A review by izzatiidrus
Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Thief by Maurice Leblanc

funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I did not expect to like this as much as I did. We readers were not slowly introduced to the gentleman-thief, we witnessed Lupin getting arrested in the very first chapter/short story! The shocked reaction of the people let us know how good Lupin was at his job and yet the unimaginable happened. Ah, but of course there was more to the story because hey, there were other 8 short stories in the first book and Lupin was a series.

What a brilliant way to introduce a unique character! Everything was dramatic, I loved it! We got a taste of Lupin's past, of his genius thieving, of his anonymity and expertise in masking and of how gentlemanly he was for writing love letters to warn his victims before the theft took place. Instead of bringing a totally new unknown rival into the picture, Leblanc borrowed the fame of Sherlock Holmes. Why not add another way to show the superiority of the French against the Brits, eh?

I have bought the whole Lupin series and look forward to reading the next one. If you're into mystery classics and enjoy the bombastic, the fantastic, this could be a gem of a read for you.