Summary
Summary of A Prince of Swindlers
A Prince of Swindlers at a glance
Summary: 8 min to read
- Reading time
- About 3 h 45 min3 h fast, 4 h 30 min slow
- Length
- 53,600 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1897by Guy Boothby
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
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Key ideas
Key idea 1
Charm opens the first door
Lost during a morning ride in India, the Earl of Amberley discovers a marble house beside a blue lake. Its owner, Simon Carne, welcomes him with breakfast, fine china and the manners of a scholar. Carne's feeling for a small vase moves the Earl to offer help when he visits London.
That promise is more valuable than it seems. The Earl is lending Carne his social standing, and his family soon falls under the stranger's spell. The coming robberies begin with hospitality, not force.
Key idea 2
The thief becomes the detective
In London, Carne settles on Park Lane beside the celebrated detective Klimo.
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Key idea 3
A disguise supplies a convincing story
Carne wants his horse, Knight of Malta, to win the Derby, but Vulcanite stands in the way.
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Key idea 4
A good deed can yield profit
As Klimo, Carne receives Eileen Jeffreys, whose sick father has been troubled by coded cablegrams.
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Key idea 5
An apparent injury creates an alibi
A society wedding brings Carne a fresh opportunity.
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Key idea 6
Charitable trust becomes another weakness
Asked to help raise money for earthquake victims in the Canary Islands, Carne gives a stirring speech while imagining how the donations might reach him instead.
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Key idea 7
Vanity helps Carne choose his victims
Carne's victims are not simply careless with their possessions.
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Key idea 8
Careful craft meets dangerous pride
Carne treats crime as skilled work.
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Key idea 9
Each scheme turns weakness into opportunity
Across the London season, Carne's crimes follow a recognizable pattern.
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Who it’s for
This book suits readers who love clever heists, gentleman rogues and disguises, and who enjoy watching a plan click into place. Fans of Raffles and Sherlock Holmes will feel at home.
What this book is
What if the most charming guest in London were the thief everyone is hunting? A Prince of Swindlers opens with a confession. The Earl of Amberley, once Viceroy of India, wants to set the record straight about the robberies that shook London in a great jubilee season. He admits he brought the criminal into society himself.
Guy Boothby wrote the book as a run of linked adventures. Its hero is Simon Carne, a hunchbacked scholar and collector of china with a Park Lane mansion and a gift for being liked. Each chapter gives one scheme, carried out with the cool pleasure of a man playing a game.
In this summary
- 1Charm opens the first doorFree
- 2The thief becomes the detective
- 3A disguise supplies a convincing story
- 4A good deed can yield profit
- 5An apparent injury creates an alibi
- 6Charitable trust becomes another weakness
- 7Vanity helps Carne choose his victims
- 8Careful craft meets dangerous pride
- 9Each scheme turns weakness into opportunity
A lost ride leads to a marble palace
The Earl of Amberley writes to clear his name, because he introduced the man behind the famous swindles to his friends. To show how the trap was laid, he goes back to his last year as Viceroy, when he is a guest of the Maharajah of Malar-Kadir.
One morning he rides out alone, loses his way in thick jungle and comes out above a blue lake. On an island stands a house of white marble. An English manservant says that breakfast is ready. The master of the house is Simon Carne. He is short, with a severe curve of the spine, yet his face is as fine as a carved bust. He shows a cabinet of china and Indian art.
Carne speaks of a small vase with such feeling that the Earl offers to help him in London. Carne accepts gravely and smiles in a way the Earl cannot read. Eight months later he dines with the Viceroy in Calcutta, and the Earl's family fall under his spell. Charm and a good story open doors that force never could.
That’s 1 of 9 key points.
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Check yourself
What is the secret behind the detective Klimo?
Right. “The joke is that Klimo is Carne.”Not quite. “The joke is that Klimo is Carne.”
Why does Carne's flattery work so well on his victims?
Right. “Each wants something, and Carne offers it.”Not quite. “Each wants something, and Carne offers it.”
How does Carne respond when Belton urges flight after news of Bradfield?
Right. “When news of the hunter Bradfield arrives, Belton urges flight, but Carne's pride wants one more spectacular stroke.”Not quite. “When news of the hunter Bradfield arrives, Belton urges flight, but Carne's pride wants one more spectacular stroke.”
Go deeper: the whole of A Prince of Swindlers
About 3 h 50 min to read.Start freePaperback, hardcover and large print, printed for you at cost, are on their way.Email me when it is printed
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 53,600 words
- Reading timeAbout 3 h 45 min
Questions about A Prince of Swindlers
What is A Prince of Swindlers about?
It follows Simon Carne, a charming collector who comes to London during a grand jubilee season and, through disguises and clever devices, steals jewels, a racehorse, wedding presents and charity money from the rich.
Who is Klimo in A Prince of Swindlers?
Klimo is a famous private detective who lives next door to Carne's house. Readers soon see that Klimo is a disguise, and that Carne uses the detective's fame to guide the police away from himself.
Is A Prince of Swindlers a true story?
No, it is fiction by Guy Boothby, published in the late Victorian period. It uses real London places and the jubilee atmosphere, but the characters and crimes are invented for entertainment.
Is A Prince of Swindlers easy to read?
Yes, in the sense that each chapter is a self-contained adventure with a clear goal, quick scenes and lively dialogue, so you can enjoy one episode at a time.
Who is Trincomalee Liz?
She is a woman of mixed French and Indian blood who lives in Calcutta, lends Carne the money for his London plans in return for a share in the jewels, and keeps a close bond with him.
Cite this edition
Boothby, Guy. A Prince of Swindlers. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/a-prince-of-swindlers.
Boothby, G. (2026). A prince of swindlers. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/a-prince-of-swindlers (Original work published 1897)
Boothby, Guy. A Prince of Swindlers. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/a-prince-of-swindlers.
@book{boothby2026prince,
author = {Boothby, Guy},
title = {A Prince of Swindlers},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/a-prince-of-swindlers},
note = {First published 1897}
}
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