A. J. Raffles, A Gentleman-Thief: 27 Crime Tales in One Volume (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. The Amateur Cracksman, The Black Mask - Raffles: Further Adventures, A Thief in the Night & Mr. Justice RafflesBy E. W. Hornung
Length26h 19m
About this audiobook
A. J. Raffles, A Gentleman-Thief gathers the celebrated adventures of Hornung's "amateur cracksman," a polished cricketer and clubman who pursues burglary with the finesse of an aesthetic vocation. Narrated by his anxious accomplice Bunny Manders, these tales transpose the detective formula into criminal key: Holmesian deduction becomes predatory ingenuity, and late-Victorian respectability is revealed as both mask and temptation. Hornung's prose is urbane, ironic, and swift, balancing sporting camaraderie, moral ambiguity, and the suspense of the meticulously staged crime. E. W. Hornung (1866–1921), an English novelist and short-story writer, was closely connected to the literary world that produced modern detective fiction; he was also Arthur Conan Doyle's brother-in-law. His invention of Raffles reflects both admiration for and resistance to Sherlock Holmes: where Doyle's hero restores order, Hornung's antihero exposes the hypocrisies of class, empire, masculinity, and leisure. Hornung's own experience of public-school culture and imperial society sharpened his eye for the codes Raffles so elegantly exploits. This volume is recommended to readers interested in crime fiction's origins, antiheroic protagonists, and the darker underside of Victorian gentlemanliness. It offers entertainment of high polish and enduring critical significance.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A comprehensive Introduction outlines these selected works' unifying features, themes, or stylistic evolutions.
- A Historical Context section situates the works in their broader era—social currents, cultural trends, and key events that underpin their creation.
- A concise Synopsis (Selection) offers an accessible overview of the included texts, helping readers navigate plotlines and main ideas without revealing critical twists.
- A unified Analysis examines recurring motifs and stylistic hallmarks across the collection, tying the stories together while spotlighting the different work's strengths.
- Reflection questions inspire deeper contemplation of the author's overarching message, inviting readers to draw connections among different texts and relate them to modern contexts.
- Lastly, our hand‐picked Memorable Quotes distill pivotal lines and turning points, serving as touchstones for the collection's central themes.
Audiobook details
GenreMystery and Thriller, Literary Classics
Length26 hrs 19 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateJun 13, 2016
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1A. J. Raffles, A Gentleman-Thief: 27 Crime Tales in One Volume (Annotated)
21The Wrong House
2Introduction
22The Knees of the Gods
3Historical Context
23A Thief in the Night
4Synopsis (Selection)
24Out of Paradise
5The Amateur Cracksman
25The Chest of Silver
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6The Ides of March
26The Rest Cure
7A Costume Piece
27The Criminologists' Club
8Gentlemen and Players
28The Field of Philippi
9Le Premier Pas
29A Bad Night
10Wilful Murder
30A Trap to Catch a Cracksman
11Nine Points of the Law
31The Spoils of Sacrilege
12The Return Match
32The Raffles Relics
13The Gift of the Emperor
33The Last Word
14The Black Mask; or, Raffles: Further Adventures
34Mr. Justice Raffles (pt. 1)
15No Sinecure
35Mr. Justice Raffles (pt. 2)
16A Jubilee Present
36Mr. Justice Raffles (pt. 3)
17The Fate of Faustina
37Analysis
18The Last Laugh
38Reflection
19To Catch a Thief
39Memorable Quotes
20An Old Flame
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