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The Eight Strokes of the Clock
344 pages
A charming, episodic romp through northern France filled with dazzling logic, gentlemanly thievery, and romantic intrigue.
What it feels like
Reading this collection feels like stepping into a classic, early twentieth-century adventure where boredom is swiftly cured by the arrival of a charming, enigmatic rogue. The pace is brisk and episodic, carrying the reader across northern France through a series of clever mysteries that blend romantic escapades with dazzling leaps of logic. The mood is light yet intriguing, anchored by a theatrical desire to impress and a delightfully ambivalent attitude toward strict legal justice. It is a world where thieves and murderers are outwitted with style, and true love is gently guided along its path. This book will delight fans of vintage detective fiction who crave gentleman burglars, clever deductions, and a breezy, adventurous spirit.
- Mood
- adventurous
- romantic
- intriguing
- Tone
- charming
- clever
- theatrical
- ambivalent
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- escaping the mundane · the ambiguity of justice · romantic adventure · clever deduction
- The writing
- Classic early twentieth-century translated adventure prose, characterized by clever deductions and a charmingly theatrical flair.
- The arc
- Moves from a state of mundane boredom into a whirlwind of dazzling adventure, culminating in satisfying, heartfelt resolutions.
- Who it's for
- Readers who love classic, episodic mysteries featuring gentleman thieves, dazzling logic, and a touch of romance.
Content notes
- murder
- theft
About the book
Trying to escape from her boring life, Hortense Daniel meets the mysterious Prince Rénine (or should we say Arsène Lupin?) who enlists her help to solve eight mysteries, starting with one that is for her very close to home. The pair’s travels take them across northern France as they help ease the path of true love, bring thieves and murderers to justice, and eventually to recover something very dear to Hortense’s heart. The Eight Strokes of the Clock is an Arsène Lupin novel by any other name, with Maurice Leblanc admitting as much in an opening note. Set in the early days of the character’s history, this collection of mysteries has the hallmarks of classic Lupin: a fervent desire to impress, dazzling jumps of logic and an ambivalent belief that the law can provide justice. This English translation was published in 1922 in the same year it was being serialized in France; it was published in novel form there a year later.
Description from Open Library.
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