A Thief in the Night: Further adventures of A. J. Raffles, Cricketer and Cracksman (ePub)

Ernest William Hornung, commonly known as E. W. Hornung (1866-1921), was an English author and poet best known for creating the character A. J. Raffles, an English gentleman-thief first introduced in the 1898 collection of short stories 'The Amateur Cracksman.' Hornung was born in Middlesbrough, England, and was educated at Uppingham School and later at the Bradford Grammar School. His literary career began earnestly in the early 1890s after moving to London, where he became close friends with fellow writer Arthur Conan Doyle, his brother-in-law, whose sleuth Sherlock Holmes greatly influenced Hornung's work. Hornung's literary output includes novels and numerous short stories; however, his fame predominantly rests on the Raffles series, which includes 'A Thief in the Night: Further adventures of A. J. Raffles, Cricketer and Cracksman' (1905), a later collection that continued to explore the complexities and contradictions of criminal life through its charismatic protagonist. His delineation of Raffles as both a sportsman and a criminal mastermind exemplifies Hornung's subversion of Victorian respectability, presenting crime with a touch of elegance and moral ambiguity. Despite the success of his antihero, Hornung also wrote works in the adventure and mystery genres, showcasing his versatile command of language and narrative styles. Hornung's contribution to English literature, with his morally ambivalent characters and exploration of the dichotomy between social respectability and the allure of crime, ensures his continuing recognition in the canon of detective fiction.