The Original Gentleman Thief

These are the first tales of the legendary thief, Arsene Lupin. I'm not very familiar with French literature, but this collection gave me the same feeling as reading some good Victorian literature. If you're a fan of that genre, heist movies, or the Lupin III anime series you should enjoy this. Each adventure is as unique as the treasures Lupin steals and the French prose is gorgeously translated. Sherlock Holmes fans are especially in for a treat. Finally, B.J. Harrison is excellent as a narrator. Very highly recommended!

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Outstanding!

If you could sum up The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsene Lupin, Gentleman Burglar [Classic Tales Edition] in three words, what would they be?

Excellent quality reading

Any additional comments?

There is plenty of info on Maurice LeBlanc's Lupin series available online so I'll leave this to the quality of the product itself.
If it was at all possible I'd give this ten stars. I've been listening to audiobooks for ages. Professional ones, hobbyist ones, Librivox ones, computer generated ones... This is really one of the most enjoyable listens I've had. B. J. Harrison really caught the mood and tenor of the Arsene Lupin stories. While sometimes an audiobook can be a slog to get through because I just wind up wanting to find out what happens next, despite the reader... in the case of these stories, I look forward to the next chance I get to listen to them with joy.
B. J. has also read the the crossover book Arsene Lupin vs Sherlock Holmes, which I'll eagerly listen to next.
If you are out there reading this reveiw, Mr. Harrison, might I request adding to this collection with The Hollow Needle, which is distantly related to Lupin vs Holmes... or La Comtesse de Cagliostro (Memoirs of Arsene Lupin) which IMO is one of the finest Lupin stories written?
Thank you for doing these, they are really a treat!

7 people found this helpful

Over 100 years old and still amazing

I could never have expected that this book that was released in 1907 would still hold up today. In the past I tried to read Sherlock Holmes and found it a chore the same at times with some lesser grade Poirot stories, but this one is beyond amazing. I was actually fooled by the twist in the first story I should have seen it coming but I didn't. Lupin himself isn't a alright perfect being with no character he is human with desires and wants and a personality that feeds on our own most selfish fantasies and I never tire of his narration or his exuberance for life. When Sherlock Holmes fails he refuses to ever talk about it again and grumbles if he is reminded of it, Poirot never fails but still he is humble and kind in spite of his egotism, when Lupin fails he tells his best friend about it and they both laugh at the stupidity of it all I love this book an insane amount

1 person found this helpful

BJ Harrison is absolutely the best narrator

BJ Harrison is absolutely the best narrator I have ever heard. Great job. Loved the book

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Gentleman Burglar, what a treat!!

Arsene Lupin is a wonderful new character addition to my period mystery/sleuth library along side Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, Sherlock Holmes and Nero Wolf to name a few. The content was great, the narration by B.J. Harrison was enthralling. The audio production quality was great. Looking to discover more. Thank you!

So good!

I loved this book, Lupin is wonderful. I loved every case/chapter here, story was wonderful. my favorite was the last one, the final "gift" was well played.

Shadow of Sherlock Holmes

Loved this book, for thsoe who enjoy Sherlock Holems and need a bit of mischief in their lives have a listen. Narrator is perfect for my ears, lovely pronnounciations.

Fun, yet friendly adventures

I had never heard of Lupin until the Netflix series appeared as I am sure a lot of people follow in my same steps at the moment, but I can say I was not let down by the stories at all. I feel the best description of Lupin is the Sherlock Holmes of burglary, the James Bond before the times of Bond, with no womanizing.

Too light

I can’t describe, but I was hoping for more. The stories are really light and short. No real details of the capers, just 2nd hand recounting of generalities.

Worth the listen

I hadn’t heard of this classic until very recently, and was happy to be able to get this collection for $5. In my opinion the stories aren’t at the level of Sherlock Holmes, but they were engaging and fun nonetheless - well worth the read. It seems clear that this was the source. The narrator has trouble with dialogue and uses the same affectation for both characters - a different one than he had used for the main character beforehand, which is somewhat distracting. But otherwise he’s fun to listen to.