The Return of Arsene Lupin
About this ebook
Arsène Lupin is the world’s greatest thief, an unmatched force for good whose exploits threaten the wealth and standing of France’s most wicked men. In this installment of Leblanc’s beloved series, Lupin uses his remarkable wit and chameleon-like ability to move undetected through aristocratic society in order to steal, trick, and cheat his way through life. Despite his criminal nature, he operates under a strict moral code, only taking from those who have taken from the poor all their lives. The Return of Arsène Lupin opens on a world without Lupin—long thought dead, he even has a gravestone bearing his name. The First World War has come and gone, leaving a generation of men and women scarred irreparably. Two unlikely friends, wounded veterans Patrice and Ya-Bon, find comfort in their shared trauma. When Patrice is implicated in the murder of an acquaintance, they must race against time in order to find the true killer. In the final hour, a ghost from the past reappears to offer his help. The Return of Arsène Lupin is a story of romance, mystery, and crime that continues to astound over a century after it was published.
With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Maurice Leblanc’s The Return of Arsène Lupin is a classic of French literature reimagined for modern readers.
About the author
Maurice Leblanc (1864-1941) was a French novelist and short story writer. Born and raised in Rouen, Normandy, Leblanc attended law school before dropping out to pursue a writing career in Paris. There, he made a name for himself as a leading author of crime fiction, publishing critically acclaimed stories and novels with moderate commercial success. On July 15th, 1905, Leblanc published a story in Je sais tout, a popular French magazine, featuring Arsène Lupin, gentleman thief. The character, inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories, brought Leblanc both fame and fortune, featuring in 21 novels and short story collections and defining his career as one of the bestselling authors of the twentieth century. Appointed to the Légion d'Honneur, France’s highest order of merit, Leblanc and his works remain cultural touchstones for generations of devoted readers. His stories have inspired numerous adaptations, including Lupin, a smash-hit 2021 television series.
