The Secret of Sarek

What It's About

Set in 1917, the novel follows Véronique d'Hergemont, whose baby son was kidnapped fourteen years earlier by her own father, in revenge for her marriage to the sinister Count Vorski — both were reported drowned soon after. While watching a newsreel, Véronique recognises her own childhood signature scrawled on a hut in a scene filmed in Brittany, and follows the clue to the remote island of Sarek. There she uncovers an ancient prophecy foretelling that four women will be crucified and thirty people sacrificed before a "God-Stone", said to hold the power of life and death, is revealed. As the prophecy begins coming horribly true, Véronique finds herself the target of the island's sinister forces, and it will take the intervention of Arsène Lupin to uncover the truth.

Key Concepts

The novel pairs Leblanc's usual detective plotting with gothic horror, building its mystery around a pre-Christian legend of standing stones and human sacrifice on a Breton island. Written just after the First World War, it is notably darker in tone than earlier Lupin adventures, with Lupin's usual light charm largely set aside in favour of sustained dread and menace — though, as ever in the series, the supernatural trappings are eventually given a rational explanation.

About the Author

Maurice Leblanc (1864–1941) was a French novelist and short story writer born in Rouen. After abandoning law studies, he worked as a journalist before turning to fiction, and found lasting fame as the creator of Arsène Lupin, the gentleman thief and detective who became a central figure in French popular literature. He was awarded the Légion d'Honneur for his services to literature.

About This Edition

This is a 1920 translation by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos.