A Thief in the Night

Raffles is always portrayed as charismatic, the kind of man people follow blindly against all sense. It makes the stories interesting in a way that the standard pot-boiler crime stories of that era often fail to do. Hornung keeps us on edge with an unexpected turn of events, often preceded by a witty set up.

“The present craze for gladiatorial athleticism I regard as one of the great evils of the age. . . I had forgotten Raffles was a modern first-class cricketer: that explains him. Rather than see my son such another, do you know what I’d prefer to see him?”

I neither knew nor cared: yet a wretched premonitory fascination held me breathless till I was told.

“ I’d prefer to see him a thief!” said Nasmyth savagely.