Ernest William Hornung 
Shadow of the Rope 

This early work by Ernest William Hornung was originally published in 1902 and we are now republishing it with a brand new introductory biography. ‘The Shadow of the Rope’ is a novel about a woman on trial for the murder of her husband. She is found not guilty but public opinion is almost universally against her except for a stranger who offers to marry her and give her protection. Ernest William Hornung was born in Middlesbrough, England in 1866. After working briefly as a journalist, and publishing a series of poems in The Times, Hornung created the character for which he is best-remembered: A. J. Raffles, a "gentleman thief" plying his trade in Victorian London.