E. W. Hornung

There is an admirable foundation for a philosophic romance in the curious history of the early settlement of Mount Wollaston, or Merry Mount. In the slight sketch here attempted, the facts, recorded on the grave pages of our New England annalists, have wrought themselves, almost spontaneously, into a sort of allegory. The masques, mummeries, and festive customs, described in the text, are in accordance with the manners of the age. Authority on these points may be found in Strutt's Book of English Sports and Pastimes. Bright were the days at Merry Mount, when the Maypole was the banner staff of that gay colony They who reared it, should their banner be triumphant, were to pour sunshine over New England's rugged hills, and scatter flower seeds throughout the soil. Jollity and gloom were contending for an empire. Midsummer eve had come, bringing deep verdure to the forest, and roses in her lap, of a more vivid hue than the tender buds of Spring.

First published in 1899, The Amateur Cracksman was the first collection of stories detailing the exploits and intrigues of gentleman thief A. J. Raffles in late Victorian England. Raffles was E. W. Hornung's most famous character. Popular in its day, the book led to three later works: The Black Mask and A Thief in the Night, both collections of short stories, and Mr. Justice Raffles, a complete novel. In public a popular sportsman, in private a cunning burglar with a weakness for valuable jewelery, Arthur Raffles, with the help of his side-kick Bunny Manders, always manages to thwart the investigations of Scotland Yard's Inspector Mackenzie.

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.

Meeting failure in his search for wealth in the 1851 Australian gold rush, a dispirited Mr. Cole takes the next available ship back to England - and falls in love with Eva Denison, a beautiful and accomplished young woman traveling with her exotic Portuguese step-father. After a disaster at sea Cole returns to anonymity in London... or so he thinks. Events lead to the discovery of a horrible conspiracy, and then to an adventure that may cost Cole his greatest love.

The Black Mask (published in some countries as Raffles: Further Adventures of the Amateur Cracksman) is the second collection of stories written by Ernest William Hornung in the A. J. Raffles series concerning a Gentleman thief in late Victorian London.

Arthur Raffles is a prominent member of London society, and a national sporting hero. As a cricketer he regularly represents England in Test matches. He uses this as a chance to commit a number of burgalries, primarily stealing valuable jewellry from his hosts. In this he is assisted by his friend, the younger, idealistic Bunny Manders. Both men are constantly under the surveillance of Inspector Mackenzie of Scotland Yard who is always thwarted in his attempts to pin the crimes on Raffles.

Today, a family would think nothing of the fact that one of their sons had fallen in love with an Australian woman. In the stodgy nineteenth century, however, the news was taken somewhat differently. Indeed, for the proper British Bligh family in E. W. Hornung's A Bride From the Bush, a dispatch delivering this information is received in the manner of a bomb detonating at the breakfast table. The author skillfully spins what starts out as a classic fish-out-of-water tale into a beguiling mystery.

Many of E. W. Hornung's novels explore the classic fish-out-of-water scenario by exiling a sophisticated, well-born aristocratic to the austere environment of the Australian outback. My Lord Duke reverses the situation. A humble, rough-and-tumble fellow born and raised in the Australian bush finds out that he has inherited a sizable sum and is forced to navigate the mysterious mores of upper-crust London society.

This surprisingly sophisticated series of linked tales will definitely ensnare the attention of fans of supernatural fiction. Set in a small community called Witching Hill, the book recounts several strange episodes that have occurred in the area. Are they connected, or a mere series of coincidences? Do they have an otherworldly cause, or are they readily explainable flukes? Read Witching Hill to find out.

Set in rural Australia, E. W. Hornung's mystery novel The Shadow of a Man follows a pair of newlyweds who are determined to make their improbable union work, no matter the odds. But little do they know exactly how high the odds are stacked against them-and the lengths that some will go to sabotage their love. Will the pair be able to overcome the obstacles in their way and live happily ever after?

A mysterious stranger appears at a secluded compound in the Australian outback. Gallant and sophisticated, it is clear that his past is at odds with his current situation. Where did he come from, and why has he condemned himself to such a primitive existence? Find out in E. W. Hornung's thrilling Stingaree.

This fast-paced page-turner from E. W. Hornung has something for every reader: a juicy murder mystery, a tender romance, charming local color, a critique of Victorian social mores, around-the-world adventures, and much more. The plot twists come at a breakneck pace, so don't blink or you might miss a crucial clue

This tightly plotted mystery from E. W. Hornung tells the tale of Mr. Cazalet. Though he appears to be a globe-trotting adventurer without a care in the world, his past holds a dark secret-and he'll go to the ends of the earth to seek revenge. But when the object of his hatred turns up dead, Cazalet drops everything to figure out the identity of the murderer.

Originally published in The Strand Magazine, where he was second in popularity only to the legendary Sherlock Holmes, this third collection of short stories features the antihero gentleman cricketer and thief, A. J. Raffles, along with his faithful cohort, Bunny Manders. Stories included: Out of Paradise The Chest of Silver The Rest Cure The Criminologists' Club The Field of Phillipi A Bad Night A Trap to Catch a Cracksman The Spoils of Sacrilege The Raffles Relics The Last Word

Set in rural Australia, E. W. Hornung's mystery novel The Shadow of a Man follows a pair of newlyweds who are determined to make their improbable union work, no matter the odds. But little do they know exactly how high the odds are stacked against them-and the lengths that some will go to sabotage their love. Will the pair be able to overcome the obstacles in their way and live happily ever after?

Teenager Tony Upton, beset by a chronic case of asthma, has lived a sheltered, quiet life, tucked away from the world and left mostly to his own devices. But everything changes one day when what starts out as a humdrum trip to the doctor takes a rapid detour. Our hero takes a liking to an unusual camera he spies in a store window, and that chance sighting sets into a motion a series of strange and mysterious events.

Author E. W. Hornung is perhaps best remembered for creating the unforgettably raffish criminal mastermind, Raffles. In the novel The Crime Doctor, Hornung flips the script and takes a hard look at crime from the other side of the equation. Doctor John Dollar is a learned scholar and practitioner who becomes obsessed with the idea of preventing criminal behavior before it takes hold-and he's willing to take extreme measures to fulfill his objective.

First published in 1899, The Amateur Cracksman was the first collection of stories detailing the exploits and intrigues of gentleman thief A. J. Raffles in late Victorian England. Raffles was E. W. Hornung's most famous character. Popular in its day, the book led to three later works: The Black Mask and A Thief in the Night, both collections of short stories, and Mr. Justice Raffles, a complete novel. In public a popular sportsman, in private a cunning burglar with a weakness for valuable jewelery, Arthur Raffles, with the help of his side-kick Bunny Manders, always manages to thwart the investigations of Scotland Yard's Inspector Mackenzie.

Though the author was born and raised in England, it was E. W. Hornung's travels and military service that served as the chief source of inspiration for his literary works. The volume Notes of a Camp-Follower on the Western Front is a gripping account based heavily on the time Hornung spent on the margins of military camps in France at the height of World War I.

Wounded warrior Duncan receives a mysterious letter from an old friend requesting his counsel. During a follow-up visit, he presses Elizabeth for details, and she admits that an older woman whose intent could be nefarious has set her sights on Elizabeth's nineteen-year-old son. Sensing her obvious distress, Duncan agrees to pitch in and help, setting off on an international manhunt with consequences no one could have foreseen.