Intrigued after watching season 1 of Lupin, I decided to read the first collection of stories. A fun read. I particularly enjoyed The Arrest of Arsene Lupin, The Queen's Necklace, Madame Imbert's Safe, and Sherlock Holmes Arrives Too Late.
It was helpful to listen to the audiobook read by Mark Meadows on Hoopla. I am not fluent in French, so the names baffle me when reading. I read and listened depending on the story. ( )

This is the Project Gutenberg edition. The stories are pretty entertaining - absolutely zero character writing outside of some very mild stuff for Lupin himself, but it works. Not a literary classic but a fun quick easy read where the stories are exactly the right length. A couple of the stories are very predictable but it's still satisfying to see them through. There are a few pretty funny moments too. It's fun seeing stuff from the perspective of the guy pulling off the perfect crime. Also it's cool that Lupin is constantly stealing from rich people. Not enough substance to make it super recommendable but fun while it lasts ( )

Have finished Arsene Lupin Gentleman Thief, part of my boxed set of Lupin stories. They are quite fun. Maurice LeBlanc was called the French Conan Doyle and like Doyle, his stories were published in a magazine. He was awarded the Legion d'honneur for his services to literature before he died in 1941. Like Doyle, he wrote other stories and books that did not feature Lupin. Lupin was not a detective. Instead he was a thief. A brave, honorable and chivalrous thief, but a thief none the less. ( )

4.5/5

“Arsene Lupin, the man of a thousand disguises: in turn a chauffeur, a tenor, a bookmaker, a young boy; a teen, an old man, a commercial traveler, a Russian physician, a Spanish bullfighter….”

Admittedly, the first time I heard of Arsene Lupin was when the character and his adventures were referenced in the Netflix show Lupin. This collection covers nine interrelated stories (though they are just as good as standalone) revolving around the “gentleman thief” and his exploits and is a perfect introduction for new readers like me. Originally written in 1907, by author Maurice Leblanc, these are straightforward mysteries/adventures with intriguing plots, loads of humor and a very interesting main character. As Lupin’s “historiographer”(who also serves as narrator for some of the stories) states,

“His portrait? How could I describe him? Twenty times I have seen Arsene Lupin, and twenty times a different person has appeared to me …or rather, the same person from which twenty mirrors would have returned as many distorted images, each one having its own particular look, its own unique shape, its own gesture, its own silhouette and character.”

I had so much fun reading about Lupin and his numerous disguises, his creative methods of committing crimes and his besting the shrewd Detective Ganimard at every opportunity he gets. It is difficult to individually describe these stories without giving too much away but the narrative follows Lupin as he is arrested, escapes from prison and proceeds to con multiple victims (and is also duped by one of his marks in one rare instance) all the while evading capture by the authorities . I enjoyed most of the stories and my personal favorites were ”The Escape of Arsene Lupin”, “The Seven of Hearts” and “Madam Imbert’s Safe”. In addition to these stories, I must mention the final story in this collection in which we see our "gentleman thief" pitted against a ‘great English detective’!

Arsene Lupin, Gentleman Thief by Maurice Leblanc (edited by Mike Kennedy) is truly an enjoyable read! The illustrations (both black-and-white and full-color) by Vincent Mallié are absolutely wonderful and perfectly complement the narrative which flows smoothly.(The illustrations reminded me of Herge's Tintin books which I still love to read!) Fans of Sherlock Holmes would definitely enjoy these stories.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Diamond Book Distributors for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. ( )

Arsene Lupin, Gentleman Burglar (1907, English Translation 1910) (Lupin #1) by Maurice Leblanc. This is a collection of short stories written between 1905 and 1907, then collected in book form. Long a mainstream hit in France (even leading to an excellent cable show “Lupin” from a few years back) this collection may feel just slightly dated, yet still clever and innovative in so many other ways that it warrants a look.
This collection, which starts with his capture by the French police when he first arrives in America, through a brilliant robbery he commits only because he has alerted the property’s owner of exactly when he will do it, and a final tale featuring Lupin vs. Sherlock Holmes, contains the essential elements of style, panache, daring and humor that the ensuing novel abound with, never disappointing the reader.
Always witty, fearless and one step ahead of everyone, this collection of short stories reads like a well defined novel and is as good today as it was more than 100 years ago.Did I mention the robbery he commits occurs when he is imprisoned? ( )