Other editions of book The Crystal Stopper

The Crystal Stopper is a mystery novel by Maurice Leblanc featuring the adventures of the gentleman thief Arsène Lupin. The novel appeared in serial form in the French newspaper Le Journal from September to November 1912 and was released as a novel subsequently. Maurice Leblanc was inspired by the infamous Panama scandals of 1892 and 1893. The novel borrows from Edgar Allan Poe's short story The Purloined Letter the idea of hiding an object in plain sight.During a burglary at the home of Deputy Daubrecq a crime is committed and two accomplices of Arsène Lupin are arrested by the police. One is guilty of the crime, the other innocent but both will be sentenced to death. Lupin seeks to deliver the victim of a miscarriage of justice, but struggles against Deputy Daubrecq's ruthless blackmailer, who has an incriminating document hidden in a crystal stopper.

"The Crystal Stopper" is a ripping tale, with non-stop intrigue, action, twists and turns, and a healthy dose of Lupin humor. The story concerns the mysterious pursuit, appearances and disappearances and reappearances of a crystal decanter stopper. Why are so many people hot to get their hands on this seemingly worthless object? In a unique twist, the "villainous" Arsene Lupin becomes the hero of this novel when he faces a sly and blackmailing French deputy, Daubrecq, in a nail-biting adventure that seems to spell doom to Lupin and his gang. Lupin's every move seems anticipated by Daubrecq and his success in saving his followers from the guillotine remains unsure to the very end. Can his marvelous intellect really have met its match in this truly evil deputy?

The Crystal Stopper is a mystery novel by Maurice Leblanc featuring the adventures of the gentleman thief Arsène Lupin. The novel appeared in serial form in the French newspaper Le Journal from September to November 1912 and was released as a novel subsequently. Maurice Leblanc was inspired by the infamous Panama scandals of 1892 and 1893. The novel borrows from Edgar Allan Poe's short story The Purloined Letter the idea of hiding an object in plain sight.

The two boats fastened to the little pier that jutted out from the garden lay rocking in its shadow. Here and there lighted windows showed through the thick mist on the margins of the lake. The Enghien Casino opposite blazed with light, though it was late in the season, the end of September. A few stars appeared through the clouds. A light breeze ruffled the surface of the water. Arsene Lupin left the summer-house where he was smoking a cigar and, bending forward at the end of the pier: "Growler?" he asked. "Masher?… Are you there?" A man rose from each of the boats, and one of them answered

ILLUSTRATEDThe two boats fastened to the little pier that jutted out from the garden lay rocking in its shadow. Here and there lighted windows showed through the thick mist on the margins of the lake. The Enghien Casino opposite blazed with light, though it was late in the season, the end of September. A few stars appeared through the clouds. A light breeze ruffled the surface of the water. Arsene Lupin left the summer-house where he was smoking a cigar and, bending forward at the end of the pier: "Growler?" he asked. "Masher?... Are you there?" A man rose from each of the boats, and one of them answered: "Yes, governor." "Get ready. I hear the car coming with Gilbert and Vaucheray." He crossed the garden, walked round a house in process of construction, the scaffolding of which loomed overhead, and cautiously opened the door on the Avenue de Ceinture. He was not mistaken: a bright light flashed round the bend and a large, open motor-car drew up, whence sprang two men in great-coats, with the collars turned up, and caps.

In this fast-paced mystery from Maurice Leblanc, criminal genius Arsene Lupin sets out to prove the truth of the old saying about honor among thieves. During a burglary, two of his sometimes accomplices are apprehended and ultimately sentenced to death. But Lupin is convinced of the innocence of one of the men who has been arrested and sets out to verify that his hunch is correct.

Arsene Lupin left the summer-house where he was smoking a cigar and, bending forward at the end of the pier: "Growler?" he asked. "Masher?… Are you there?" A man rose from each of the boats, and one of them answered: "Yes, governor." "Get ready. I hear the car coming with Gilbert and Vaucheray." He crossed the garden, walked round a house in process of construction, the scaffolding of which loomed overhead, and cautiously opened the door on the Avenue de Ceinture. He was not mistaken: a bright light flashed round the bend and a large, open motor-car drew up, whence sprang two men in great-coats, with the collars turned up, and caps. It was Gilbert and Vaucheray: Gilbert, a young fellow of twenty or twenty-two, with an attractive cast of features and a supple and sinewy frame; Vaucheray, older, shorter, with grizzled hair and a pale, sickly face. "Well," asked Lupin, "did you see him, the deputy?" "Yes, governor," said Gilbert, "we saw him take the 7.40 tram for Paris, as we knew he would.

In this fast-paced mystery from Maurice Leblanc, criminal genius Arsene Lupin sets out to prove the truth of the old saying about honor among thieves. During a burglary, two of his sometimes accomplices are apprehended and ultimately sentenced to death. But Lupin is convinced of the innocence of one of the men who has been arrested and sets out to verify that his hunch is correct.