Arsène Lupin Series Books in Order

The Arsène Lupin Series is a classic French crime and adventure franchise created by Maurice Leblanc, featuring one of literature's most enduring and beloved antiheroes. Arsène Lupin is a gentleman burglar — an aristocrat by manner, a master of disguise, a wit of the first order, and the finest thief in France, who steals primarily from the wealthy and corrupt and occasionally condescends to assist the police when a case interests him sufficiently. He is vain, theatrical, and irresistible, and Leblanc clearly adores him.

Leblanc created Lupin in 1905 as a deliberate French counterpoint to Sherlock Holmes — the two even meet in an early story, though Conan Doyle objected to the use of Holmes's name and Leblanc was forced to rename his version "Herlock Sholmes." The rivalry between the rational English detective and the romantic French thief is one of popular fiction's great comic confrontations. Lupin's adventures range from locked-room mysteries to treasure hunts to political intrigues, always resolved with a flourish and a witty exit line.

Comprising 9 novels and numerous short story collections published from 1907 to 1939, the Lupin stories have never been out of print and have inspired countless adaptations, most recently the hugely successful Netflix series Lupin starring Omar Sy, which reimagines the character in contemporary Paris. The books work well in any order, though starting with the early short story collections (The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsène Lupin, 1907) gives the best introduction to the character's voice and methods.