Book dossier

L'île aux trente cercueils

by Maurice Leblanc

<p>While watching a film, Véronique d’Hergemont spots her childhood signature mysteriously written on the side of a hut in the background of a scene. Her visit to the location of the film shoot deepens the mystery, but also provides further clues that point her towards long-lost relations and a great secret from ancient history: a secret that will require the services of a particular man to unravel.</p> <p><i>The Secret of Sarek</i> was published in the original French in 1919, and in this English translation in 1920. It was <a href="https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/maurice-leblanc">Maurice Leblanc’s</a> first <a href="https://standardebooks.org/collections/arsene-lupin">Arsène Lupin</a> novel written after the Great War, and its impact on Leblanc is palpable: the novel has a much darker tone than earlier works, and even the famous cheery charm of Lupin is diluted. The result is a classic horror story, bringing a new dimension to the series.</p>