The Penguin Book of Gaslight Crime: Con Artists, Burglars, Rogues, and Scoundrels from the Time of Sherlock Holmes (Penguin Classics)
Starred Review. Noted for such science books asDarwin's OrchestraandAdam's Navel, Sims has compiled a thoroughly enjoyable anthology of what he calls caper stories from the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Notable authors include Raffles's creator E.W. Hornung (Nine Points of the Law), as well as names not usually associated with the crime genre like Sinclair Lewis (The Willow Walk) and Arnold Bennett (A Comedy on the Gold Coast). All 12 tales are classics—suspenseful, humorous and charming. One can only hope for a sequel that will include a couple of curious omissions, namely Maurice Leblanc, of Arsène Lupin fame, and R. Austin Freeman, creator of art forger Danby Croker.(Apr.)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.