The Gentleman Jewel Thief

In an era when ladies were demure and men courtly, one priceless treasure set England ablaze and incited unimaginable scandal and passion—the Hope Diamond. Heir to an impressive title and fortune, Lord William Townshend, Earl of Harclay, is among the most disreputable rakes in England. Desperately bored by dull heiresses and tedious soirees, he seeks new excitement—with a dangerous scheme to steal the world’s most legendary gemstone from its owner, Thomas Hope. To his surprise, however, it’s not the robbery that sets his blood burning but the alluring lady from whom he pilfers the gem. A string of bad luck has left the fate of Lady Violet Rutledge’s estate entirely in Hope’s scheming hands. So when his prized jewel disappears from around her neck, she has no choice but to track down the villain responsible for the theft. Only Harclay has his sights set on taking more from her than the necklace—and she’s tempted to surrender anything he desires… Now, caught in a thrilling game of secrecy and seduction, Violet must find a way to protect her fortune—and her heart—before she loses both forever…

Georgiana, the daughter of a wealthy family, wants to become a famous detective more than anything. She’s looking forward to this summer’s vacation. Something is sure to happen at the popular resort in Bath where the aristocracy and the wealthy are gathering. Then, amid their endless parties, a famous emerald necklace is stolen! Georgiana, who just before the crime overheard a mysterious conversation, begins investigating at once. But the enigmatic and handsome Marquis of Ashdowne keeps popping up wherever she goes. Now he suddenly wants to be her assistant!

The cracking debut of A. J. Raffles, proper English gentleman and jewel thief extraordinaire Sometimes the greatest of partnerships are born in the direst of moments. For Bunny Manders and A. J. Raffles, such a moment comes when a bad night at the baccarat tables threatens to end in suicide. Hundreds of pounds in the red, Bunny grows so desperate that he asks Raffles, a former classmate who captained their public school's cricket team, for help. When Raffles hesitates, Bunny pulls a gun out of his coat pocket and puts it to his head. "I never dreamt you had such stuff in you, Bunny!" says Raffles, a gleam in his eye. A few hours later, he and his old school chum break into a jeweler's shop and steal thousands of pounds' worth of diamonds and gemstones. Disaster averted, adventures begun. In these thrilling stories, E. W. Hornung introduced the world to a duo as gifted at burglary as Sherlock Holmes and Watson are at detection. Full of sophisticated banter, hair-raising close calls, and nefarious schemes, Raffles: The Amateur Cracksman is a masterwork of crime fiction and irrefutable proof that there truly is honor among thieves.

In the famous resort town of Bath, England, a magnificent emerald necklace is stolen. Aspiring detective Lady Georgiana is on the case with her handsome assistant, Lord Ashdowne. Georgiana soon discovers that two of the three suspects are innocent. Her third suspect is none other than Ashdowne himself! Ashdowne is a nobleman who is as smart as he is handsome. And Georgiana can't find his motive. Furthermore, she is starting to fall in love with him after working on the case together. Can she really go after him as the culprit?

"The Amateur Cracksman" by E. W. Hornung is a short story collection. It was the original short story collection by Hornung, featuring his most famous character, A. J. Raffles, a gentleman thief in late Victorian Great Britain. The book contains the tales: The Ideas of March, A Costume Piece, Gentlemen and Players, Le Premier Pas, Wilful Murder, Nine Points of the Law, The Return Match, and The Gift of the Emperor.

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.

The cracking debut of A. J. Raffles, proper English gentleman and jewel thief extraordinaire Sometimes the greatest of partnerships are born in the direst of moments. For Bunny Manders and A. J. Raffles, such a moment comes when a bad night at the baccarat tables threatens to end in suicide. Hundreds of pounds in the red, Bunny grows so desperate that he asks Raffles, a former classmate who captained their public school’s cricket team, for help. When Raffles hesitates, Bunny pulls a gun out of his coat pocket and puts it to his head. “I never dreamt you had such stuff in you, Bunny!” says Raffles, a gleam in his eye. A few hours later, he and his old school chum break into a jeweler’s shop and steal thousands of pounds’ worth of diamonds and gemstones. Disaster averted, adventures begun. In these thrilling stories, E. W. Hornung introduced the world to a duo as gifted at burglary as Sherlock Holmes and Watson are at detection. Full of sophisticated banter, hair-raising close calls, and nefarious schemes, Raffles: The Amateur Cracksman is a masterwork of crime fiction and irrefutable proof that there truly is honor among thieves. This ebook features a new introduction by Otto Penzler and has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.