The Amateur Cracksman

Raffles is E.W. Hornung's immensely popular gentleman thief, a delight of which the Times Literary Supplement says: "Hornung's Raffles re-reads at least as well as, if not better than, all except the very best of Sherlock Holmes." In fact, the well-mannered burglar is Holmes' opposite, a foil for great detectives and a man with all the immoral charms of a hero-thief. Raffles is the godson of Robin Hood, the model for Cary Grant in "To Catch a Thief" and the inspiration of Leslie Charteris' "The Saint." As the great reinvention of the trickster for the 20th century, Raffles convinces readers to throw away their scruples and follow along for wit, bold adventures, and thrilling suspense! The Herald Tribune says "Raffles is amazing; his resource is perfect; and naturally he has a 'cool nerve, ' a nerve positively arctic."