One week until I am back to work and I am trying not to panic! Also, this is the third post I have started in the last couple of weeks, but I am happy to say I will actually be posting this one. Today’s review is on a newly illustrated collection of classic Arsene Lupin, Gentleman Thief stories.
Thanks to NetGalley and Magnetic Press for the free digital copy (clearly I also purchased) in exchange for an honest review! This book is available now. 🙂
I’ve been curious about the Arsene Lupin stories for a while, and when I saw this illustrated version of Leblanc’s first nine Lupin novellas, it felt like a great opportunity to dive in! An FYI–I have seen this marketed as a comic or graphic novel, and it’s not. It’s an illustrated collection of short stories. I found these short stories to be delightful and entertaining. At times I was a little confused, but it (mostly) all came right in the end. My favorite story is the last one, titled “Herlock Sholmes Arrives Too Late,” because of the intriguing character of “Herlock Sholmes” and the way the mystery was wrapped up. As far as the illustrations go, Vincent Mallie’s illustrations are beautiful and fit the collection so well. Full color illustrations as well as black and white drawings are included and they are whimsical and charming.
This is a sweet collection for anyone who is new to, or already loves, the Lupin stories! If you have a younger mystery lover, this might be a great book for you to read together! 🙂 Apparently there is a Netflix series based on the character of Lupin, and I’m excited to check it out!
The Bookish Bird 