his victim's body language (and this, well before it happened in an episode of Criminal Minds...).
s'arreter le premier personne pour calmer les peurs de la publique...
:-(
c'est honteux comment les femmes etaitent form'ees (et vetues en corsette) pour etre faibles...
(Mdm Dolores B. qui s'evanoui de peur...)
J'écoute la version de ce livre en français lu par Bidou sur #LibriVox, ici: https://librivox.org/813-by-maurice-l... Il faut noter que la #torture est moins efficace que regardant le langage corporel...
Arsenne Lupin proved 100 years ago that torture is not needed for information gathering: by watching his victim's body language (and this, well before it happened in an episode of Criminal Minds...).
s'arreter le premier personne pour calmer les peurs de la publique...
:-(
c'est honteux comment les femmes etaitent form'ees (et vetues en corsette) pour etre faibles...
(Mdm Dolores B. qui s'evanoui de peur...)
October 9, 2025
Mi obra favorita de la saga de Arsene Lupin.
Me enganchó desde el principio y cada capítulo era más sorprendente que el anterior. Misterio, incertidumbre, muertes, traiciones y hasta romance, todo en un mismo libro. Es imposible no sentirte dentro de la historia con las descripciones.
Lupin tampoco decepciona, jugando varios papeles al mismo tiempo: presunto asesino, detective y príncipe. El caballero ladrón, siempre encantador, esta vez siendo profundamente aterrado por un asesino misterioso.
Pero al final sentí que Maurice Leblanc estaba harto de Lupin, haciéndolo sentirse culpable de 3 asesinatos e intentando suicidarse por ello, y no me gustó.
Pero más allá de eso, lo considero un muy buen libro, totalmente recomendable.
Me enganchó desde el principio y cada capítulo era más sorprendente que el anterior. Misterio, incertidumbre, muertes, traiciones y hasta romance, todo en un mismo libro. Es imposible no sentirte dentro de la historia con las descripciones.
Lupin tampoco decepciona, jugando varios papeles al mismo tiempo: presunto asesino, detective y príncipe. El caballero ladrón, siempre encantador, esta vez siendo profundamente aterrado por un asesino misterioso.
Pero al final sentí que Maurice Leblanc estaba harto de Lupin, haciéndolo sentirse culpable de 3 asesinatos e intentando suicidarse por ello, y no me gustó.
Pero más allá de eso, lo considero un muy buen libro, totalmente recomendable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 14, 2024
Picks up Arsène Lupin's story 4 years after the tragic end of The Hollow Needle. Having mastered outwitting the Gendarmerie, this tale follows Lupin's exploits as he targets the higher echelons of power after he's unwittingly implicated in a murder. Definitely darker in tone compared to previous Lupin stories with an increase in death and destruction as Lupin contends with a rival in the form of the mysterious L.M.
I think The Hollow Needle is more tightly constructed as a story, but it's 8 1 3 that portrays all the strengths and weaknesses of Lupin (both the character and the writing) the best.
I think The Hollow Needle is more tightly constructed as a story, but it's 8 1 3 that portrays all the strengths and weaknesses of Lupin (both the character and the writing) the best.
September 12, 2025
I was excited for a full tome of Lupin's escapades, but this largely fell flat. It had great moments that I was glad to read, and I loved one reveal so much that it caused me to go back and reread several chapters with the new knowledge in hand, which was a great experience; but there were large swaths of barren storyline, Lupin was quite unlikeable several times, and I had a hard time following a lot of plot points out of sheer boredom.
This should have been several shorter volumes or majorly condensed into a shorter one.
I still love Lupin in general, though, and will continue to read books based on him.
This should have been several shorter volumes or majorly condensed into a shorter one.
I still love Lupin in general, though, and will continue to read books based on him.
January 15, 2018
Tykkään Arsène Lupinista enemmän novellimuodossa, tämä tuntui vähän sekavalta ja venytetyltä. Oli tässä kivojakin kohtia, ja herttainen vanha suomennos ilahdutti: Lupin istui kauvan äänetönnä ja synkkänä; häntä painosti tuo salaperäinen olento.
March 27, 2025
An old free book that has been sitting on my Kindle. Arsene Lupin is not quite the rouge that he seems and in this ingenious tale has many faces, most of them deranged in some part. The tale has lots of ends that are transparent towards the end which turns into something of a farce. Summing up, the story is overdone and some might throw it down before the ending which does lead itself open to further stories. 3 stars.
January 25, 2025
جميلة بافكار جميلة وانا احبذ هذا النوع من الروايات
لكن الافكار مستهلكه بالافلام رغم اني على علم ان الافلام هي من سرقت افكار الجرائم .
لكن الافكار مستهلكه بالافلام رغم اني على علم ان الافلام هي من سرقت افكار الجرائم .
January 22, 2017
Aku tidak tahu mau mengomentari apa tentang buku ini.
December 31, 2023
Arsene Lupin - 813, de Maurice Leblanc - a 6-a din aceasta serie, a 28-a din 2023, terminata in ultima zi a anului.
Arsene Lupin are un adversar nou, cel mai bun de pana acum: ii dejoaca toate planurile, pare mereu cu un pas inaintea lui si face ceva ce Arsene nu face niciodata, ucide cu sange rece.
De asemenea, Arsene presteaza in aceasta carte timp de 4 ani un serviciu care a lasat Franta uimita multe generatii!😁
Arsene Lupin are grija de Europa intreaga si ii ramane dator o persoana extraordinar de importanta, de vita nobila.
Are si familie celebrul Arsene Lupin??
Arsene Lupin are un adversar nou, cel mai bun de pana acum: ii dejoaca toate planurile, pare mereu cu un pas inaintea lui si face ceva ce Arsene nu face niciodata, ucide cu sange rece.
De asemenea, Arsene presteaza in aceasta carte timp de 4 ani un serviciu care a lasat Franta uimita multe generatii!😁
Arsene Lupin are grija de Europa intreaga si ii ramane dator o persoana extraordinar de importanta, de vita nobila.
Are si familie celebrul Arsene Lupin??
July 31, 2021
This was my first encounter with Arsene Lupin so I've decided to be a bit more lenient and overlook many of the aspects that usually put me off when reading mystery novels. For one, I like the plots to be a little more related to mundane affairs and less about stuff that would belong in James Bond movies (the whole spiel with the letters that could forever ruin the relationship between France and Germany was not something that I found appealing at all). In addition, although I love overpowered characters that always have an ace up their sleeve, I don't like to be taken by surprise by things that seem far fetched even if you attempt to suspend you disbelief and just go with the flow (there is a plot twist at one point in the book that simply made me laugh out loud and think of Sergiu Nicolaescu - a famous Romanian director and actor about whom we have a joke here that goes something like director - Sergiu Nicolaescu, main actor - Sergiu Nicolaescu, screen writer - Sergiu Nicolaescu, and in the role of the horse - Sergiu Nicolaescu). In spite of these issues, I did enjoy the book because I like the idea of a gentleman thief (Locke Lamora anyone?) who masterminds intricate plots in order to get what he wants. I think I need to read a bit more to see if I actually like Arsene Lupin as a character or not.
April 6, 2022
Review on Spanish.
Qué mal el terminar en un cliffhanger. Maurice, te has puesto comercial.
En fin, he llegado a la conclusión de que debo leer toda la serie así no me quedan dudas por ningún cabo suelto.
En esta parte, acusan a Lupin de asesinato y, claro, nuestro famoso ladrón podrá ser pendenciero y bravucón cuando hace falta, pero nunca ha llegado a nada tan común como el asesinato, así que decide ayudar a la policía (bueno, habrá pensado que si no lo hace él, no lo van a hacer esos pobres hombres) para limpiar su buen nombre.
El barón, el antagonista de turno, me caía remal, así que estoy feliz con su final, pero ha dejado tantas cosas por resolver que ameritan la nueva secuela. A estas alturas tengo que advertir que no empiecen a leer a menos que quieran terminar la serie. Una vez que te coge el interés, no hay forma de soltarla.
Qué mal el terminar en un cliffhanger. Maurice, te has puesto comercial.
En fin, he llegado a la conclusión de que debo leer toda la serie así no me quedan dudas por ningún cabo suelto.
En esta parte, acusan a Lupin de asesinato y, claro, nuestro famoso ladrón podrá ser pendenciero y bravucón cuando hace falta, pero nunca ha llegado a nada tan común como el asesinato, así que decide ayudar a la policía (bueno, habrá pensado que si no lo hace él, no lo van a hacer esos pobres hombres) para limpiar su buen nombre.
El barón, el antagonista de turno, me caía remal, así que estoy feliz con su final, pero ha dejado tantas cosas por resolver que ameritan la nueva secuela. A estas alturas tengo que advertir que no empiecen a leer a menos que quieran terminar la serie. Una vez que te coge el interés, no hay forma de soltarla.
October 30, 2021
This is a 1910 book by French novelist Maurice Leblanc and is the fourth book in his gentleman burglar Arsene Lupin series. The setting is in early 1900s in France. The version I read came with a very good introduction by Otto Penzler. According to Penzler, he believes The Hollow Needle and 813 are the best books in the Lupin series. Penzler also described Lupin as ‘Unlike Fantomas, the other great criminal in French literature, Arsene Lupin is not violent or evil; his unlawful acts center on thefts and clever cons rather than murder or anarchy.’ Having red Fantomas, I do agree with Penzler and may be that is the reason Lupin is so much more popular than Fantomas. Having said that, I do find 813 too long-winded and boring. The story is unnecessarily complex and convoluted and some of the Victorian sentimentalities of the period now read very dated.
Spoiler Alert. The story is essentially a treasure hunt novel and a political thriller where competing forces race to get their hands on a secret stash of politically explosive letters, which then can be used to blackmail the German Emperor (the Kaiser) and help reestablish a disgraced prince’s heir to a small but geographically significant kingdom in Germany. In the process, Lupin found himself time after time being defeated and outsmarted by an unknown opponent. It was not until the very end that Lupin prevailed.
The story really started years ago when Germany’s Chancellor Bismarck gave some super-sensitive and politically explosive documents to Prince Herman III, the Grand Duke of Zweilbrucken-Veldenz in Prussia, for safe-keeping. Herman III kept it in a secret place in his castle, called Veldenz Castle, in his Kingdom of Veldenz. Later, his subjects rebelled and the castle was badly damaged. After Herman III died, his son Prince Herman IV, who changed his name to Pierre Leduc, became penniless and lived in France. A rich businessman, Rudolf Kesselbach, discovered the existence of the secret documents and the situation of Pierre Leduc. Rudolf came up with a plan for power and money using that secret. He realized he needed to both hunt down Pierre Leduc and to find the hidden documents. When he was executing his plan, one day he was found murdered in his hotel, knifed to death. Soon thereafter, his secretary and a floor-waiter in the hotel was also found dead. Lupin’s calling card was found on Kesselbach’s body. Somebody was trying to frame the murders on Lupin. At that time, Lupin has been living for four years in Paris under the fake identity of Lenormand and he was at that time chief of Detective Service in the Paris police. Lupin (acting as Lenormand) tried to solve the case. He kept running into difficulties against his clever opponent. Soon, he found that Pierre Leduc (Prince Herman IV) has recently died. Lupin then came up with a scheme of his own. He tried to takeover Kesselbach’s original scheme to try to both control the young penniless Prince Herman IV and to find the compromising secret documents to blackmail the German Kaiser into recognizing Herman IV and to reinstate him to his kingdom, through which Lupin hoped to gain political and economic benefit. However, now that Prince Herman IV has died, Lupin decided to find a lookalike and make him disguise himself to replace the real Prince Herman IV. In the meantime, Lupin went to Veldenz Castle to try to find the missing letters. The title of the book, 813, refers to the clue to the hiding place of the secret documents. The numbers 8-1-3 add up to 12 and referred to the twelve room in the castle. Inside the room is a clock attached to a moveable wall. Lupin finally figured out if at exactly at midnight (12 o-clock) he pushes the buttons on the clock face representing 8, 1, and 3, the secret door in the wall would open. Inside the wall was a box that contained the letters. However, after Lupin opened the box, he realized he was too late. His secret adversary had already solved the puzzle and got the letters.
Finally, Lupin found out the adversary who had consistently beaten him was actually the wife of the dead Rudolf Kesselbach. Mrs Kesselbach’s maiden name was Dolores de Malreich. Her family had generations ago had claim on the Kingdom of Veldenz and similar to Prince Herman IV, the family had fallen on hard times. After Dolores found out her husband’s scheme, she decided to takeover the scheme herself. She first killed her husband and framed Lupin. Then, she was going to find Pierre Leduc (Prince Herman IV), got him to marry her, and then to find the secret letters so she can blackmail the German Kaiser to reinstate Herman IV to be a Grand Duke to take over the Grand Duchy, the Kingdom of Veldenz. That would make her the Queen. In the end, when Dolores tried to kill Lupin, she lost the fight and Lupin ended up killing her. This is a very high body count book. Dolores had killed everybody around her during the course of the story, including her husband Rudolf, his secretary Chapman, the hotel’s floor waiter Beudot, Dolores’ two servants Gertrude and Suzanne, Mr. Kesselbach’s good friend Steinweg (who knew of the scheme), and Dolores’ own brother Raoul and Dolores’ own sister Isilda. This book also involves a lot of fake identities and fake names. All the key characters in the book seem to live with multiple identities and fake names. In the book, we were also told Lupin actually has a daughter called Genevieve Ernemont who is now a school teacher living with her “grandmother” who was in fact Lupin’s old servant Victoire. In the end, the substitute Pierre Leduc ended up killing himself as well when he discovered Dolores (who he had fallen in love with) has died. That ended Lupin’s dream. He did, however, recovered the secret documents and, as part of a deal he made with the German Kaiser, returned the documents to him.
Spoiler Alert. The story is essentially a treasure hunt novel and a political thriller where competing forces race to get their hands on a secret stash of politically explosive letters, which then can be used to blackmail the German Emperor (the Kaiser) and help reestablish a disgraced prince’s heir to a small but geographically significant kingdom in Germany. In the process, Lupin found himself time after time being defeated and outsmarted by an unknown opponent. It was not until the very end that Lupin prevailed.
The story really started years ago when Germany’s Chancellor Bismarck gave some super-sensitive and politically explosive documents to Prince Herman III, the Grand Duke of Zweilbrucken-Veldenz in Prussia, for safe-keeping. Herman III kept it in a secret place in his castle, called Veldenz Castle, in his Kingdom of Veldenz. Later, his subjects rebelled and the castle was badly damaged. After Herman III died, his son Prince Herman IV, who changed his name to Pierre Leduc, became penniless and lived in France. A rich businessman, Rudolf Kesselbach, discovered the existence of the secret documents and the situation of Pierre Leduc. Rudolf came up with a plan for power and money using that secret. He realized he needed to both hunt down Pierre Leduc and to find the hidden documents. When he was executing his plan, one day he was found murdered in his hotel, knifed to death. Soon thereafter, his secretary and a floor-waiter in the hotel was also found dead. Lupin’s calling card was found on Kesselbach’s body. Somebody was trying to frame the murders on Lupin. At that time, Lupin has been living for four years in Paris under the fake identity of Lenormand and he was at that time chief of Detective Service in the Paris police. Lupin (acting as Lenormand) tried to solve the case. He kept running into difficulties against his clever opponent. Soon, he found that Pierre Leduc (Prince Herman IV) has recently died. Lupin then came up with a scheme of his own. He tried to takeover Kesselbach’s original scheme to try to both control the young penniless Prince Herman IV and to find the compromising secret documents to blackmail the German Kaiser into recognizing Herman IV and to reinstate him to his kingdom, through which Lupin hoped to gain political and economic benefit. However, now that Prince Herman IV has died, Lupin decided to find a lookalike and make him disguise himself to replace the real Prince Herman IV. In the meantime, Lupin went to Veldenz Castle to try to find the missing letters. The title of the book, 813, refers to the clue to the hiding place of the secret documents. The numbers 8-1-3 add up to 12 and referred to the twelve room in the castle. Inside the room is a clock attached to a moveable wall. Lupin finally figured out if at exactly at midnight (12 o-clock) he pushes the buttons on the clock face representing 8, 1, and 3, the secret door in the wall would open. Inside the wall was a box that contained the letters. However, after Lupin opened the box, he realized he was too late. His secret adversary had already solved the puzzle and got the letters.
Finally, Lupin found out the adversary who had consistently beaten him was actually the wife of the dead Rudolf Kesselbach. Mrs Kesselbach’s maiden name was Dolores de Malreich. Her family had generations ago had claim on the Kingdom of Veldenz and similar to Prince Herman IV, the family had fallen on hard times. After Dolores found out her husband’s scheme, she decided to takeover the scheme herself. She first killed her husband and framed Lupin. Then, she was going to find Pierre Leduc (Prince Herman IV), got him to marry her, and then to find the secret letters so she can blackmail the German Kaiser to reinstate Herman IV to be a Grand Duke to take over the Grand Duchy, the Kingdom of Veldenz. That would make her the Queen. In the end, when Dolores tried to kill Lupin, she lost the fight and Lupin ended up killing her. This is a very high body count book. Dolores had killed everybody around her during the course of the story, including her husband Rudolf, his secretary Chapman, the hotel’s floor waiter Beudot, Dolores’ two servants Gertrude and Suzanne, Mr. Kesselbach’s good friend Steinweg (who knew of the scheme), and Dolores’ own brother Raoul and Dolores’ own sister Isilda. This book also involves a lot of fake identities and fake names. All the key characters in the book seem to live with multiple identities and fake names. In the book, we were also told Lupin actually has a daughter called Genevieve Ernemont who is now a school teacher living with her “grandmother” who was in fact Lupin’s old servant Victoire. In the end, the substitute Pierre Leduc ended up killing himself as well when he discovered Dolores (who he had fallen in love with) has died. That ended Lupin’s dream. He did, however, recovered the secret documents and, as part of a deal he made with the German Kaiser, returned the documents to him.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 24, 2018
Readers used to the Arsène Lupin short stories may find this a bit of bore with plots within plots and Arsène being Arsène bragging and peacocking but it also has more character development of Arsène with him being firmly established as anti-hero even when he want to be a hero. Without giving away the plot the ending was worth it. Readers may think the story full of tropes and it certainly shares storylines with Sherlock Holmes but for a piece written in between 1900-1910 it would have been considered timely and full of interesting social details. It's not as chauvanistic as other works of the time but it's still of it's time and full of stereotypes and beliefs of that time.
February 14, 2021
Un roman policier long et complexe. Il s'agit ici de deux tomes réunis dans un seul livre (510 pages) et je dois saluer la créativité de Maurice Leblanc dans cette entreprise de taille. Par rapport à d'autres Arsène(s) Lupin(s) celui ci est plus cru... des morts cruelles et une histoire d'une tonalité plutôt sombre. Avec des rebondissements inattendus cet Arsène Lupin se distingue aussi dans l'humanité donné au protagoniste, parfois anxieux et pas toujours décidé.
Un livre que je recommande au lecteur assidu mais que je déconseille à l'aventurier qui veut connaitre le monde de Maurice Leblanc pour la première fois.
Un livre que je recommande au lecteur assidu mais que je déconseille à l'aventurier qui veut connaitre le monde de Maurice Leblanc pour la première fois.
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