The Blonde Lady
by Maurice Leblanc (1864–1941)
- Free to read
- 4 hours to read
- 8 chapters
- Reading level: 6th grade
"The Blonde Lady" by Maurice Leblanc is a detective novel written in the early 20th century. The story follows the cunning thief Arsène Lupin as he battles against English detective Holmlock Shears, weaving a tale filled with mystery, stolen treasures, and the pursuit of a valuable lottery ticket. The main plot begins with the theft of M. Gerbois' writing desk, which contains a winning lottery ticket worth a million francs, leading to a duel of wits between Lupin and Shears. The opening of this engaging narrative introduces M. Gerbois, a professor who purchases a writing desk for his daughter's birthday only to have it stolen shortly afterward. As he discovers that the desk contained the ticket for a million francs, he resolves to reclaim his fortune, while Lupin, the thief, openly declares his claim to the winning ticket. This sets off a series of events including Gerbois’ frantic attempts to prove his ownership and the kidnapping of his daughter, Suzanne. The opening establishes a thrilling tension between the characters and hints at a gripping contest of intelligence and morality as both men seek to outmaneuver each other in a high-stakes game.
- Detective and mystery stories
- Lupin, Arsène (Fictitious character)
Read the opening
Chapter I
NUMBER 514, SERIES 23
On the 8th of December last, M. Gerbois, professor of mathematics at Versailles College, rummaging among the stores at a second-hand dealer's, discovered a small mahogany writing-desk, which took his fancy because of its many drawers.
"That's just what I want for Suzanne's birthday," he thought.
M. Gerbois' means were limited and, anxious as he was to please his daughter, he felt it his duty to beat the dealer down. He ended by paying sixty-five francs. As he was writing down his address, a well-groomed and well-dressed young man, who had been hunting through the shop in every direction, caught sight of the writing-desk and asked:
"How much for this?"
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About this edition
This free edition of The Blonde Lady by Maurice Leblanc comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #24839, released 2008-03-15. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Crime, Thrillers and Mystery, Novels.
Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).
