Arsène Lupin, Super-Sleuth

Name: Arsène Lupin, Super-Sleuth
Author: Maurice Leblanc

Arsène Lupin, Super-Sleuth by Maurice Leblanc opens as Ralph de Limézy (Lupin's alias) trails two women in Paris—a haughty Englishwoman, Constance Bakersfield, and a captivating green-eyed girl he glimpses only briefly. Following Bakersfield onto the Marseilles express, he flirts with her in their compartment, but that night masked robbers attack the train, strangling Bakersfield to death and murdering two brothers, the Loubeaux, in an adjoining compartment. Bound and helpless, Ralph glimpses one of the killers unmasked: the green-eyed girl. Detective Rudolph Marescal, a vain rival who had been shadowing Bakersfield (secretly a jewel thief), takes charge of the investigation, pockets her incriminating papers, and captures the girl—only for Ralph to spirit her away from custody. Posing as a gallant protector while nursing suspicion and desire in equal measure, Ralph shadows the girl through a burglary at a Riviera villa, a blackmail scheme targeting her stepfather Bregeac, and a rescue from her ruthless accomplice William Ancivel. He learns she is Aurelie d'Asteux, raised at a Pyrenees convent, bound since childhood by an oath to guard a mysterious inheritance secret from her late grandfather—a secret that has made her the target of Bregeac's obsession, William's greed, a third criminal named Jodot, and Marescal's vengeful lust after she rejects him. Ralph repeatedly foils Marescal, including staging a fake drowning to save Aurelie from a forced assault at the convent. Investigating further, Ralph uncovers that Jodot was once the Loubeaux brothers' business partner and that Bregeac harbors an old guilty secret tied to a mysterious "Eau de Jouvence" bottle hidden with a torn confession. A frantic multi-way chase for the bottle ends with Ralph seizing it from Marescal. Marescal retaliates by having Ralph arrested as the express train's mastermind, then storms Bregeac's house with a warrant for Aurelie, brandishing the bottle and gloating that her protector is now powerless behind bars—leaving Aurelie seemingly abandoned to her fate as the section closes.

By Maurice Leblanc · First published 1927 · Genre: Crime Fiction, Adventure, Thriller · 14 chapters · 85,042 words

First lines

Ralph de Limézy was strolling along the boulevards with the careless air of a happy man, who has only to look about him to enjoy the charming sights and the light gaiety which the life of Paris presents to the intelligent observer on certain luminous days in April. Of middle height, he had a figure at once slender and powerful.

As he passed the Gymnase, he had the impression that a man who was walking abreast of him was following a woman, an impression which he was presently able to assure himself was exact.

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Arsène Lupin, Super-Sleuth is listed on Textopian as a novel by Maurice Leblanc, dated 1927 CE.

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Work type: Novel
Author: Maurice Leblanc
Date: 1927 CE
Language: English
Genres: Crime Fiction, Adventure, Thriller, Romance, Detective Fiction
Length: 85,042 words
Structure: 14 chapters, 2,000 paragraphs
Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)

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Discussion starters

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Genres

Crime Fiction — The narrative centers on murders, thefts, blackmail, and investigation of multiple crimes across the express train and surrounding events, making criminal activity the driving force of the plot.
Adventure — The work features continuous action sequences including escapes, chases, dangerous expeditions, and perilous situations that drive the protagonist and heroine through extraordinary circumstances.
Thriller — Sustained tension and high-stakes danger permeate the narrative, from the express murders to the climactic siege at Juvains lake, with constant threats to the protagonists' lives.
Romance — The emotional relationship between Ralph and Aurelie forms a significant psychological core, with passionate declarations of love and the heroine's devotion influencing major plot decisions.