What's Inside
Jim Barnett sits in a bare office on the rue Laborde, feet on his desk and expensive cigarette stubs in the ashtray. To the public and the frustrated Inspector Béchoux, he is a private detective offering information for free. In reality, he is Arsène Lupin, using the agency to insert himself into high-stakes mysteries involving royal scandals, fraudulent stockbrokers, and ancient dungeon secrets. While Béchoux relies on his heavy-weight champion muscles and starched collars to follow procedure, Barnett uses wizardry and disguise to outmaneuver criminals. He consistently solves the case just in time to secure a private payout, leaving the police with the credit and himself with the cash.
Works & figures
- Jim Barnett
The alter-ego of Arsène Lupin who runs a free information agency. (in “THE ROYAL LOVE LETTER”)
- Inspector Béchoux
A lean, waxen-faced detective with unusually muscular arms and elegant clothes. (in “THE ROYAL LOVE LETTER”)
- Baronne Assermann
A veiled woman in mourning who seeks help at the agency. (in ““DROPS THAT TRICKLE AWAY””)
- Elizabeth Lovendale
A woman searching thirty years for a letter proving royal descent. (in “THE ROYAL LOVE LETTER”)
- Nicolas Gassire
A corpulent outside broker who obsessively checks his bundle of securities. (in “TWELVE LITTLE NIGGER BOYS”)
- Maxime Tuillier
A morose gambler whose appearance is stolen and mimicked by Barnett. (in “A GAME OF BACCARAT”)
What it's really about
- Dual Identity
- A thief playing detective to exploit both sides of the law.
- Class Friction
- Lupin targets the bourgeois and aristocrats while mocking police vanity.
Why it's memorable
- Barnett sitting in his shirt-sleeves with a lager during a midsummer heatwave in deserted Paris.
- A yellowed receipt from a father being used to settle a dispute over a castle.
Where to start
Start with THE ROYAL LOVE LETTER to see the specific dynamic between the amateur detective and his police rival.
For your book club
- The irony of a professional thief being the only one who can provide 'information free.'
- How Lupin uses the police force as his own unwitting field research team.