A Critic's Meta Review: 4/5
A Thief in the Night by E.W. Hornung (1866-1921). Published by planksip
A Critic's Meta Review: 4/5
Review
A Thief in the Night features Bunny as the narrator as he describes additional adventures which had been previously omitted from various points in their criminal careers. While all stories are largely self-contained and could be independently read, the final two stories take place after Raffles and Bunny become professional criminals of ruined reputations. However, the final story is an exception as it serves as an epilogue to events explored in the first story. Each story was first published in serial format, excluding "The Last Word" which is a short epilogue to the events of "Out of Paradise".
Ready to wrap up the adventures of Raffles and Bunny? A Thief in the Night is available for FREE download on planksip.
Overview
Published in 1905, A Thief in the Night is a collection of short stories written by E.W. Hornung featuring his popular character A.J. Raffles. A Thief in the Night is the third and final book in the series. The book continues to follow the story of Raffles, a gentleman thief, commits a number of burglaries in late Victorian England.
A full-length novel, Mr. Justice Raffles would follow in publication in 1909.
Plot
The collection of ten short stories can be summarized as follows:
"Out of Paradise": Raffles proposes breaking into the house that once belonged to the rich uncle of Bunny's ex-fiancée.
"The Chest of Silver": Raffles entrusts Bunny to deposit a chest of Raffles's stolen silver at the bank.
"The Rest Cure": To avoid Inspector Mackenzie, Raffles grows a beard and stays in the home of a prison warden.
"The Criminologists' Club": The pair are invited to dine with four crime enthusiasts but Bunny fears they suspect Raffles of being a thief.
"The Field of Philippi": When Raffles and Bunny visit their old school, Raffles takes a position in a debate against an old schoolmate.
"A Bad Night": When Raffles has to give up a burglary job, Bunny is eager to prove that he can do the job himself.
"A Trap to Catch a Cracksman”: A wealthy boxer from the United States claims to have developed a trap to catch a burglar and Raffles falls right into it.
"The Spoils of Sacrilege": Wishing to take the lead, Bunny proposes to Raffles that they rob the wealthy inhabitants of his childhood home.
"The Raffles Relics": While Raffles and Bunny are living in retirement.
"The Last Word": Bunny runs into his ex-fiancée, who wants to be friends again.