What a pity that I am not an honest man!

Maurice Leblanc

(Full disclosure: I didn’t actually read this book but I wanted to do a “review” of it based on what I have read about this book and series)

Get the book here!

First things first, the series Lupin is not a story based on this book. The main character of the Netflix series “is inspired by the character of the 1900’s” which is Arsene Lupin. So it’s not the story of Lupin like most books-to-screen adaptations are.

I did, however, read some of the book and a lot of synopsizes about the book. I wanted to read it all, but it was written in the 1900s and the wording is… painful. It’s hard to get into because of the time we’re in now and how different our language has become in the last 100+ years.

All this to say, the story is good, but the writing is hard to stay with. Basically, Lupin is a criminal mastermind that constantly taunts the police and his victims. His crimes are not violent in the sense that there are no murders but he calls himself “The Gentlemen Thief” since he is usually quick to take what he needs with little to no frivolous damage. He is a master of disguise and is always one step ahead of those trying to catch him.

So, should you read it? Not if you’re expecting a high-intensity story like we are likely to see in the series. But if you can handle older writing and like a good mystery (think Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes), then it’s probably a great read for you.