Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Thief

Who is this mysterious Arsène Lupin? He keeps announcing his upcoming appearance in the homes of very rich people to steal their possessions, and he is seemingly able to do the thievery without any trace of his entering or leaving. He steals only from the very, very rich. How is he able to do it?

Arsène Lupin is a classic mystery novel in France. It's on the list of the 1001 Children's Books You Must Read.

I've been watching the Netflix show “Lupin” that is based on this book series at the same time as I read this collection, and the short stories are overall WAY lighter in tone than the show. This collection featured 13 stories of Lupin's outwitting detectives, stealing valuables in very tricksy ways, assuming false identities, and being flamboyantly over the top in his correspondence as he pulls one over on people. It was great fun - probably my favorites being “Arsene Lupin in Prison,” “The Wedding-ring” and “The Red Silk Scarf.” (I appreciated “Edith Swan-neck” too, but found it a leeeeeetle bit preposterous.)

I also found myself giving Lupin a little bit of a side-eye; were it not for the fact that he's a thief, he would make a great detective rivaling Sherlock Holmes, as he uses a lot of the same types of observations and deductions to manipulate people and determine their actions in advance. The way he always explained how we was able to manage the crimes he committed or play people made it feel a little like a knock-off Holmes ... which I guess Lupin kind of was. Still, a lot of fun.