Raffles

Criminal mastermind, man-about-town, master of disguise, and a damn fine gentleman cricketer: Arthur J. Raffles is the classic lovable rogue "Do you think that because a fellow has rooms at this place and belongs to a club or two and plays a little cricket, he must necessarily have a balance in the bank? . . . I have nothing but my wits to live on." Raffles is a public-school cad and master burglar, with an aptitude for cricket and a passion for crime--an immaculately dressed gentleman thief who steals from the rich not to give to the poor, but rather to subsidize his own splendid lifestyle. Along with his sidekick--his former schoolmate and fellow gambler Harry "Bunny" Masters--he embarks on a series of thefts. But will they get away with it? First published in 1899, Raffles was an immediate success. With Raffles, the scoundrel-in-an-evening-suit, Hornung created an irresistible alternative to Sherlock Holmes.