Publisher's Synopsis
Introducing Simon Carne, a gentleman thief predating both E. W. Hornung's A. J. Raffles and Maurice Leblanc's Arsene Lupin. The British Viceroy first meets Carne while traveling in India. Charmed, he invites the reclusive hunchbacked scholar to London, little suspecting that his guest is actually an adventurer and a master of disguise. Carne-aided by his loyal butler, Belton-embarks on a crime spree, stealing from London's richest citizens and then making fools of them by posing as a detective investigating the thefts.