An Arsène Lupin Casebook

By: Maurice Leblanc

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki, Gabrielle de Cuir, John Lee

Discover the many faces of Arsène Lupin as you’ve never seen them before in this original compilation from Skyboat Media and Blackstone Publishing.

Arsène Lupin boldly makes a name for himself in “Madame Imbert’s Safe” as he attempts to steal from a couple who may be hiding more than just money, and he flaunts his keen eye as he traces a cold case in “The Queen’s Necklace”. In “The Arrest of Arsène Lupin”, passengers onboard a transatlantic steamer fear for their valuables when the captain announces that Arsène Lupin has snuck onto the ship...and he could be disguised as anyone. In “Sherlock Holmes Arrives Too Late”, Lupin goes head-to-head with Holmes, but someone from Lupin’s past may get in the way.

Just when it seems like Lupin is in a criminal league all his own, Herlock Sholmes appears. Similar to the famous English detective (but, owing to the complaints of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, possessing an entirely different name), Sholmes travels to Paris to solve the case of the stolen blue diamond. Monsieur Lupin must employ all his ingenuity to avoid arrest and protect his reputation as the greatest thief the world has ever known. With daring escapes and intricate heists, this compilation showcases Lupin at his most cunning - and his most outrageous.

Full contents:

Introduction by Alison Belle Bews - read by Gabrielle de Cuir

“The Arrest of Arsène Lupin” - read by Stefan Rudnicki

“The Escape of Arsène Lupin” - read by Stefan Rudnicki

“Madame Imbert’s Safe” - read by Stefan Rudnicki

“The Black Pearl” - read by Stefan Rudnicki

“Sherlock Holmes Arrives Too Late” - read by Stefan Rudnicki

“The Queen’s Necklace” - read by Gabrielle de Cuir

“Lottery Ticket No. 514” - read by Stefan Rudnicki

“The Blue Diamond” - read by Stefan Rudnicki

“Herlock Sholmes Opens Hostilities” - read by Stefan Rudnicki and John Lee

“Light in the Darkness” - read by John Lee

“An Abduction” - read by John Lee and Stefan Rudnicki

“The Second Arrest of Arsène Lupin” - read by Stefan Rudnick

©1941 Maurice Leblanc (P)2020 Blackstone Publishing

A Fine Introduction to Arsène Lupin

I was unfamiliar with Arsène Lupin before the Netflix series and sought out the original tales (now public domain) before watching Season 2. Many recording houses are cashing in on this opportunity (why not?) with varied results. I looked for a collection with a long running time and decided on this one based on the inclusion of two stories with Sherlock Holmes/Herlock Sholmes. The first two stories serve as an introduction to Lupin and Ganimard and tends to show the wordy, self-congratulatory side of Lupin, where stories are recounted rather than experienced by the listener. The rest of the tales carry the listener along with events that end up connecting to each other in a wonderful manner. The writing and word choice are engaging (if of the period, which is expected). You will sense why Assane appreciated the stories involving Herlock Sholmes so much, discover who the Blond Lady is, and see that Guedira is a superior detective to Ganimard in many ways. Lupin is not as present as his actions (and those who react to them) in many of the tales - he can be a shadowy figure, a departure from Conan Doyle's consulting detective stories.

The performances were average. Stefan Rudnicki's sonorous voice was pleasant but he did not distinguish very well between characters, so a dialog sequence could be difficult to parse who was actually speaking. Annoyingly, during one of the stories, the voice actor changes for a period before reverting back. Otherwise, the production values were fine - the voices were clear and had no noise problems.

After finishing, I wondered if I should have chosen a different collection - perhaps the even longer omnibus? This is an acceptable choice if you want a meal of Lupin with many cursory connections to the show but you're not sure if the writing style is what you want to experience for 17 hours.