''The Last Love of Arsène Lupin'' is a novel written by

Maurice Leblanc Maurice Marie Émile Leblanc (; ; 11 December 1864 – 6 November 1941) was a French novelist and writer of short stories, known primarily as the creator of the fictional gentleman thief and detective Arsène Lupin, often described as a French ...

, published posthumously. It relates the later years of his frequent hero,

Arsène Lupin Arsène Lupin () is a fictional gentleman thief and master of disguise created in 1905 by French writer Maurice Leblanc. The character was first introduced in a series of short stories serialized in the magazine '' Je sais tout''. The first ...

Publication history

This work, begun under the title "The Last Adventure of Arsène Lupin", was found by chance in 2011 "on top of a cupboard in a beige shirt with rusty hooks" by Florence Boespflug-Leblanc. A

foreword A foreword is a (usually short) piece of writing, sometimes placed at the beginning of a book or other piece of literature. Typically written by someone other than the primary author of the work, it often tells of some interaction between th ...

was written by Florence Leblanc. According to the deceased's wishes, the story was transcribed without corrections from a 160-page typescript. A

preface __NOTOC__ A preface () or proem () is an introduction to a book or other literature, literary work written by the work's author. An introductory essay written by a different person is a ''foreword'' and precedes an author's preface. The preface o ...

was written by Jacques Derouard. According to him, Leblanc had worked on it in September 1936, shortly before a

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

. He started to correct it at the beginning of the following year, in "a very shaky hand".

Synopsis

In a prologue we learn that Lupin's great-grandfather was one of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

's generals, for whom he will successfully complete a singular mission: to bring the English version of the journal that contains the family Montcalmet revelations of

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc ( ; ; – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the Coronation of the French monarch, coronation of Charles VII o ...

on the "high directives of English politics," absent from the French version. Finally, to complete the genealogy of the hero Cabot, Lupin finally married Countess Montcalmet. Cora, a blonde-haired, green-eyed woman appears. The faithful Captain Andrew Savery is presented to her by Count Hairfall, and he loves her from afar. Unexpectedly the Prince of Lerna commits suicide. Thereafter, Cora soon learns from Lord Hairfall that her biological father is Lord Harrington, a close relative of the English Royal Family. Newspapers report the disappearance of Lema's fortune: four million pounds of gold sent by the

Bank of England The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694 to act as the Kingdom of England, English Government's banker and debt manager, and still one ...

to the

Bank of France The Bank of France ( ) is the national central bank for France within the Eurosystem. It was the French central bank between 1800 and 1998, issuing the French franc. It does not translate its name to English, and thus calls itself ''Banque de F ...

in two bags. Lupin reviews the transfer closely. The bags mysteriously landed near the Julainville in the "zone" between Gennevilliers and Pantin and then disappeared. The police and Fourvier rush to the "zone" to investigate, but Lupin finds the bags before anyone else. Lupin is an old thief who does not hide his true identity from Fourvier. He turns into an instructor for the wayward child (Fourvier). This company is dedicated to him and he is familiarly called Captain Kakariko, alluding to his rallying cry. With the help of brother and sister, Joséphin Maria Theresa that he protects his beloved from danger. The rest of the story is a tale of international espionage targeting the old "Book of Montcalmet" where friends are not always friends, but the hero will triumph with panache.

References

External links

* Arsène Lupin novels Novels published posthumously 2012 French novels Rediscovered works {{1940s-hist-novel-stub