The Escape of Arsène Lupin

by Maurice Leblanc

'When I decide to escape I shall want nobody’s assistance.’

In this thrilling collection, we meet Arsène Lupin, a brilliant, alluring master of disguise – or, as some would have it, a notorious criminal. We follow him on a series of high-stakes adventures, from ingenious heists of invaluable paintings to daring escapes, each one showcasing his intellect, charm, and extraordinary ability to stay one step ahead of the law.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, France, Mystery, Crime

128 pages, Paperback

Published April 17, 2025

About the author

Maurice 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.

Reviews

[David]

Enough with the whole “gentleman thief” trope. Someone needs to write about a chud thief who steals DoorDash orders and PlayStation gift cards. He leaves Dorito dust fingerprints and his wrists are too fat to fit into normal handcuffs. That’s the novel I want to read next.

[Suli Scatchard]

Biased review, I enjoyed these four short stories! They were quick, playful and charming. I kind of fancy Lupin.

However! How dare he wind up my Mr Holmes!

[Georgia]

Archive #27

3.75

Very fun!

The character of Lupin has some strange lore out and about in the world and within my group of friends, so I was quite excited to start this book. His reputation preceded him, but I was pleasantly surprised by him even so. Leblanc writes short little crime stories that are at once engaging and consuming, and yet witty, light, and humorous. Very much enjoyed the meeting between Lupin and Sherlock Holmes. You can definitely spot the differences in our two countries' sensibilities. Sherlock Holmes, the dignified, sardonic, problem solving detective, vs Arsène Lupin, the roguish, charming, attractive thief. They make a great pairing.

A refreshing read!

[Iso]

i'm sure those guys who robbed the louvre would love this

[zaheerah]

I'm subscribed to a video game "book club" where each month we receive a copy of an indie game to play. One of the games I received earlier this year was Arsene Lupin - Once a Thief I had SO much fun playing the game that I wanted to read the original text. Luckily, there was a Penguin Archive edition so it's a great snippet of Leblanc's work!

[Rich Lambert]

fun and easy. liked how easy it was to get a feel of Lupin even when he wasnt there. thought the inclusion of Holmes in the 4th story was great whimsy and I want to read other stories with them both

[Anna Schreier]

I loved this with all my heart; witty, charming and clever! just pure pleasure and joy in one of the most thought through little mysteries.

[Nhan Slevin]

Light, witty, and charming - really fun :)

[Chris]

Four short stories in translation are here selected from Maurice Leblanc’s Arsène Lupin, gentleman-cambrioleur, the first collection of stories about the extraordinary French antihero published in book form in 1907.

Nine Lupin short stories had originally appeared from 1905 to 1906 in the French magazine Je sais tout; this Penguin Archive selection features ‘The Arrest of Arsène Lupin’, ‘The Escape of Arsène Lupin’, ‘The Queen’s Necklace’, and ‘Sherlock Holmes Arrives Too Late’.

Master of disguises and yet a burglar with a heart of gold, no one knows Lupin’s background, his true appearance, his real name or even where he will turn up next – unless he chooses to announce it. A scourge of high society and the French police, he reminds me a lot of Patricia Highsmith’s Tom Ripley: a man who lives to dupe others, a chancer but also a meticulous planner, a criminal whom despite ourselves we have a sneaking regard for.

We first meet Lupin travelling first class crossing the Atlantic in the liner SS La Provence, at that time the largest French ship afloat, equipped with wireless telegraphy. A message is received stating that notorious thief Arsène Lupin is aboard travelling incognito, and should therefore be apprehended on arrival in New York. Among other things the narrator makes the acquaintance of the young Miss Nellie Underdown who, during Lupin’s eventual arrest in America, mysteriously doesn’t give Lupin away.

The second episode has Lupin back in a Paris prison after declaring that he will not be at his trial. A complex plot introduces escapes and voluntary jailings, mistaken identity, an abandoned trial, and revelations. The third episode initially takes us back a few years to the theft of the fabled necklace of Marie Antoinette (Antal Szerb among others wrote extensively about this piece of jewellery), involving a well-to-do banker and a female servant with a young son called Raoul; Lupin subsequently appears to reveal to the banker and guests how the theft actually happened.

Finally we have Lupin and Sherlock Holmes crossing paths in Normandy. At Thibermesnil château the owner declares that one of his guests looks like Lupin, and after some good-humoured banter the owner reveals there is a tradition of a secret tunnel leading from outside the castle to the place where choice antiques are kept, though key documents revealing clues to it have since disappeared, either stolen or known only through word of mouth. In anticipation of his treasures being stolen by Lupin the owner has called in the celebrated detective Sherlock Holmes, due to arrive the day after the expected burglary.

It’s easy to be bamboozled by the playful storytelling where nothing is as it seems, even when a ‘solution’ is revealed. Returning characters like a detective and the young lady on an ocean liner retain the mystery of their original introduction, and sleight of hand is evident everywhere; even Lupin’s Robin Hood characteristics seem at odds with his easy relationships with the upper echelons of French society. One can only assume that the gentleman-thief bore some resemblance to the author, going by the dapper appearance of Leblanc himself in a photo contemporary with the publication of the fix-up novel.

Originally translated by George Morehead in 1910 as The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsène Lupin, Gentleman Burglar, I have few quibbles about the present translation except that it reads awkwardly at times, which I can only ascribe to the original text attempting to steer a not always successful path between semi-revelatory narrative, sophisticated wit and deliberate obfuscation.

What I will say in favour of this selection of four of the nine episodes – numbers 1, 3, 5 and 9 – is that it does present a reasonably coherent narrative: from summaries I’ve read the omitted episodes seem to add little more to the portrait of a career criminal which one can deduce from what’s offered here. Though it was not an unalloyed pleasure I’m glad I finally got to sample some of the early stories of a likeable conman whose name, perhaps significantly, could be translated as ‘manly wolf’. You have to wonder how long he will manage or even choose to prey on his helpless victims.

[Lucy]

Arsène Lupin is a master thief and detective, rival to none but Sherlock Holmes himself! Through these four short stories, we see him deceive, dupe, charm, outwit, bewilder, and wow both Inspector Ganimard, the police detective charged with bringing him to justice, and the fanatic Parisian crowds. He even outsmarts Leblanc's version of Holmes in the final story: 'Sherlock Holmes Arrives Too Late'!

Lupin is a man unto himself, thieving when and from whom he sees fit, and abiding by no law besides his own. These stories were witty, clever, and such good fun! A lighthearted dose of crime fiction exactly when I needed it.

[Sleepster]

This seems to be a much smaller collection than Penguin Previously did and seems to skip a book or two which is a shame but still allows a complete experience of Arsène Lupin.
Lupin is simply a joy to read about, he's fun, extravagant and intelligent in such a calm cool way which makes you root for him. Even if the people he steals from don't seem to be bad people.
It's a fun romp of a few short stories that keep you guessing and wondering what this gentleman will do next.

[Shaun Hudson]

I found it a great introduction to Arsène Lupin with each story, keeping me hooked till the very end.

[Liam Smyth]

Easy, quick read. Pretty fun and translated well.

[Maxwell]

3.7

[Eleonora]

four entertaining short stories to devour in one day. loved the crossover of sherlock holmes and arsène lupin

[vidisha]

the rose?? oh nelly underdown and arsene lupin you absolute yearners.

[Zuzia]

What a cute little book! I really enjoyed it, especially the scenes between him and Nellie, and him and Sherlock at the end 💮

[Sam Ling]

My Franco-philia aside, I found that rather charming.

[L]

2.5 - 2.25p, 3.0w/s. meh.

[Emma-Louise Brillouet]

*3.75 stars
Short but fun

[Jupiter]

“It is all the better if people are never able to say with certainty: ‘There goes Arsène Lupin’. The great thing is that they should say without fear of being mistaken: ‘That action was performed by Arsène Lupin.’”

A fantastic collection of the adventures of gentleman thief Arsène Lupin. My absolute favourite has to be “Sherlock Holmes Arrives Too Late” - the last and longest tale of this collection. It is the most intriguing, exploring the sundry aspects of our charming thief: the vulnerability around Ms. Underdown; the mutual restraint and recognition during his electric first encounter with Holmes; and his mischievous and audacious pride in full effect when he purloins the detective’s watch and returns it, promising of future collisions.

The mystery and riddles are not too convoluted, as to make readers scratch their heads trying to follow the story; yet not too simple as to make the stories stale and trite. Overall, an enthralling and enjoyable read that can be finished in one sitting, an excellent introduction to the character of Arsène Lupin.

[Frank Dominguez]

Being a big fan of the Holmes and Poirot era of Detective fiction I’ve read a few Lupin stories in the past but I’ve never read the famous story contained in this anthology where Lupin outsmarts Sherlock Holmes or “Herlock Sholmes” as he was known in this story until the copyright on Sherlock Holmes was lifted and he became a free use character. I love Lupin but for me Leblanc’s reveals don’t quite live up to Conan Doyle’s or Christie’s hence the 4/5

[Steve]

It was really hard to follow, but it was good and fun