Maurice Leblanc Books In Order

Publication Order of Arsène Lupin Books

Publication Order of Arsène Lupin Stories Books

Publication Order of Arsène Lupin Collections

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Anthologies

Maurice Leblanc was a French mystery and thrillers author best known as the creator of the gentleman thief popularly known as Arsene Lupin. He was born to a wealthy family, went to school and majored in law, worked as a cop, and later as a reporter before finding his career as a fiction writer after he was tasked with writing a short story filler.

His debut novel Lupin was widely accepted, and it immediately set a pattern for his career. While the author wrote other fiction books, the Lupin series made him globally famous and compared to the likes of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Maurice Leblanc’s books based on Arsene Lupin have been adapted to a television series aired on Netflix with the name Lupin.

Arsene Lupin, Gentleman- Thief
The Queen’s necklace is not only famous for its worth a lot of money, but also because of the scandals surrounding it. It all starts with Marie Antoinette becoming illusioned with the lavish lifestyle of the Cardinal de Rohan-Soubise.

She kicks him from her company, and to get back to his place, he contacts Bassage and Bohmer regarding the expensive necklace they’d be unsuccessful in getting any royal family to buy.

But now, there’s some sort of confusion between the Queen, the Cardinal, and their mutual friend Madame Du Barry. The Queen never wanted the necklace, but Madame Du Barry appears to have told the Cardinal that she did. The Cardinal makes arrangements in the name of the Queen but gives it to Du Barry to deliver.
But the necklace was never delivered to the Queen.

When Bassenge and Bohmer don’t receive their payments for the necklace, and the Queen insists that she never in the first place intended to buy the necklace, things take a twisted turn fast. The Cardinal is arrested publicly.

Madame Du Barry and her accomplices are later arrested. The Cardinal is later found to be a dupe in the entire saga and subsequently acquitted.
But in true French Fashion, because of their hatred for the Queen, the peasants interpret the trial as a condemnation of the Royal and suspect that the queen was involved in the entire saga.

Now at the time of Maurice Leblanc’s narration, the necklace is already at the hands of the aristocratic family.

The diamonds have already been sold and replaced by fake ones. The necklace’s setting is still worth a fortune, and it’s also a highly-priced possession of the family, but it’ll prove the first victorious theft by the famous thief Arsene Lupin.

Arsene isn’t his real name, as his profession doesn’t allow him to use his own name.

Maurice LeBlanc was requested by the newspaper he worked for to create a French version of Sherlock Holmes. The stories of this gentleman French thief were successful such that at LeBlanc, as tired of his made like Arthur Conan was, tried to create new characters, but the public demand for more of Lupin’s stories was so much that the author was forced to merge Lupin into stories of his other characters.

It’s said that Maurice LeBlanc based the gentleman thief on the real-life theif Marius Jacob. Jacob wasn’t your typical criminal; he had formed a gang known as the workers of the night. He had rules, did not rob people in a good profession such as artists, architects, doctors, etc. he considered stealing from judges, soldiers, bosses, and clergymen as he considered them social parasites and his best targets.

He was a cunny man leaving a minimal trace and a puzzle of how he pulled out the crime in the aftermath of his robberies.
Maurice LeBlanc’s book is a series of short stories that can be read as standalone’s as they don’t follow any chronological order.
As the reader, you’re able to interact with Arsene Lupin in different stages of his career, from his childhood, a young man trying to establish a reputation, to a mature man who mentioning his name inspires terror and despair.
Of course, he’s not only a burglar but also an informer who informs those he intends to steal from whether they’ve been duped by an untrustworthy dealer by leaving them a note.

The plots of these short stories are fantastic and compelling and will get you hooked right from the first page to the last. Though arrogant, Lupin isn’t annoying at all; he’s a man against the world.

The author cannot resist having a story that involves Sherlock Holmes. He cleverly has both Holmes and Lupin involves in the same mystery story but not competing against each other. There isn’t a winner or a loser, but at the same time, it’s quite fascinating to see LeBlanc’s view of Sherlock Holmes.
Arsene Lupin story was also adapted to a 2004 movie by the same name starring Eva Green, Romain Duris, and Kristin Scott Thomas. It’s a highly recommended read for the readers who appreciate cunny thieves and are fans of the famous Sherlock Holmes.

The Confessions of Arsene Lupin
What do you do when you’ve got a thief you can’t seem to get your hands on despite all your efforts?
Well, absolutely, nothing.

While he doesn’t prey on the poor and prefers to steal from the rich, he sometimes shares his steals with the less fortunate, who happen to be in the right place at the right time.

First introduced in 1905, Arsene Lupin soon gained fame among readers as the most captivating fictional gentleman thief. It was only a matter of time before the best detective of all time found himself in a race against time against one of the most notorious thieves of all time.

Often referred to as modern French Robin Hood, Lupin’s personality is what strikes you first, then his reputation next.

The Confessions of Arsene Lupin is another set of amusing adventures of Lupin where he sometimes robs and other times solves the mystery. But don’t forget that even when Lupin plays an honest man, he doesn’t forget to grab something for himself.