Synopses & Reviews
Gentleman thief Raffles is daring, debonair, devilishly handsome-and a first-rate cricketer. In these eight stories, the master burglar indulges his passion for cricket and crime: stealing jewels from a country house, outwitting the law, pilfering from the nouveau riche, and, of course, bowling like a demon-all with the assistance of his plucky sidekick, Bunny. Encouraged by his brother-in-law, Arthur Conan Doyle, to write a series about a public school villain, and influenced by his own experiences at Uppingham, E. W. Hornung created a unique form of crime story, where, in stealing as in sport, it is playing the game that counts, and there is always honor among thieves.
About the Author
E. W. Hornung (1866-1921) created Raffles the gentleman burglar, hero of The Amateur Cracksman (1899) and Mr. Justice Raffles (1909) and wrote many other adventure stories published in magazines and in book form. He married Arthur Conan Doyle's sister Constance, traveled widely, and played cricket. Richard Lancelyn Green is an authority on the life and work of Arthur Conan Doyle and editor of several volumes of his work.