"Maman Léo" by Paul Féval is a novel that forms part of the eight-volume Les Habits noirs series about a criminal underground organization in 19th-century Paris. The cycle follows innocent victims wrongly accused who must clear their names using courage and intelligence. Féval dramatizes the collapse of aristocratic order after the French Revolution, depicting social instability, inheritance fraud, and secret criminal schemes. The series blends popular entertainment with literary ambition, featuring complex narrative techniques and characters with multiple identities that create mystery and suspense.