I once read, maybe ten years ago, a collection of short stories where an eccentric thief would read crime stories out of the newspaper, solve the crime by paying close attention to the details in the story (a la Sherlock Holmes), and formulate a plan to recover the stolen items usually for his gain.
I don't remember the main character's name, but I remember he had a butler or valet. After reading the newspaper, he would give a list of items to his butler, claiming he wanted to do an experiment for purely "academic" purposes, as he described it. The items would seem to have no common purpose, but would each play an important part in his plan.
I wish I could remember the main character, or the author for that matter, as the stories had elaborate schemes which resulted in elegant solutions to the crimes. The endings usually involved the apprehension of the original thief and the recovery of a portion of the stolen goods. The "unrecovered" portion ended up in the main character's bank account.
A few details I remember from different stories: a photograph in the newspaper of a man holding up a "lucky feather", an ample woman who had spent some time in the circus (whom he trained to faint as a diversion), and a detective who was always on the verge of catching the thief and spoiling his plans.
Please, if anyone remembers this collection of short stories, post the title, author, or even the main character's name. Thanks in advance.
I don't remember the main character's name, but I remember he had a butler or valet. After reading the newspaper, he would give a list of items to his butler, claiming he wanted to do an experiment for purely "academic" purposes, as he described it. The items would seem to have no common purpose, but would each play an important part in his plan.
I wish I could remember the main character, or the author for that matter, as the stories had elaborate schemes which resulted in elegant solutions to the crimes. The endings usually involved the apprehension of the original thief and the recovery of a portion of the stolen goods. The "unrecovered" portion ended up in the main character's bank account.
A few details I remember from different stories: a photograph in the newspaper of a man holding up a "lucky feather", an ample woman who had spent some time in the circus (whom he trained to faint as a diversion), and a detective who was always on the verge of catching the thief and spoiling his plans.
Please, if anyone remembers this collection of short stories, post the title, author, or even the main character's name. Thanks in advance.