The Golden Triangle

===Amazon Customers' Review:
"A solid Lupin adventure, but not the best. 3.5 Stars [28 de marzo de 2013 por Christian Matozzo] - Another Arsene Lupin adventure in the series! This one, "The Golden Triangle: The Return of Arsene Lupin" occurs right after the events of "813." In this adventure Arsene Lupin returns as war veteran Don Luis Perenna. Lupin is called to uncover the details of the mysterious murder of a Moroccan man, Essares Bey, the disappearance of 300 Million Francs in Gold, and the connection between another war veteran, Captain Patrice Beval and a young nurse, affectionately known as Mother Coralie. But their lives are in danger, and Arsene takes it upon himself to play detective and find the culprit, and more importantly, the gold! Now, this novel, set in April, 1915, in the heart of World War I, doesn't start off like most other novels. For the most part, the police aren't involved, and the first half of the book sets up the arrival of Lupin and the backstory of Patrice Beval and Coralie. Like the other Lupin novels, there's danger lurking around every corner as the murderer always seems to make his presence known, as well as the usual LeBlanc plot twists that keep you guessing at what just might happen next.
Now I must say, the first part of this novel is a little slow to get through, but once Lupin shows up and the actual action happens, the novels moves at a torrid pace. The events in the story, unlike most other Lupin novels up to this point (The Hollow Needle, 813) only occur over the course of three days or so. And with no mention of Lupin before he shows up, this doesn't feel like a Lupin novel at the beginning. Rather, it starts off more like a Sherlock Holmes novel would. Not that it's a bad thing, just more different, more of a detective spin here. And the book to be honest, felt stretched out. LeBlanc gives a lot of time to the backstory of Patrice and Coralie, who before this novel we don't even know who they are. He doesn't really do this to characters not named Arsene Lupin in the other novels, so I found it kind of odd. The characterizations were great, but again it made the beginning of the book a little dull, even if the beginning of the book had action in it. And with the second-half of the book being so fast-paced and feeling so short, I couldn't help but feel like The Golden Triangle was a short story that was expanded into novel form. It doesn't have that long, epic feel that 813 does.
Also, maybe I've gotten used to reading Leblanc novels by now, but the plot twist and ending in this one was really predictable. Now I know in a lot of detective fiction people like being able to figure out who the culprit is alongside the characters, but by the time I was 3/4s of the way through the book I had figured everything out and started screaming at the characters, who didn't seem to have a clue (Except of course, Arsene Lupin!) One of the things I love about the Lupin novels is how LeBlanc writes the story, you really never know what's going to happen next with anyone.
Nonetheless, The Golden Triangle is still a solid read in the Lupin series. While not the best or most intriguing, Lupin is still always masterful at his craft and wonderful to watch at work".


==="Another Golden Lupin Adventure" by Riccardo Pelizzo - The story takes place in 1915, WWI has just started, and Captain Belval is recovering from his wounds under the gentle care of 'Mother Coralie'. In an action packed story that inncludes romance, evil, plotting, international intrigue, gold smuggling, several murders, Lupin, disguised as Don Luis Perenna, is more forceful than it had been in the crystal stopper, 813 or the teeth of the tiger. Lupin is smarter, stronger, wittier, more invulnerable than ever.
The golden triangle is very entertaining and it is almost as good as 813, The teeth of the tiger or the hollow needle that represent, in my view, the best Lupin's adventures ever".