The Teeth of the Tiger

The Teeth of the Tiger is a crime novel by Maurice Leblanc, first published in English in 1914; it was later serialized in French in 1920 and issued in book form in 1921.

It begins with the reading of a colossal will and a frantic effort to locate the rightful heirs before the fortune vanishes into the wrong hands. As the search unfolds, a high-stakes inheritance mystery turns deadly: victims appear with a chilling, telltale pattern that suggests the bite of a tiger.

Drawn into the case, a brilliant operative races through Parisian salons, safe houses, and shadowed streets, setting traps, cracking codes, and turning disguises into weapons. The tempo is brisk and the investigation becomes a cat-and-mouse game of feints, forgeries, and sudden reversals.

Blending adventure with deduction, the novel showcases Leblanc’s gift for intricate twists and identity games. Its appeal lies in the way it marries breakneck plotting with sly psychological play, delivering a quintessential Lupin caper where wit, nerve, and misdirection decide the prize.

"It was half-past four; M. Desmalions, the Prefect of Police, was not yet back at the office. His private secretary laid on the desk a bundle of letters and reports which he had annotated for his chief, rang the bell and said to the messenger who entered by the main door..."

This edition of The Teeth of the Tiger is based on the English translation by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos.