Fantômas

<i>Fantômas</i> is the first novel in a series of 32 written by Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre between 1911 and 1913. The story follows the ruthless criminal Fantômas, a brutal successor to Arsène Lupin, as Inspector Juve attempts to capture him after the savage murder of the Marquise de Langrune. Notable for its influence on French Surrealism and early cinema, the character of Fantômas became a significant figure in both literature and film, with the first five novels adapted into silent film serials.