Arsène Lupin Versus Herlock Sholmes · Characters
Character guide
Key figures in Arsène Lupin Versus Herlock Sholmes by Maurice Leblanc.
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Arsène Lupin
major
Also known as Lupin, Maxime Bermond, Monsieur Lupin, Ars ├ иne Lupin
Lupin moves through Paris as a dozen different men, leaving mocking messages and sandwich-board challenges where a detective expects clues. What makes him irresistible is not the theft but the vanity of it: he wants Sholmes to know he was beaten by an intelligence, not a lucky break. His early provocations set the rules of the game the whole book plays by.
Herlock Sholmes
major
Also known as Sholmes, Monsieur Sholmes, the Englishman
Sholmes arrives in Paris expecting a vacation duel and instead finds his every move anticipated, his name on posters, his pride pricked like a needle. He is brilliant, vain, and honest enough to admit the fascination Lupin holds over him. His refusal to abandon a task — even when a stranger begs him to — drives the investigation forward and into the trap.
Wilson
supporting
Also known as Monsieur Wilson
Wilson follows Sholmes through Paris with the valises and the best intentions, dozing through deductions and lunging at the wrong moment. His broken arm becomes the accidental clue that cracks a case open, though he suffers for it. He matters because his bumbling humanity keeps the duel from becoming purely cerebral.
Ganimard
supporting
Also known as Monsieur Ganimard, Detective Ganimard, Old Ganimard, Madame Ganimard
Ganimard works the d'Hautrec murder scene with methodical questions, dismantling alibis while his colleagues chase theories. He lacks the flash of a Dupin, but his independence and intuition earn him a seat at the magistrate's table. His long fascination with Lupin gives the investigation a personal edge that the Englishman's cold reasoning lacks.
Clotilde Destange
supporting
Also known as Clotilde, Destange, Mademoiselle Destange
Clotilde moves through the case as a name on a jeweler's lips and a figure behind a heavy veil, resetting stones that were never hers to reset. Her link to Lupin is the kind of secret the book doles out slowly, one garnet at a time. She matters because she is the thread Sholmes pulls when every other lead goes dark.
Monsieur Gerbois
supporting
Also known as Gerbois, Mon . Gerbois, Mlle . Gerbois
Gerbois is the civilian at the edge of the game, a man whose luck — a ticket, a number, a small fortune — makes him suddenly interesting to people far more dangerous than himself. His ordinary life is the stake Lupin and Sholmes quietly wager over. He matters because the plot's first mystery is not a jewel or a murder but what happens to a nobody who wins.
Alice Demun
supporting
Also known as Mademoiselle Alice Demun, Alice, Mademoiselle
Alice Demun moves through the affair as a modest, unremarkable presence — until Herlock Sholmes notices her slipping out to a pharmacy, pausing to speak with a beggar, and carrying packages that might be messages rather than medicine. Her composure and her small, ordinary gestures are exactly what make her suspicious to a detective trained to read meaning into everything. Whether she is Lupin's unwitting instrument or a knowing accomplice, her movements give Sholmes his first real thread into the thief's network.
Suzanne Gerbois
minor
Also known as Suzanne, Gerbois
Daughter of Monsieur Gerbois, involved in the lottery affair.
Bresson
minor
Also known as Monsieur Bresson
Suspicious figure connected to the blue diamond theft.
Monsieur Detinan
minor
Also known as Detinan
Friend of Lupin who hosts a dinner party for the detective.
Madame de Crozon
minor
Also known as Madame de Réal, Countess de Crozon, Countess of Crozon
Aristocratic woman whose blue diamond is stolen.
Herschmann
minor
Also known as Monsieur Herschmann, Baron Herschmann
Banker involved in the Jewish lamp affair.
Folenfant
minor
Also known as Brigadier Folenfant
Police brigadier assisting Ganimard.
Charles
minor
Also known as Monsieur Charles
Servant or associate in Lupin's circle.
Antoinette Bréhat
minor
Also known as Mademoiselle Antoinette, Antoinette
Woman involved in Lupin's abduction plot.
Monsieur d'Imblevalle
minor
Also known as Mon . d'Imblevalle
Aristocrat whose home is targeted by Lupin.
Lady Strongborough
minor
Minor character mentioned in the story.
Monsieur Dudouis
minor
Also known as Mon . Dudouis, Dudouis
Police official involved in the Lupin investigation.
Davey
minor
Also known as Felix Davey
Alias used by Lupin during one of his schemes.
Henriette
minor
Also known as little Henriette
Young girl connected to the Destange household.
Sister Auguste
minor
Also known as the Sister Auguste, Sister
Nun who appears during the Jewish lamp episode.
Herr Bleichen
minor
Also known as the Consul Herr Bleichen
German consul involved in the Jewish lamp affair.
Count de Crozon
minor
Also known as the Count de Crozon
Husband of Madame de Crozon, involved in the diamond theft.
Baron d'Hautrec
minor
Also known as Monsieur d'Hautrec, Monsieur le Baron
Nobleman whose death is linked to the blue diamond.
Lucien Destange
minor
Relative of Clotilde Destange.
Philippe
minor
Also known as Monsieur Philippe
Minor character in Lupin's network.
Stickmann
minor
Also known as Monsieur Stickmann
German associate involved in the Jewish lamp.
Dieuzy
minor
Police officer assisting Ganimard.
Leroux
minor
Also known as the Messieurs Leroux
Minor characters mentioned in passing.
Bessy
minor
Also known as Monsieur Bessy
Minor acquaintance of Lupin.
Madame Bob-Walthour
minor
Minor character briefly mentioned.
Marie Walêwska
minor
Also known as Marie
Historical figure referenced in the narrative.
Henri-Martin
minor
Minor character referenced in the plot.