Books with author Louis Joseph Vance

The brilliant debut of the great gentleman criminal. The origin story of the Lone Wolf, master criminal with a conscience. One rainy winter night, an orphan is abandoned to the care of a shabby Parisian inn called Troyon’s. For the next eleven years, the boy is up before dawn to clean and fetch and serve, his only respite the closet to which he retires at night and the books he pilfers from the hotel’s guests. A few francs here and there also find their way into his pockets, but not so much that anyone would notice—anyone, that is, except Bourke, the cultivated Irish thief who regularly hides out at Troyon’s. Caught red-handed, the amateur outwits the professional. Turn me over to the innkeepers, he says, and I’ll go to the police with everything I know about you. Astonished, Bourke takes the boy under his wing and teaches him how to be a master criminal. The most important lesson? Be friendless. Years later, Michael Lanyard—known to the authorities only as the Lone Wolf—is the world’s greatest jewel thief. When a ruthless gang of outlaws threatens to expose him unless he joins their “pack,” Lanyard vows to give up crime rather than violate Bourke’s code. Only a beautiful American girl and a sinister German spy stand in his way. Louis Joseph Vance’s groundbreaking series introduced a new turn of phrase to the language and gave American literature one of its most iconic characters. THE LONE WOLF

This is a reproduction of the original artefact. Generally these books are created from careful scans of the original. This allows us to preserve the book accurately and present it in the way the author intended. Since the original versions are generally quite old, there may occasionally be certain imperfections within these reproductions. We're happy to make these classics available again for future generations to enjoy!

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1914 edition. Excerpt: ...have been so anxious to hide it." "Oh, but I assure you--!" "You can't. Be honest with me, Mr. Lanyard. It was a offer to let you off if you'd give me up to Bannon--vasn't it?" "Something like that," he assented sheepishly--" too absurd for consideration.... But now we're due to clear out of this before they find a way in. Not that they're likely to risk a raid until they've tried starving us out; but it would be as well to put a good distance between us before they find out we've decamped." He shrugged into his borrowed raincoat, buttoned it to his chin, and turned down the brim of his felt hat; but when he looked up at the girl again, he found she hadn't moved; rather, she remained as one spellbound, staring less at than through him, her expression inscrutable. "Well," he ventured--"if you're quite ready, Miss Shannon--?" "Mr. Lanyard," she demanded almost sharply--" what was the full wording of that message?" "If you must know--" "I must!" He lifted a depreciative shoulder. "If you like, I'll read it to you--or, rather, translate it from the thieves' argot Popinot complimented me by using." "Not necessary," she said tersely. "I'll take your word for it.... But you must tell me the truth." "As you will.... Popinot delicately suggested that if I leave you here, to be reunited to your alleged parent--if I'll trust to his word of honour, that is, and walk out of the house alone, he'll give me twenty-four hours in which to leave Paris." "Then only I stand between you and--" "My dear young woman!" he protested hastily. "Please don't run away with any absurd notion like that. Do you imagine I'd consent to treat with such canaille under any circumstances?" "All the same," she continued stubbornly, "I'm the stumbling-block. You're risking your life for...