The Hollow Needle — Maurice Leblanc

A classic crime novel of French litterature

Quick Summary

Isidore Bautrelet is a young student who will find himself confronted with a strange character: Arsène Lupin. He finds himself involved in a story linked to a legendary hidden treasure, and will have to solve the riddles that will present themselves to him in order to find it.

My Thoughts

This book is considered one of the best in the Arsène Lupin series and is often cited as one of Maurice Leblanc’s most popular novels. “The Hollow Needle” contributed to the enduring fame of the Arsène Lupin character and his iconic status in French detective literature.

On the other hand, it is a bit dated. And before reading it, I wondered what had become of it, if it had aged well. And indeed, the writing style is a bit old. It’s not a bad read though.

The character of Arsène Lupin is impressive because of his overflowing inventiveness, his non chalance, and his casualness, sometimes with a bit of provocation.

One can however read a little mysoginism between the lines, certainly due to the age of the book. Indeed, the female characters are rather pale and not very detailed, and don’t do much except spend their time asking for a man’s help while wringing their hands in anguish. They are unfortunately reduced to the stage of ornament, more or less useful, simply dedicated to marriage or childbirth.

Apart from that, the story is exceptionally creative, with a story whose origins date back to the conquest of Gaul by Julius Caesar. The duel between the two characters is well done, even if it is sometimes a bit too big.

It is in any case a very pleasant novel to read and that gives a smile, despite the fact that it has aged a little

To Read or Not to Read

If the slightly old-fashioned writing style doesn’t scare you, this book is very interesting, and it is a classic of French literature

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