Raffles

"Classy, humorous and surprisingly touching tales of cricket, friendship and crime." The Spectator

Richard Foreman's acclaimed series of Raffles stories, which gave life again to the gentleman thief and cricketer, are here collected in one volume, Raffles: The Complete Innings. Full of wit, crimes and romance the books can be read individually, or together they form a story that proves even greater than the sum of its parts, with appearances from Sherlock Holmes, Dr Watson, C. B. Fry and Lord Rosebery, among others.

Richard Foreman's Raffles Series has been widely praised:

'A capital story! Strong characters, sparkling dialogue, a plot with a twist as the gentleman thief plies his trade again. Devotees of the original stories will rejoice at his return: new fans will greet a fresh hero and wait impatiently for more adventures. Raffles, burglar extraordinaire, master cricketer, welcome back to The Albany!' David Dickinson, author of The Lord Powerscourt Mysteries

'This story is not only a joy because of the wonderful characterizations of Raffles and Bunny, but the rest of the ensemble is both amusing and full of personality. I found myself often laughing with Raffles and cringing with Bunny at the various people they encounter. The casual mention of real people like H. G. Wells, Winston Churchill and the famous sportsman C. B. Fry - here a friend of Raffles - naturally brings authenticity to the story, and you really do feel like you're witnessing history first hand.' Dawn, The Baker Street Babes

Raffles: The Complete Innings contains the following stories.

'Raffles: The Gentleman Thief'

Raffles, the famous cricketer and amateur cracksman, is back in an original adventure. Harry "Bunny" Manders, Raffles' biographer and accomplice, recounts the tale of the time they broke into the bookshop, Hatchard's of Piccadilly. Their mission? To steal a letter, formally owned by one Rene d'Aramis, which if published could compromise a prominent member of the government.

'Raffles: Bowled Over'

Raffles and Harry "Bunny" Manders are back, in this thrilling sequel to Raffles: The Gentleman Thief. Raffles decides to undertake a job close to home, at the Albany. His new neighbour is Rupert Robert Fuller, a powerful - and odious - financier. In order to distract Fuller, whilst he breaks into the banker's opulent apartment, Raffles calls upon his friend - the cricketing legend C. B. Fry.

'Raffles: A Perfect Wicket'

In Raffles: A Perfect Wicket, Bunny is worried for his great friend. Since the disappearance of Mary Flanagan Raffles has grown despondent, sick with boredom. Thankfully a remedy is found, in the form of an invite to a party. The host is Lord Rosebery no less. Raffles considers the opportunity to be "a perfect wicket" in terms of the the spoils to be had, and hatches a plan to rob the former Prime Minister.

'Raffles: Caught Out'

Raffles: Caught Out follows on from the events of Raffles: A Perfect Wicket. Harry "Bunny" Manders returns to London to find a message in his apartment from Raffles, summoning him to the Albany. Their mutual friend "Ranji," the great batsman of the age, has been compromised by a beautiful and mysterious widow, Iris Adams. Their task is to retrieve a ruby ring in her possession - and if diplomacy fails Raffles vows to use his skills as a cracksman.

'Raffles: Stumped'

Although Harry "Bunny" Manders has worked a few jobs with Raffles he still finds himself in debt. Bunny must pay off a loan to an unscrupulous moneylender, Alexander "Shylock" Cardinal, or else lose all of his assets, or worse his life.

'Raffles: Playing On'

A. J. Raffles has left the country in mysterious circumstances. Harry "Bunny" Manders is left back in London, to worry about his friend and listen to all sorts of rumours...