The Hollow Needle

A crime at a Normandy château puts Lupin in the path of Isidore Beautrelet, a 17-year-old schoolboy with a great detective's mind. Beautrelet takes the thief's plans apart one by one while the police scramble. The case leads to an old riddle: the Hollow Needle, hiding place of the kings of France's treasure. Beautrelet finds a Château de l'Aiguille in the Creuse and thinks he's won, but it's a decoy, built centuries earlier to throw searchers off. The real needle stands on the Normandy coast near Étretat, where Lupin is hiding under another name. The final showdown there costs the thief dearly.

1. ChangeNo schoolboy detective

   The book revolves around Isidore Beautrelet, a student who takes on Lupin. The 2004 film drops Beautrelet and keeps only the treasure.

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2. ChangeThe crucifix trail

   In the book, the road to the kings of France's treasure runs through a castle that's a decoy. In the film, the hunt hinges on three crucifixes scattered across France.

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3. Behind the scenesLeblanc's house

   Leblanc owned a home in Étretat, where the book's rock needle stands. It's now the Clos Lupin museum, and the Netflix series shot a whole episode in the area.

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