Arsène Lupin, L’aiguille creuse - Maurice Leblanc

What starts out seemingly as a regular attempted burglary gone wrong soon turns into something much larger when it is discovered that the ringleader shot by one of the family is none other than Arsène Lupin.  The mystery of his activities in the house and the location of his dead body are revealed by an ingenious young student called Beautrelet (modelled very much on Gaston Leroux’s Rouletabille), but the discovery of a coded paper referring to the L’aiguille creuse (the hollow needle) suggests an even greater mystery.

Lupin of course isn’t dead, and the mystery deepens as Beautrelet sets off around France on the trail of the master criminal in an attempt to uncover one of the greatest secrets of the French Royal family. Through kidnappings, abductions, impersonations and threats of dire consequences, Lupin manages to stay one step ahead of the young investigator, the chief of police and even Herlock Sholmès in an always thrilling, and ultimately tragic adventure.

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