813.: And Other Stories
(eBook)

813 (1910) is a novel by Maurice Leblanc. Blending crime fiction, fantasy, and mystery, Leblanc crafts original and entertaining tales of adventure starring one of the greatest literary characters of all time-Arsène Lupin, gentleman thief. Partly based on the life of French anarchist Marius Jacob, Lupin first appeared in print in 1905 as an answer to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. Arsène Lupin is the world's greatest thief, an unmatched force for good whose exploits threaten the wealth and standing of France's most wicked men. In this installment of Leblanc's beloved series, Lupin uses his remarkable wit and chameleon-like ability to move undetected through aristocratic society in order to steal, trick, and cheat his way through life. Despite his criminal nature, he operates under a strict moral code, only taking from those who have taken from the poor all their lives. In this novel, Lupin targets Mr. Kesselbach, a man known as the King of Diamonds whose immense fortune surpasses twenty-million-pound sterling. Finding him at the extravagant Palace Hotel, Lupin executes his plan brilliantly, but when Kesselbach is found murdered, the thief is implicated in the crime. Sent to prison, he is forced to cooperate with the police in order to catch the killer and clear his own name. The ensuing mystery involves some of Europe's most powerful leaders, both past and present. 813 is a story of romance, mystery, and crime that continues to astound over a century after it was published.