The Lone Wolf: The Dogs Have Put On Weight

    (Moonstone, 2004)
™ and © Moonstone

Moonstone Noir digs deep into the well of forgotten fiction with this title. Louis Joseph Vance wrote The Lone Wolf in 1914, introducing to the world Michael Lanyard, gentleman thief. Educated in thievery by master thief Bourke, Lanyard hones his skills and adopts “the three cardinal principles of successful craftsmanship, know your ground thoroughly before venturing upon it; strike and retreat with the swift precision of a hawk; be friendless. And the last of these is the greatest.”

Updated for the new millennium, Jolley and Croall’s thief is a woman, Michelle Hunter. Upper-crust debutante by day and master thief by night, she adheres to the three cardinal principles in the first three pages of the story, as she steals a gem and arranges for the capture of her accomplice. In a nicely woven tale, Hunter is blackmailed into stealing a computer program by people threatening the life of her mentor, Michael Lanyard. Mystery, mayhem, and a little predictable romance forge an entertaining story.

Gabriel Rearte and Terry Pallot team up to accomplish some of the finest black-and-white art anywhere. The style is crisp and highly detailed and brings the reader immediately into the story. Can’t wait to see what they team up on next.

— Karen O’Brien
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