Arsène Lupin vs Herlock Sholmes

A few brilliant lines of humor, a plot that makes it hard to refuse and a mystery like no other. Arsene Lupin vs. Herlock Sholmes would have been better off however, had LeBlanc not written out the parts of Holmes and Watson or as they are called here Herlock and Wilson so poorly.For fans of the Lupin series but not many Conan Doyle fans will appreciate this detective.Unlike the Holmes and Watson that Conan Doyle fans have come to love, Herlock and Wilson are NOT what any C.D. fan would expect. Herlock is crude, cold-hearted, and has quite a temper. Meanwhile, Wilson is very stupid and makes a hobby of stating the obvious (literally). There is good reason why LeBlact couldn't use the names of Sherlock and Watson, he didn't deserve to (that and I'm sure some nice lawyers would sue him relentlessly for copyright infringement).I you are a fan of the Lupin series then you'll most likely love this as well, for fans of the REAL Sherlock Holmes......probably not, for those who have not read the original S.H. I recomend reading the original before this. But the one thing that I did take away from this book is a new-found appreciation for my new favorite thief, Arsene Lupin, as a stand-alone series it IS great, but mixing it with the S.H. franchise.....not the best idea in the world...well maybe if it was more true to the original character.

Most English speakers are unfamiliar with Arsene Lupin. He is one of France's most famous fictional characters--a gentleman master thief. He's the sort of anti-hero who uses his brains and his carm to escape from any situation the police may put him in. In this novel, the police have failed to capture Lupin again, so one of the victims calls on the famous English detective Herlock Sholmes (obviously Sherlock Holmes). The Holmes of this novel is a little different than the Holmes of Conan Doyle. This Holmes is a little more rigid and cold-hearted than Doyle's Holmes. He works like a machine and is always hot on Lupin's tracks. The world's greatest detective verses the world's greatest thief--who will win?This novel seems to use an old translation. Some of the phrases are a little old-fashioned, and it seems that the translation was perhaps a bit too tight. If they retranslated this and used a more modern writing style, it would really improve this book. However, this is the only translation available that I know of. Despite this, I still give this book five stars because once you start reading this book, you forget about the structural problems. You just want to find out who will win.

Hard to find this book.The Classical mystery, adventure and detective story book by Maurice Leblanc is one of my all time favorite books.Arsene Lupin is my hero and he is incomparable with today's computerized heroes based on Comic books.

I have been a fan of the Anime series "lupin III"for a long time and which is a direct reference to the series created by Maurice Leblanc. Being a Big Sherlock Holmes fan as well, i was surprised to find a take off with lupin as the adversary to the great detective. I must say that this book delivers quite well and is alot of fun to read. Lupin's carefree attitude, effortless escapes, complicated and whimsical traps, and generally gentleman like air make him a joy to read.To sherlock Holmes Enthusist, Bewarned: this is not the same Sherlock we are all familiar with (his name in the book is Herlock Sholmes with a VERY dimwitted assistant named Wilson) If you are expecting a new sherlock mystery you are in for a treat ;-)Mystery fans alike will be in for a wild ride as Lupin proves that there's no such thing as impossible!

I can't believe that so few people in the USA know about the Arsene Lupin books! They're great adventure stories, fast paced, and superbly clever. It seems like they've been overlooked merely because they weren't originally written in English. Arsene Lupin vs. Herlock Sholmes is a semi-parody on Sherlock Holmes, yet I think that it's Arsene Lupin that will truly fascinate readers. I'd highly recomend this book and all other Arsene Lupin books to anyone who enjoyed the Scarlet Pimpernel series and wants a bit more fast paced adventure.